Vet-Only Workshop · Stellenbosch, Western Cape
07:15 – 07:55
Registration & Welcome Refreshments
08:00 – 08:20
Welcome & Opening + Pawsome Raw Showcase (Main Founding Sponsor) · 20 min
Pawsome Raw, main founding sponsor, opens the vet day and frames the clinical themes ahead.
08:20 – 09:05
Dr Nick Thompson — Not Enough Time: Why Good Vets Reach for the Wrong Tools
Forty years in practice, and the appointment hasn't grown — but everything we're asked to fit inside it has: nutrition, the microbiome, pain, behaviour, environment, the whole animal. Under pressure, the quick drug beats the slower answers of food, lifestyle and watchful waiting. Borrowing from regenerative agriculture's shift from inputs and yield toward health and recovery, this opening address asks whether veterinary medicine can become less drug-reliant and more oriented to the health of the patient, the owner — and you, the healer.
09:05 – 09:10
Leg-stretch
09:10 – 09:55
Dr Brendan Clarke — The Surgical Menopause
The long-term hormonal fallout of spay and neuter — joint disease, continence, behaviour and cancer risk — and the clinical case for hormone-sparing alternatives.
09:55 – 10:15
Tea / Coffee Break
10:15 – 11:00
Holly Ganz, PhD — Dysbiosis in the Clinic
Reading canine and feline microbiome results, recognising dysbiosis patterns, and knowing when and how to intervene — including faecal microbiota transplantation.
11:00 – 11:05
Leg-stretch
11:05 – 11:50
Dr Peter Dobias — The Longevity Protocol
A proactive framework for canine ageing that combines hormonal health, detoxification, movement and nutrition to slow age-related decline.
11:50 – 12:35
Lunch Break
12:35 – 13:20
Rita Hogan — Clinical Herbal Protocol for Chronic Disease
Building a structured, evidence-informed herbal protocol for the chronically ill patient — matching botanicals to the individual and layering them safely with conventional care.
13:20 – 13:25
Leg-stretch
13:25 – 14:10
Dr Tanya Grantham — Diagnosis Is Not Destiny: How Early Intervention Shapes Lifelong Mobility
How early diagnosis of developmental disease in puppies, and appropriate interventions, can influence musculoskeletal development, improve function and enhance long-term quality of life.
14:10 – 14:30
Tea / Coffee Break
14:30 – 14:45
First for Women Pet Insurance (Sponsor) · 15 min
Placed straight after the afternoon break for a full, freshly-seated room.
14:45 – 14:50
Leg-stretch
14:50 – 15:35
Dr Amaya Espindola — The Visceral Mind: Decoding Common Feline Digestive Symptoms
A clinical guide to reading the cat's most common digestive signs — vomiting, regurgitation, inappetence and more — and what they reveal about the gut-brain axis and the sensitive feline digestive system.
15:35 – 15:40
Leg-stretch
15:40 – 16:40
Dr Barbara Royal — "What If…" (working title) · 60 min · TOPIC TBC
Topic to be advised. Dr Royal closes the vet-day line-up and leads directly into the panel discussion.
16:40 – 17:40
Panel Discussion & Q&A
Dr Barbara Royal leads the intro; all speakers then take clinical questions from the floor. Pawsome Raw facilitates.
18:30
Vets' Cocktail & Dinner Event
Full Summit Day · Joint Audience · Stellenbosch
07:15 – 07:55
Registration & Welcome Refreshments
08:00 – 08:20
Welcome & Opening + Pawsome Raw Showcase (Main Founding Sponsor) · 20 min
Pawsome Raw, main founding sponsor, opens the full summit day and orients the audience.
08:20 – 09:15
KEYNOTE — Dr Judy Morgan: Understanding & Managing Cancer Naturally
A whole-animal approach to preventing and managing cancer — fresh-food nutrition, terrain and supportive therapies alongside conventional treatment.
09:15 – 09:20
Leg-stretch
09:20 – 10:05
Dr Amaya Espindola — Reactivating the Seeking Brain: How Neurobiology Shapes Diet Transitions
How the brain's seeking system drives food motivation — and how understanding this neurobiology helps move reluctant cats and dogs onto fresh food with less stress and more success.
