VetEdge Congress

Home
United Kingdom
Exeter
VetEdge Congress

Two days of top-class cpd Experienced speakers will provide a balanced review of recent clinical advances and new medications.

Aimed at small animal practitioners and veterinary nurses, this interactive lecture series will be presented by specialists in the ﬁelds of internal medicine, surgery, dermatology, clinical pathology, anaesthesia, cardiology and ophthalmology. They will provide practical, relevant advice enabling you to offer the most current treatment recommendations to your clients. Multiple interactive sessions using audience polling will take the stress out of examining blood smears and effusion samples and help you to get the most from thoracic and abdominal radiographs. Join us in the historic Bath Assembly Rooms on the 21st and 22nd September 2017.

22/01/2026

🧪 In the lab: When to neuter, the role of bioassays in decision-making 🐶✨

Neutering is one of the most common procedures in UK practice, with around 75% of the canine population neutered. Yet the timing is rarely straightforward. 🩺💭

In the January 2026 issue of The Veterinary Edge, Helen Evans explores why a one-size-fits-all, age-based approach can miss the mark, especially when outward signs of sexual maturity are subtle or absent in male dogs. 🐾🔎

✅ Evidence-based timing matters

Breed and individual variation can influence both risk and outcome, which is why more practices are moving towards decisions based on physiological maturity rather than the calendar alone. 📅🧬

🧬 Where do bioassays come in?

Bioactivity testing using a single blood sample can support clinical judgement by helping to identify whether a young dog may be ready for neutering now, or whether it may be safer to delay and reassess. 🩸🔁

📖 Find the full feature in The Veterinary Edge, January 2026, and add another practical, evidence-led tool to your neutering conversations with clients.

We send free copies to vet practices across the UK, or you can explore the digital edition, packed with clickable content!

👉 Read it now: https://www.theveterinaryedge.com/

🐾🧪📚

20/01/2026

🥩 Nutrition Focus: Evidence that shapes better feeding decisions

The latest Science Briefs in The Veterinary Edge shine a spotlight on what our patients are really being fed, and what that means for their long-term health 🐾

🔍 Cat feeding guidelines

New research highlights major gaps between labelled feeding advice and the real energy needs of cats, especially larger cats. This could increase the risk of overfeeding and obesity.

⚠️ Feeding tube safety

A study reports cases of pneumothorax following blind nasogastric tube placement in dogs, underlining the importance of careful technique and monitoring in critical care.

🌿 Functional diets for skin health

Monk fruit extract shows promise in improving itch, inflammation and skin barrier function in dogs with atopic dermatitis, with high owner satisfaction reported.

🐶 Obesity and weight management

Liraglutide, a GLP-1 agonist, may help suppress appetite and improve cholesterol levels in overweight dogs, suggesting a future role in canine obesity treatment.

🍽 Home-prepared diets under the microscope

Only 6% of home-prepared dog diets studied were nutritionally complete, highlighting the need for professional nutritional guidance.

🏥 Celebrating 20 years of pet weight care

The Royal Canin Obesity Care Clinic at the University of Liverpool marks two decades of specialist support, with 2.7 tonnes of pet weight lost so far. 🎉

We send free copies to vet practices across the UK, or you can explore the digital edition, packed with clickable content!

👉 Read it now: https://www.theveterinaryedge.com/

19/01/2026

🤖 Tech Talk: Smarter Systems for Stronger Practice

The January 2026 issue of The Veterinary Edge explores how artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape the working day in practice, not by replacing people, but by giving teams back time, clarity and control.

This month we meet Vetnio, an intelligent digital assistant designed to sit alongside your existing practice management system and quietly handle the heavy admin load that contributes to stress, long days and burnout.

✨ Real-time consultation notes generated automatically

📞 Smart call handling with transcription and enquiry summaries

💊 Drug and dosage support based on species and weight

💷 Automatic charge capture to reduce missed billing

📊 Financial insights that highlight trends and lost revenue

📦 Stock prompts to prevent shortages

🗂️ Scheduling tools to improve appointment flow

Built through months of shadowing vets in real practices, Vetnio is designed around how teams actually work, helping reduce paperwork, improve accuracy and protect clinical time.

