3 practical conversations worth having at BVA Live

3 mins

BVA Live brings veterinary professionals together for clinical updates, practical discussions, and new ideas from across the profession. With a programme covering diagnostics, communication, leadership, and AI, it is also a useful moment to step back and think about how these topics show up in everyday practice.

Often, the most useful conversations are not about whether a new tool or service exists, but about how it fits into real-world practice.

Here are three practical conversations worth having at BVA Live this year.

1. How do we introduce new tools without disrupting the way we work?

AI is widely discussed across veterinary medicine, but the practical question is not simply whether AI has potential. It is how new tools fit into the day-to-day reality of practice.

For many teams, the challenge is knowing where AI could genuinely support the workflow, where it might add friction, and how to introduce change in a way that helps rather than overwhelms.

At BVA Live, Roeland Wessels will be presenting “Start S.M.A.R.T.: intelligent implementation of AI in practice” in the IDEXX Advanced Diagnostics Theatre. The session looks at AI from the perspective of implementation, workflow, and change management, helping practices think beyond the promise of automation and towards practical use.

Before or during the event, it may be useful to ask:

• Where does your team lose time most often?
• Which tasks are repetitive, high-volume, or prone to interruption?
• What would need to be true for a new tool to fit into your current workflow?

These questions help shift the discussion from “Should we use AI?” to “Where could technology support the way we already work?”

2. How do we communicate clearly when conversations are difficult?

Some of the most important moments in veterinary practice depend on communication. This is especially true when discussing serious conditions, treatment options, costs, or uncertainty.

Cancer care is one example. Pet owner communication often begins before a confirmed diagnosis, sometimes from the moment an owner notices that something is not quite right. From that point onward, the practice may need to guide the pet owner through investigation, results, options, next steps, and follow-up.

Roeland Wessels’ session “Words that work: compassionate cancer-care communication across the client journey” explores this broader communication journey, looking beyond the consultation itself to consider how practices can respond with clarity and care across different stages of the pet owner’s experience.

His session “Words that work: communicating value when every pound matters” focuses on another familiar challenge: discussing services, choices, and costs when budgets are under pressure. These conversations require clarity and confidence, but also empathy and respect for the bond between pet owner and pet.

For many practices, this is worth discussing as a team. You might consider:

• Are pet owners hearing a consistent message from different team members?
• Are options explained clearly when decisions are difficult?
• Do your processes support follow-up communication after the visit?
• Are teams confident talking about value without sounding transactional?

Good communication does not remove difficult decisions, but it can help pet owners feel better informed and supported.

3. How do we support earlier conversations around cancer?

Early detection of cancer can be difficult in practice. Signs may be non-specific, decisions about further investigation are not always straightforward, and pet owners may not know what to look for or when to ask for help.

This makes cancer an important area for practical discussion at BVA Live. The question is not only how cancer is diagnosed, but how practices recognise when further investigation may be appropriate, how they explain options, and how they support pet owners through uncertainty.

IDEXX Cancer Dx is a diagnostic blood test for dogs designed to help detect certain cancers earlier, including lymphoma. It is intended to support clinical decision-making alongside other diagnostics. It is not a standalone solution or screening programme, and it does not replace clinical judgement.

For practices, the conversation may include:

• When should further investigation be considered?
• How can teams explain diagnostic options clearly?
• How can cancer-related conversations be handled consistently?
• How can new diagnostic tools fit into everyday clinical workflows over time?

At BVA Live, this becomes less about a single product and more about how practices are approaching earlier detection, pet owner awareness, and practical decision-making in real-world settings.

Making the most of BVA Live

With a busy programme, it can help to decide which conversations are most useful before you arrive. BVA Live is not only a chance to attend sessions but also an opportunity to compare notes, ask questions, and reflect on where your own practice could use more clarity.

Before the event, you might ask:

• Which workflows feel under the most pressure?
• Which conversations are hardest for the team to manage consistently?
• Which areas of clinical decision-making would benefit from more support?

Visiting BVA Live?

If you are attending BVA Live, come and speak to IDEXX on stand D30. We will be there to discuss practical topics, including AI in practice, communication with pet owners, diagnostic decision-making, and how practices are approaching earlier conversations around cancer.

You can also view the conference programme to find Roeland Wessels’ sessions in the IDEXX Advanced Diagnostics Theatre.