Hill’s symposium puts the gut-skin axis in the CE spotlight

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Hill’s Pet Nutrition is putting the gut-skin axis at the center of its 2026 Global Symposium, a free continuing education event for veterinary professionals scheduled for June 24-25, 2026, on the Hill’s Veterinary Academy platform, with an in-person component in Phuket, Thailand. The program, titled Healthy Skin Starts from Within, features more than 10 speakers and sessions on skin-microbe interactions in allergic disease, skin barrier defense, canine atopic dermatitis, elimination diet trials, pre-, pro-, and postbiotics, and nutrition strategies for dermatologic and gastrointestinal health. Speakers include University of Florida dermatologist Domenico Santoro, Cornell behaviorist Sun-A Kim, and Colorado State veterinary nutritionist Camille Torres. (veterinarypracticenews.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the meeting reflects how dermatology cases are increasingly being discussed through a broader systems lens, not just as skin disease, but as conditions shaped by barrier function, microbiome changes, diet, behavior, and chronic inflammation. That framing aligns with current literature on canine atopic dermatitis, which describes the disease as multifactorial and linked to skin barrier dysfunction, immune dysregulation, and microbiome alterations, as well as with AAHA guidance highlighting the growing clinical relevance of microbiome-directed nutrition tools. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

What to watch: Watch for whether the symposium delivers practice-ready guidance on when gut-skin concepts meaningfully change case workups, diet trials, and long-term management for allergic dogs and cats. (na.hillsvna.com)