When technology works quietly in the background, you are free to do what matters most, caring for patients and supporting clients.

📖 Discover more in the January 2026 issue of The Veterinary Edge

We send free copies to vet practices across the UK, or you can explore the digital edition, packed with clickable content!

👉 Read it now: https://www.theveterinaryedge.com/

15/01/2026

🌿 Going Green: Small Changes, Real Impact

In the January 2026 issue of The Veterinary Edge, sustainability columnist Emma Chandley shows that greener veterinary practice is not about perfection, it is about progress 🌍

From energy use and waste reduction to ethical purchasing and client education, Emma explores how everyday choices in practice can add up to meaningful environmental change. Her message is clear: you do not need large budgets or complex policies to get started, just simple, consistent actions from every team member.

Inside this feature you will discover practical ways to begin your sustainability journey, including:

♻️ Monthly “one small change” challenges for your team

🔌 Easy wins for reducing energy and water use

🧼 Smarter waste segregation and recycling

🛒 Greener procurement and product choices

🐾 Tips for having sustainability conversations with clients

🌱 How wildlife protection and staff wellbeing also form part of truly green practice

Plus actionable sustainability ideas from Vet Sustain, along with advice on overcoming common barriers such as time pressures, cost concerns and staff engagement.

Whether you are just starting out or looking to build on what you already do, this feature proves that small steps taken consistently can lead to big change for animals, people and the planet 💚

We send free copies to vet practices across the UK, or you can explore the digital edition, packed with clickable content!

👉 Read it now: https://www.theveterinaryedge.com/

14/01/2026

🏆 Practice Design Awards, Celebrating Excellence in Veterinary Design

The January 2026 issue of The Veterinary Edge shines a spotlight on the inspiring winners of the 2025 Practice Design Awards, recognising the very best in veterinary architecture, innovation and wellbeing-focused design.

These awards celebrate practices that go beyond function to create spaces that support patients, clients and teams, blending smart design with beautiful, practical environments.

Inside this feature:

🏥 Award-winning new builds, refurbishments and conversions

🌿 Sustainability focused and energy-efficient designs

🐾 Calm, low-stress layouts for patients and clients

💡 Clever use of space, light and flow

🧠 Team wellbeing built into the heart of practice design

✨ Stand-out details that made the judges say wow

From state-of-the-art clinical spaces to welcoming client areas, these practices are shaping the future of veterinary environments.

We send free copies to vet practices across the UK, or you can explore the digital edition, packed with clickable content!

👉 Read it now: https://www.theveterinaryedge.com/

09/01/2026

✨ The January 2026 issue of The Veterinary Edge is out now

Packed with insight, innovation and practical guidance to start the year strong.
Inside this issue:

🏆 Practice Design Awards
We reveal the 2025 winners and take you inside Ferguson Veterinary Clinic in Fife, crowned overall winner for outstanding design, flow and functionality.

🌍 Going Green
Emma Chandley explores simple, high-impact changes practices can make to reduce their environmental footprint.

⚖️ European Eye
Alexia Yiannouli investigates the veterinary leadership gender gap across the UK and Europe.

🐾 Clinical
Expert guidance on neutering decisions and the growing role of bioassays in clinical planning.

🔬 Science Briefs
This month’s research focus is nutrition, bringing you key findings to support evidence-based care.

🕊 End of Life Care
Compassionate insight into providing peaceful at-home euthanasia and supporting clients through difficult decisions.

📈 Management Matters
Practical leadership advice to help teams navigate change and build resilience.

➕ Plus product launches, industry news, technology updates and much more.

We send free copies to every veterinary practice in the UK or you can explore the interactive digital edition online.

👉 Read it now: https://www.theveterinaryedge.com/

13/12/2025

📝 Last Words: Are Veterinary Corporates Neglecting CSR?

