Festival of the HeARTS Celebrates the Art and Science of Veterinary Medicine in 2025

Set to an art festival theme that celebrates the art and science of veterinary medicine and the animals at the heart of it all, the 42nd annual Veterinary Meeting & Expo (VMX) kicks off January 25, 2025, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL.

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Presented by the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC), VMX is the world’s largest and most comprehensive global veterinary education conference. It offers nearly 1,000 hours of continuing education, the award-winning VMX Expo Hall featuring all that’s new in veterinary medicine, and world-class entertainment. As the first veterinary conference of the year, VMX sets the direction for the industry where new innovations and products are introduced and launched. From the most popular pets to sea lions, kangaroos, and cows, VMX covers the entire animal kingdom.

“Animals today are living longer, better quality lives, and veterinary professionals from all over the world come to VMX each year to learn what’s new and to perfect their skills and knowledge so they can keep our pets and all animals healthy and happy,” said NAVC CEO Gene O’Neill in a press release. “While VMX is known for providing the best continuing education from world-renowned leaders in veterinary medicine and serving as the launchpad for the latest innovations in veterinary medicine, VMX is also an amazing show that is unlike any other medical conference! We know that it takes so much more than years of schooling to do what veterinary professionals do every single day. VMX 2025’s Festival of the HeARTS celebrates the emotion and the art behind the science, taking VMX and veterinary care to yet another level of excellence.”

VMX 2025’s Festival of the HeARTS will showcase all types of art forms – many with a surprising animal twist – alongside state-of-the-art advances in veterinary medicine. Attendees will have opportunities to learn, be inspired, and to express themselves through all types of art forms, from music and performance art to traditional galleries, exhibitions, and even culinary art.

VMX 2025 will present education and scientific sessions in a variety of formats: classroom lectures, The HeART Studio - a unique combination of art and craft projects that uniquely interact with scientific education, hands-on workshops, Meet the Professor Lunches, and Masterclasses. The VMX 2025 Program is live this week, featuring nearly 1,000 hours of Continuing Education and hundreds of program tracks. A sample of sessions includes:

Popular Pets

• Oh No, the Bulldog Is Blue - Managing the Brachycephalic Crisis
• Do Dogs Really See in Black & White? Facts and Myths About Animal Vision
• Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) Updates
• How the Heck Do You Care for the “Miniature Pig”?

Aquatics

• Aging Gracefully Beneath the Waves: Navigating Medical Issues in Seals, Sea Lions, and Sea Otters
• From Shore to Survival: The Medical Management of Stranded Marine Mammals

Behavior

• “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” Exploring Human-Directed Aggression in Cats
• Why Dogs Fight - Think “Couples Therapy”
• “Mee-OWW!” How the Senses Influence Feline Aggression

Exotics

• Turtley Awesome: Adventures in Sea Turtle Veterinary Medicine
• Macropod 101: Wallabies & Kangaroos Can Keep You Hopping

Farm Animals

• Trotting Through the Nutrition Assessment in Horses
• Bringing Up Baby: Raising Kids and Lambs with Success
• Somebody Poisoned My Cows, Doc; Toxic Plants Found in Hay

And More

• When Cancer Becomes an Emergency
• Trauma Cases: Which Cases Are Surgical Emergencies?
• Neurological Disease? Acupuncture!
• Old Dog, New Murmur: Deciding When to Start Treatment for Mitral Valve Disease
• Leveraging AI for Enhanced Efficiency in Veterinary Practices
• COVID-19 in Nursing Homes: How Veterinary Medicine Helped Turn the Titanic
• Ketamine “Not Just the Cat’s Me-Out” - As an Adjunct in Balanced Analgesia

Award-winning Expo Hall

Veterinary professionals can learn about and engage with the industry’s latest products and innovations at the Expo Hall and explore the New Product Gallery. The exciting VMX Pet Pitch Competition, where startups introduce their products and services in a highly-anticipated, shark-tank style event, will return for its eighth year.

For more information, visit the official VMX 2025 website.