January and February are marked by my always-ready suitcase as the year’s largest Veterinary conferences kick off in rapid succession. VMX alone, which took place January 17-21, drew approximately 30,000 attendees and offered over 1,200 hours of continuing education. It serves as something of a “New Year’s Resolution” for Veterinary medicine, setting the tone for what lies ahead.
This year’s themes signal a pivotal transition: the industry is moving past “shiny objects” and entering an era of deliberate decision-making and strategic maturation.
Here’s what the state of the industry looks like from the floor of VMX 2026.
1. The ‘Fresh Food’ Arms Race: Clinical Validation Has Arrived
As a nutritionist, visiting pet food company booths is non-negotiable, and this year the fresh food movement was impossible to ignore. While the fresh pet food category has been building momentum in retail for years—FreshPet launched the first refrigerated dog food in 2006, and JustFoodForDogs followed in 2010—the past few years have seen bold fresh pet food companies make their presence known at Veterinary conferences. Understanding the critical influence of Veterinary professionals, they’ve entered what was once skeptical territory.
Fresh pet food, which many in the Veterinary community initially viewed as a disruptor, is now becoming mainstream. Even legacy pet food companies are getting in on the action. Most large manufacturers now offer retail fresh options, and as displayed at VMX, therapeutic food long dominated by kibble and canned formulas, are making room for fresh alternatives. And reflecting a less finicky consumer base, dogs are firmly back in the spotlight.
What’s New: Royal Canin unveiled three therapeutic fresh products set to launch in summer 2026. Blue Buffalo displayed their retail refrigerated Love Made Fresh line. While Hill’s spotlighted new kibble innovations, what you may have missed from 2025 was Colgate’s (Hill’s parent company) acquisition of Australian fresh food brand Prime100, a strategic move signaling commitment to this category.
The Why: Gen Z consumers demonstrate lower brand loyalty than previous generations, and dog ownership growth is plateauing. While some consumers are trading down to store brands for kibble, others are trading up for fresh. Companies recognize that to align with evolving consumer values, they must stake their claim in the refrigerator.
The Innovation Gap: Not all innovation makes it to the VMX show floor, particularly in pet nutrition. The Veterinary audience is famously demanding; we require evidence, peer review, and demonstrated clinical utility. When veterinarians aren’t the primary end consumers, companies must carefully weigh their investment in Veterinary-focused marketing. This means there’s considerably more innovation in the hands of pet owners than what’s on display at VMX. For those serving the industry, building awareness of these broader market trends remains essential.
2. The AI ‘Great Sifting’
Last year, seemingly every other booth featured an AI scribe. This year, that number dropped by half. We’re witnessing healthy market consolidation in real time.
Utility Over Hype: The acquisition of ScribbleVet by Instinct Science signals a strategic shift toward integrated, sustainable ecosystems rather than standalone point solutions. The era of the single-purpose “gadget” is giving way to comprehensive platforms.
The compelling value proposition centers on reducing administrative burden, improving operational efficiency, and helping veterinarians get home faster. But as we move deeper into 2026, AI companies will need to demonstrate seamless integration and multiple use cases to prove their staying power in the Veterinary landscape.
The message is clear: the survivors in this space won’t be those with the flashiest logos and swag, but those delivering measurable, sustainable value.
3. The Contextual Care’ Revolution
One of my most appreciated observations at VMX 2026 was the diversity of perspectives on stage. When dog trainers, tech founders, and Veterinary school deans all share the platform, the message becomes unmistakable: context matters.
Empathy as a Metric: A growing movement emphasizes understanding the individual needs of clients alongside their pets. This requires examining our own biases and supporting the human-animal bond in ways that respect each owner’s unique circumstances and constraints. Whether this is financial constraint or home situations like a new baby, we need to understand the entire ecosystem.
Longevity as Wellness: A united theme of pet owners is their love for their pet and their desire for the health and happiness for their furry family member. Human health trends around “healthspan” and “longevity” are making their way into Veterinary clinics. From Loyal’s metabolic drug research to epigenetics (Epipaws) and microRNA diagnostics (Mi-RNA), these aren’t science fiction concepts; they’re real tools available today or in the very near future.
This shift represents a fundamental reimagining of Veterinary care: from treating disease to optimizing lifelong wellness, and from one-size-fits-all recommendations to individualized, context-aware guidance.
The Bottom Line: A Community of Care
Despite the massive scale and high-tech product launches, the heart of VMX remains its people. The Veterinary profession is a tight-knit, mutually supportive community that genuinely cares for one another. If you’re feeling the weight of navigating the 2026 market landscape, let the inspiration from Orlando serve as a reminder: reach out, learn from peers, and remember we’re all working toward the same goal: better outcomes for pets and the people who love them.
Key VMX 2026 Industry Takeaways
| Trend | 2025 Focus | 2026 Reality |
| Nutrition | Success of independent fresh brands | Legacy companies add fresh therapeutic options |
| Technology | AI hype and proliferation | Consolidation and value maximization |
| Client Relations | Declining clinic visits | Contextual care and empathy-driven approaches |
| Medicine | Geriatric management | Longevity and healthspan optimization |