In the December issue of The Veterinary Edge, Robert Culen reflects on the corporate veil, limited liability and whether large veterinary groups are giving enough back in return for the protections they enjoy.

He argues that while the corporate veil encourages entrepreneurship and growth, it also creates a moral obligation for businesses to act responsibly. Yet in a sector where burnout, long hours and financial pressures are widespread, some corporates appear to prioritise EBITDA over employee well-being, clinical autonomy or community care.

Robert calls for sector-wide CSR guidelines covering staff welfare, sustainability and ethical client care, so that practices meeting high standards can be recognised and those falling short held accountable.
His message is clear: limited liability should not mean limited responsibility, especially in a profession built on compassion.

We send free copies to vet practices across the UK, or explore the digital edition, packed with clickable content!

👉 Read it now: https://www.theveterinaryedge.com/

12/12/2025

🧠 Well-being: Building a Culture of Care

In the December issue of The Veterinary Edge, we explore how practices can create truly supportive environments where teams feel safe, valued and connected.

This month’s well-being features look at two vital themes:

🌱 Peer support in practice

Monika Woolley highlights the power of everyday behaviours that build psychological safety. From treating mistakes as learning opportunities, to protecting break times, to creating buddy systems for new grads, she shows how mutual care can prevent burnout and strengthen team bonds. Leadership plays a key role, modelling openness and making it clear that checking in on each other is part of the job.

💬 Trauma in the profession

Marloes Baltus, the NeuroSpicy RVN, speaks to three professionals whose traumatic experiences have reshaped how they work. Their stories reveal the hidden ways trauma affects confidence, communication and clinical decision-making, and the difference it makes when colleagues respond with understanding rather than judgement.

Together, these insights remind us that well-being is not a bolt-on. It is built every day in the moments where teams look after each other as humans first and professionals second.

We send free copies to vet practices across the UK, or explore the digital edition, packed with clickable content!

👉 Read it now: https://www.theveterinaryedge.com/

11/12/2025

📈 Management Matters: Turning Stress into Strength

In the December issue of The Veterinary Edge, Debbie Robinson explores how practices can use anti-fragility thinking to grow stronger during the CMA reforms. Instead of viewing pricing transparency, medicine supply separation and digital service shifts as threats, Debbie argues they can become catalysts for better communication, smarter workflows and stronger leadership.

Highlights include:

💬 Using client pricing questions to clarify value and refine communication
🩺 Diversifying services as medicine sales evolve
🌐 Trialling hybrid digital models to boost engagement
🧩 Introducing Kaizen-style small improvements to build adaptability
🧠 Encouraging leaders to reframe change as opportunity

Anti-fragility is more than resilience, it is about improving because of stress, not in spite of it. Debbie sets out practical steps any team can use to adapt, learn and thrive in the months ahead.

We send free copies to vet practices across the UK, or explore the digital edition, packed with clickable content!

👉 Read it now: https://www.theveterinaryedge.com/

10/12/2025

🏢 Company Profile: Small, Significant and Nimble

In the December issue of The Veterinary Edge, we meet Duncan Henderson, founder and MD of DVH Veterinary Sales, a compact but highly specialised supplier that has carved out a distinct space in a market dominated by large wholesalers.

Since 2009, DVH has grown through reputation rather than reps, building a loyal customer base from the south-west of England to Europe and Australia. Duncan’s strategy is simple: provide niche and hard-to-source surgical equipment, focus on service, and stay agile where bigger players cannot.

DVH now supplies everything from sutures, drapes and drains to reconditioned electrosurgery units, offering cost-effective access to advanced equipment. The company has also expanded beyond referral centres and vet schools into first opinion and equine practices.

With a small team and strong global manufacturer links, DVH continues to grow, supported by part-time training from vet surgeon Julian Hoad, helping practitioners get the most from advanced surgical tools.

We send free copies to vet practices across the UK, or explore the digital edition, packed with clickable content!

