1 May 2026
More than 700 delegates from 80 countries attended two-day event in Montpellier championing need for clearer communication to clients about senior pets.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
Tanya Schoeman (right), veterinary specialist physician and Royal Canin feline health specialist, speaking in a panel keynote session at Royal Canin Vet Symposium, Montpellier.
Senior pets and the importance of clearly informing clients of the ailments they get as they age was the theme for a packed two-day symposium in southern France.
More than 700 delegates from 80 countries, including the UK, Europe, the US, Japan, South Korea and Africa, attended the Royal Canin Vet Symposium, which this year had “Entering the age of tomorrow” as its overriding theme.
During the event, Royal Canin revealed research conducted with more than 19,000 pet owners worldwide – 2,000 of them in the UK – highlighting misconceptions about pet ageing.
Among its findings, 35% of UK owners said they thought nothing could be done about pet ageing, half only considered it when health problems arose and a fifth (22%) were unaware diabetes and other conditions were a risk as pets got older.
With a large cohort of pets bought during the COVID-19 lockdowns approaching their midlife stages, keynote and masterclass sessions at the symposium focused on helping owners recognise when to act to achieve healthier ageing in their cats and dogs.
Among an array of international speakers, the UK’s Georgia Woods-Lee covered providing individualised care for ageing pets while her University of Liverpool colleagues Christine Pye and Alex German covered improving clinical care of senior cats.
US vet Brennen McKenzie hosted two sessions extolling the importance of switching mind set from thinking of pets’ lifespan to healthspan, while the value of AI in improving life for vets was discussed by VETgirl founder Justine Lee and others.
Royal Canin unveiled a practical resource for veterinary teams, called “Healthy Ageing Conversations”, at the symposium.
Tanya Schoeman, veterinary specialist physician and Royal Canin feline health specialist, said: “Healthier ageing is within reach when we act at the right moment. The opportunity before us isn’t about closing a knowledge gap within the veterinary profession, but about bringing pet owners into that knowledge earlier, before the signs of ageing make the conversation feel urgent.”
Dr Schoeman was co-author on a Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) article in 2025 – “Aging is modifiable: current perspectives on healthy aging in companion dogs and cats” – which added to a growing body of evidence about the role of early, science-led intervention in improving health outcomes.
Elsewhere at the event, all delegates, which included international content creators, journalists and Vet Times as the UK’s sole media representative, attended a gala dinner and were given a detailed tour of Royal Canin’s original manufacturing base near Montpellier, founded in 1968 by vet Jean Cathary.
Royal Canin today operates in 120 markets, with its 17 scientific food plants based on the same design as the French site.