Day One: Pet Parent Day

A full day built for you and your senior pet.

Saturday, September 12. Three channels of live sessions from expert veterinarians and people who get it, covering wellness, health, and the parts of loving an older pet nobody prepares you for. All virtual, so your dog or cat never leaves your side.
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The Schedule

Pick your channel. Or hop between all three.

You know your pet is getting older. What’s harder to know is what to do about it: what’s normal, what’s worth a vet visit, and what would actually make their days better. That’s what this day is for.

We built Pet Parent Day across three channels running side by side. Channel 1 is hands-on wellness, from massage techniques to a live cook-along. Channel 2 is education, where veterinarians explain what actually happens as pets age and how to catch problems early. Channel 3 is the heart, with senior rescue spotlights and a celebration of the community’s most distinguished gray muzzles.

Every session is live, and you can move between channels whenever you like. Attend from your couch with your pet next to you, and walk away knowing more than you did this morning.

Please note: While we’ll do our best to keep the schedule as planned, speakers, topics, and session times may shift slightly.

Pet Parent Programming

Three tracks. All built to help you love them better.

Every session is designed for the person who wants to do right by their senior pet, whether that means learning, laughing, or just finally feeling seen.
Channel 1

The Wellness Lounge

Comfort, pampering, enrichment, and nutrition. Practical things you can do right now to improve your dog’s comfort and happiness today.
  • Senior Dog Pampering Hour: gentle massage, comfort routines
  • Low-Stress Grooming for Senior Dogs
  • Mental Enrichment for Aging Dogs: puzzle feeders and brain games
  • Products We Actually Love for Senior Dogs
  • Cook-Along: Home-Cooked Meals for Senior Dogs

Channel 2

Understanding Senior Dog Health

Real education from veterinarians on what happens medically as dogs age, and how to recognize problems before they become serious.
  • The most common diseases senior dogs face
  • Early signs of arthritis and chronic pain
  • Understanding doggy dementia
  • Cancer in older dogs: what to know
  • Appetite changes in aging dogs
  • Preventive care that actually matters

Channel 3

Life With Senior Dogs

Stories, humor, and the emotional reality of loving an aging dog. For the side of senior dog parenting that nobody warns you about.
  • Senior Dog Tyranny Support Group 😂
  • Senior Dog Story Hour
  • Ask the Vet: Live Q&A Panel

Have a story about your senior dog’s most egregious act of tyranny? Submit it ahead of time. We will share it. Everyone will laugh. You will feel deeply understood. 🐾

Pet Parent Day Schedule

Channel 1
Channel 2
Channel 3

Sat 8:30 am PST

Presenting Sponsor – Virbac

Pet Parent Day – Keynote

Welcome to the first Pet Parent Day at the first Senior Pet Con. We’ll open with why this event exists: nearly half the pets in this country are seniors, and their care deserves better than guesswork. You’ll get a preview of the day ahead and how to make the most of it.

Channel 1: Wellness Focus

Sat 9:00 am PST

Dr. Shannon Nash

Touch Therapy at Home: Massage Techniques for Your Senior Dog or Cat

Your hands can do more for your senior pet than you might think. Learn simple massage techniques to ease stiff joints, calm anxiety, and feel even closer to your dog or cat. You’ll practice right alongside us, and your pet gets the benefit on the spot.

Sat 10:00 am PST

Melissa Shapiro

Helping Your Senior Dog Through Vision, Hearing & Brain Changes

When your dog starts bumping into furniture or sleeping through the doorbell, it’s hard to know what’s normal aging and what needs attention. This session covers how vision, hearing, and cognitive changes manifest, plus practical adjustments to keep your dog confident and comfortable at home.

Sat 11:30 am PST

Dr. Petra Cerna

Recognizing Pain in Senior Cats

Cats are experts at hiding pain. Often the signs are small: skipping the jump to the windowsill, grooming less, hiding more. Learn what to watch for, what those changes might mean, and when it’s time to call your vet. Catching pain early gives your cat more comfortable years.

Sat 12:30 pm PST

Dr. Petra Cerna

The Senior Cat Wellness Checklist: What Every Cat Parent Should Know

A cat over 10 is a senior, even if they look great. This session gives you a clear checklist for their care: what to feed, what to monitor at home, which screenings matter, and the questions worth asking at their next visit. You’ll leave with a plan, not a guess.

Sat 2:00 pm PST

Nikki Giovanelli

Cook Along: A Fresh Recipe for Sensitive Tummies for Dogs

Grab your apron and cook with us, live. We’ll make a fresh, simple recipe built for senior dogs with sensitive stomachs, and talk through why each ingredient earns its place in the bowl. Your dog gets to be the taste tester. This one’s as fun as it is useful.

Sat 3:00 pm PST

Dr. Monica Tarantino

Ask the Vet Anything: The Senior Pet Questions Everyone Is Too Embarrassed to Ask

The questions you’ve been afraid to ask are answered without judgment. Bathroom accidents, strange smells, changing behavior, the topics no one brings up at the dog park. Nothing is off limits, and nothing is too small. Bring your questions and get honest answers from a vet who has heard it all.