👉 Read it now: https://www.theveterinaryedge.com/

09/12/2025

🧪 Science Briefs: Diagnostic Imaging Highlights

The new issue of The Veterinary Edge brings a round-up of the latest research in diagnostic imaging, covering cardiology, neurology, oncology and more.

Inside this month’s Science Briefs:

🐶 Dilated cardiomyopathy: a study of 97 dogs shows a distinctive ventral interstitial pulmonary pattern that differs from mitral valve disease, helping refine diagnosis and treatment.

🐈 Feline intramedullary disc extrusion: MRI findings from 12 cats reveal excellent outcomes after surgical removal, with most returning to normal mobility.

🐾 Mediastinal masses vs pleural effusion: simple thoracic radiographic measurements may help vets decide when advanced imaging is needed.

🧠 Canine gliomatosis cerebri: proton MR spectroscopy identified metabolite changes that could improve diagnosis and case planning.

🐈 Traumatic ocular injury: ultrasound and CT enabled diagnosis of complex bilateral eye trauma in a cat when routine ocular exams were inconclusive.

🐕 Sialadenitis imaging: MRI and CT features from 20 dogs highlight characteristic changes in zygomatic gland inflammation.

🐩 Subdural haematoma: MRI provided key diagnostic clues in a Pomeranian with necrotising encephalitis.

Plus: a new minimally-invasive surgical option for mitral valve disease, TEER, now available at Bristol Vet Specialists with fast recovery times and promising survival data.

We send free copies to vet practices across the UK, or explore the digital edition, packed with clickable content!

👉 Read it now: https://www.theveterinaryedge.com/

08/12/2025

🌍 European Eye: Navigating One Health Under the Trump Administration

In the December issue of The Veterinary Edge, Alexia Yiannouli examines how recent US policy shifts are reshaping global One Health efforts. From the decision for the US to leave the WHO to deep cuts at USAID, NIH and the CDC, the new administration has created a fragmented landscape for disease surveillance and international collaboration.

Key points include:

⚠️ Reduced global surveillance: with funding cuts slowing outbreak detection and limiting data sharing

🌡 Environmental rollbacks: including renewed fossil fuel expansion and weakened pollution standards, raising risks of zoonotic spillover

🐾 Direct impacts on vets: from workplace safety changes to potential medicines availability issues

🇺🇸 A brief bright spot: the appointment of veterinary epidemiologist Gerald Parker to lead pandemic preparedness, followed by his rapid resignation

🔍 The wider picture: political decisions are already affecting research, surveillance and interagency co-operation, despite the launch of the US National One Health Framework just days before the policy reversals began

Alexia argues that now more than ever, international collaboration, evidence-based policymaking and strong veterinary representation in One Health decisions are essential.

We send free copies to vet practices across the UK, or explore the digital edition, packed with clickable content!

👉 Read it now: https://www.theveterinaryedge.com/

Address

Exeter

Website

http://www.vetedgecongress.co.uk/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when VetEdge Congress posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Exeter?

About VetCPD Congress

VetCPD Congress is an educational meeting, exhibition and Vet CPD lecture series, held in the prestigious World Heritage City of Bath, UK. Aimed at small animal Vets and Vet Nurses, held in the historic Bath Assembly Rooms - and it returns this year on 19-20th September 2019.

This interactive lecture series is presented by specialists in the ﬁelds of internal medicine, surgery, dermatology, clinical pathology, anaesthesia, cardiology and ophthalmology. Experienced speakers will provide a balanced review of recent clinical advances and new medications. They will provide practical, relevant advice enabling you to offer the most current treatment recommendations to your clients.

The 2018 event was a resounding success with over 26 exhibitors and over 360 delegates welcomed. The Vet and Vet Nurse lecture series were well attended and feedback was very positive from delegates who attended the lectures. They praised the speakers’ expertise in their subject areas and interactive presentations, which enabled delegates to take useful and practical CPD knowledge away with them, as well as helpful advice for them to put into practice in their daily working lives.