10:05 – 10:25
Tea / Coffee Break
10:25 – 11:10
Dr Thomas Volkers — Quantum Silver: A New Approach to Preventing & Treating Viral and AMR Infections · 45 min
Sponsor keynote (after the morning break): a new approach to the prevention and treatment of viral infections and antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) infections.
11:10 – 11:15
Leg-stretch
11:15 – 12:00
Dr Barry Hindmarch — Cannabis for Dogs & Cats
What the evidence really says about cannabis and CBD in pets — genuine therapeutic uses, dosing and safety cautions, and where the hype outruns the science.
12:00 – 12:45
Lunch Break
12:45 – 13:20
Ian Wheeler — Pegasus (Sponsor Spotlight, shortened) · 35 min
Sponsor spotlight placed straight after lunch — audience returns to a sponsor slot.
13:20 – 13:25
Leg-stretch
13:25 – 14:10
Rita Hogan — The Herbal Home Kit
The everyday herbs every owner can keep on hand — simple, safe botanicals for digestion, calm, skin and the minor ailments of daily dog life.
14:10 – 14:30
Tea / Coffee Break
14:30 – 14:50
First for Women Pet Insurance (Sponsor) · 20 min
Weekend sponsor slot placed straight after the afternoon break.
14:50 – 14:55
Leg-stretch
14:55 – 15:40
Dr Brendan Clarke — "They're Full of Shit"
The assessment of constipation. Why it's more than just fibre.
15:40 – 15:45
Leg-stretch
15:45 – 16:45
Panel Discussion & Q&A
Cross-panel discussion with the day's speakers; Pawsome Raw facilitates audience questions.
16:45 – 17:00
Closing Remarks & Thanks
18:00
VIP Cocktail Dinner — Speakers & VIP Guests
Closing Day · Joint Audience · Stellenbosch
08:00 – 08:30
Welcome + Retha van der Walt — Behind the Bowl (Pawsome Raw) · 30 min
Last-day welcome and Pawsome Raw sponsor talk: a behind-the-scenes look at how balanced raw food is really made — the manufacturing protocols, quality control and formulation science that go far beyond minimum AAFCO and FEDIAF requirements. Why 'complete and balanced' should mean more than the legal floor.
08:30 – 09:15
Dr Peter Dobias — Beyond the Ear Drops: Allergies & Chronic Ear Infections
Why recurring ear infections and allergies are usually a symptom of something deeper — a root-cause look at gut health, diet and immune balance instead of endless topical treatments.
09:15 – 09:20
Leg-stretch
09:20 – 10:05
Marinette Teeling — Just Right: The Goldilocks Guide to Exercising Puppies & Dogs with Joint Disease
How much is too much, and how little is too little? An evidence-based look at getting movement exactly right — protecting growing joints, supporting arthritic ones, and finding the sweet spot in between.
10:05 – 10:25
Tea / Coffee Break
10:25 – 10:55
Spencer’s (Sponsor) · 30 min
Placed straight after the morning break — full, freshly-seated room.
10:55 – 11:00
Leg-stretch
11:00 – 11:45
Holly Ganz, PhD — Your Pet's Inner Ecosystem
A pet-parent-friendly tour of the gut microbiome — what it does, how it goes wrong, and simple ways to support it, from poop to protocol.
11:45 – 11:50
Leg-stretch
11:50 – 12:35
Dr Judy Morgan — Holistic Approaches to Arthritis & Pain Management
Natural, multi-modal ways to manage arthritis and chronic pain — nutrition, supplements, bodywork and lifestyle changes that keep older pets comfortable and mobile.
12:35 – 13:20
Lunch Break
13:20 – 14:20
Panel Discussion & Q&A · 60 min
Closing questions across the weekend's themes; Pawsome Raw facilitates.
14:20 – 15:05
Dr Nick Thompson — Summit Wrap-Up · 45 min
A 45-minute synthesis of the whole weekend — the big themes, the practical takeaways, and a clear, motivating path forward to put into practice on Monday.
15:05 – 15:15
Retha van der Walt — Summit Closing · 10 min
Founder's closing words and thanks to speakers, sponsors and delegates.