Channel 2: Education Focus

Sat 9:00 am PST

Dr. Monica Tarantino

The 5 Things Most Likely to Happen to Your Senior Pet (and How to Catch Them Early)

Most senior pet health problems follow patterns, and the earlier you spot them, the more you can do. We’ll walk through the five conditions most likely to show up in your senior dog or cat, the early signs that are easy to miss, and what catching them early actually changes.

Sat 10:00 am PST

Dr. Lauren Johnson

Helping Your Senior Pet Stay Strong and Mobile

Muscle loss and stiff joints aren’t just “getting old.” They’re among the most treatable aspects of aging. Learn what keeps senior pets moving, from exercise and weight management to therapies your vet can offer, so the stairs, the couch, and the daily walk stay part of your pet’s life.

Sat 11:30 am PST

Dr. Ruth Ann Lobos

The Daily Habits That Help Senior Pets Thrive

Good senior years are built on ordinary days. This session covers the small daily habits that add up: nutrition, enrichment, routine, and the quick at-home checks that catch changes early. Nothing complicated, nothing expensive. Just the everyday things that make the biggest difference for your senior dog or cat.

Sat 12:30 pm PST

Dr. Brennen McKenzie

Can We Help Dogs Live Longer? The Science Behind Healthy Aging

The science of canine aging is moving fast, and some of it is remarkable. This session takes an honest look at what researchers are learning about why dogs age, what might extend their healthy years, and what’s real versus hype. No miracle claims. Just where the science stands today.

Sat 2:00 pm PST

Dr. Heidi Lobprise

The Senior Dental Decision: How to Make the Right Choice for Your Pet

Few decisions worry senior pet parents as much as dental work. Is anesthesia safe at their age? Is it worth it? A veterinary dental specialist walks through how to weigh the risks and benefits, what untreated dental disease really costs your pet, and how to make the call with confidence.

Sat 3:00 pm PST

Adam Greenbaum + Erika Sinner

Loving a Senior Pet Without Living in Fear

Loving a senior pet means carrying a quiet worry that never fully goes away. This conversation is about living with that fear without letting it steal the good days. It’s about staying present, planning without panicking, and making the most of the time you have. You’re not alone in it.

Channel 3: Fun During The Breaks

Sat 11:00 am PST

Senior Pet Rescue

Senior Rescue Spotlight #1

Meet the people giving senior pets a second chance. In this spotlight, a rescue devoted to older animals shares its story: the seniors they’ve saved, what adopting an older pet really looks like, and the ways you can help, whether you’re ready to bring one home or not.

Sat 1:30 pm PST

Senior Pet Rescue

Senior Rescue Spotlight #2

Senior pets are often the last to be adopted and the easiest to overlook. Hear from a rescue working to change that, with stories of older dogs and cats who found homes late in life, and what those adoptions gave to everyone involved. Fair warning: you may fall in love.

Sat 4:00 pm PST

Dr. Monica Tarantino + Dr. Molly Brinkman

Senior ‘Superlatives’ Contest with Dr. Molly and Dr. Monica

We’re closing the day with pure joy. Dr. Molly and Dr. Monica host the senior superlatives, celebrating the grayest muzzles, the loudest snores, and the most dramatic dinnertime performances in our community. Bring your pet’s best photos and your sense of humor. Every senior is a winner here.

Thank you for being here with us

Your pet deserves this weekend. So do you.

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The Organizations Behind the Event

Two brands. One shared mission.

Senior Pet Con is a joint production of Love, Baxter and the Senior Dog Veterinary Society — two organizations built with the same belief that senior pets and the people who love them deserve more.
Founded by Adam Greenbaum

Love, Baxter

Love, Baxter is committed to building the world’s most helpful resource for pet end-of-life, senior pet care, euthanasia support, aftercare, and grief. Not as a brand story. As a real response to a loss that changed a family.

When Baxter declined, Adam learned what so many pet parents learn in real time: you can be capable and experienced and still feel completely lost when you love your pet like family. Love, Baxter was built from that moment.

 

  • End-of-life education and resources
  • Euthanasia decision support
  • Aftercare guidance and planning
  • Pet grief support and community
  • Senior pet care and wellness content
Founded by Dr. Monica Tarantino

Senior Dog Veterinary Society

The Senior Dog Veterinary Society exists to enhance the care of senior and geriatric canine patients by supporting the veterinary professionals who treat them. The society provides education, community, and clinical resources focused specifically on aging dogs.

Through the Senior Dog Revolution, SDVS works to change how senior dogs are perceived — by the public and within veterinary medicine — and helps pet parents navigate the very real challenges that come with loving an aging dog.

 

  • Geriatric canine clinical education
  • Support for veterinary professionals
  • The Senior Dog Revolution
  • RACE-approved continuing education
  • Client communication resources