The 7th DogRisk Seminar (2025)

SAVE THE DATE! The 7th DogRisk Seminar lectures will be on 12-13th September 2025. We'll also have an extra day of workshops on Sunday 14th September.

Following six successful seminars, the DogRisk Evidence-Based Raw Food Seminar returns to Helsinki this autumn for two days of expert lectures and a hands-on workshop—bringing together leading researchers to share the latest evidence on how diet truly matters for canine (and human) health.

See below for the program and other details.

To participate in the seminar, registration is required.

Program

Last updated 26.6.2025. The program is preliminary and there might still be some small changes.

Friday 12th September 2025

8.00-9.00 (60 min) Registration, coffee: Lecture hall “Pieni Juhlasali”, Uni of Helsinki main building, Fabianinkatu 33, 4th floor

9.00-9.15 (15 min) Program, welcome - Anna Hielm-Björkman, DVM, PhD, Docent, PI, Leader of the DogRisk research group; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki (UoH).

9.15-10.00 (45 min) Canine athletes and the use of macronutrients and nutraceuticals – Mark Roberts, PhD

10.00-10.30 (30 min) How different foods and their processing, eaten as puppy and young, impacts tartar prevalence in the adult – Manal Hemida, Post Doc, DogRisk group, UH.

10.30-10.50 (20 min) Coffee and interaction

10.50-11.35 (45 min) Plant Fiber – a load of hot air? – Dr. Conor Brady, BSc. PhD. Anim. Behav.

11.35-12.20 (45 min) What do we know about the increase in chronic diseases in humans? – Dr. Tamara Tuuminen, MD, PhD, Docent, microbiology, worked at Helsingin Antioksidanttiklinikka (Helsinki Antioxidant Clinic) (retired)

12.20-12.50 (30 min) The speakers panel will discuss and answer questions on this morning’s topics.

12.50-13.50 (60 min) Lunch (find your own lunch place nearby or BYO)

13.50-14.35 (45 min) Kibble vs. Whole Food: What Happens When They Go Head-to-Head? - Dr Matthew Muir, BVSc/BVetBiol (Hons) MRCVS, Team Lyka

14.35–15.05 (30 min) Get to the beef - a closer look at raw meat metabolism in dogs – Robin Moore, PhD student, DogRisk, UoH.

15.05-15.25 (20 min) Coffee and interaction

15.25-16.10 (45 min) What Metabolites Say About Dog Food: Exploring Diet Differences with Metabolomics - Nicole Cammack, PhD, Owner, Chief Science Officer at NorthPointPets.com

16.10-16.40 (30 min) The speakers panel will discuss and answer questions on this afternoon’s topics.

19.00 Dinner at restaurant for all interested (Not included in the price, everyone pays for themselves at the restaurant. Registration at the latest 1st of Sept. as we will have to book already now).

Saturday 13th September

8.00-9.00 (60 min) Registration, coffee: Lecture hall “Pieni Juhlasali”, Uni of Helsinki main building, Fabianinkatu 33, 4th floor

9.00-9.10 (10 min) Program, Welcome, etc. - Anna Hielm-Björkman, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, UoH

9.10-9.30 (20 min) Will YOU be one of our 1 million dog and 1 million cat owner citizen researchers? - The new DogRisk FFQ2.0 and even newer CatRisk FFQ1.0 – Sarah Rosendahl, Sini Mannila, Anna Hielm-Björkman

9.30-10.15 (45 min) Downstream from Dysbiosis: Using Diet to Solve the Root Cause - Dr Matthew Muir, BVSc/BVetBiol (Hons) MRCVS, Team Lyka

10.15-10.35 (20 min) Coffee and interaction

10.35-11.20 (45 min) Fecal transplants, here's how! The surprisingly effective solution for many conditions – Dr Barbara Royal, DVM, Chicago, USA. The Royal Treatment Veterinary Center, Co-founder Royal Animal Health University, Adjunct Prof. California State University, CEO of College of Integrated Veterinary Therapies & co-owner of the Animal Diet Formulator.

11.20-11.50 (30 min) A raw diet reverses mucosele - A case series of 32 dogs – Anna Hielm-Björkman, DogRisk

11.50-12.20 (30 min) The panel will discuss and answer questions on this morning’s topics

12.20-13.20 (60 min) Lunch (find your own lunch place nearby or BYO)

13.20-14.05 (45 min) Practicals 1: Beyond kibble diets: Navigating the pet food spectrum – Susan G Wynn, DVM, DACVIM (Nutrition), Senior Director of Scientific Affairs, Instinct Pet Food

14.05-14.25 (20 min) Coffee and interaction

14.25–15.10 (45 min) Practicals 2: Feeding bones? From bone Kindergarden to bone PhD – Nick Thompson,

15.10-15.55 (45 min) Practicals 3: Using software to evaluate ingredients & nutrients to balance recipes for pets – Dr Barbara Royal, DVM, Chicago, USA.

15.55-16.25 (30 min) The panel will discuss and answer questions on this afternoon's topics

16.25-16.35 (10 min) Raffle: Chance to win some books and ticket to next year’s Dogrisk seminar!

16.35-16.45 (10 min) Thank you and see you soon – or see you tomorrow at the workshop! – Anna

19.00 Dinner at Anna’s for all interested (40-50 €, Not included in the price, registration please!)

Sunday 14th September

9.00-15.00 Workshop – Depending on how many we are: at University, Vet faculty, or Anna’s house

Time and Location

Dates:
12–14 September 2025

Lectures (Fri & Sat, 12–13 Sept):
Pieni juhlasali
University of Helsinki Main Building (Päärakennus)
Fabianinkatu 33, 00100 Helsinki

Workshop (Sun, 14 Sept):
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Viikki Campus, Helsinki
(Or at Anna’s house if the group is small)

Who Should Attend?

Veterinary and human health practitioners and nutritionists, nurses, students, dog owners - anybody with an interest in multidisciplinary research on the relationships between diet and disease, in dogs, pets, humans. The course is part of the Veterinary study curriculum course “Eläinten pidon perusteet, etologia ja eläinsuojelu II” and for PhDs at the Clinical Veterinary Medicine doctoral school.

All sessions will be held in English.

Cost and Payment

Seminar fees (covers lectures and coffees, but not travelling or accommodation):

Prices are for the two lecture days, the workshop is free for those attending any lectures.

  • Lecturers and their staff, all University of Helsinki staff: FREE

  • All students from anywhere (please bring your student card): FREE

  • Retired/army (please bring your card): ONE DAY 25 € + VAT, TWO DAYS 50 € + VAT

  • All others: ONE DAY 70 € + VAT, TWO DAYS 120 € + VAT

  • If you are a company and would like a table and/or a roll-up outside the lecture hall: 500 € + VAT, including 2 persons that may attend the lectures.

  • Please ask for reduced prices if the price is too high for you: sarah.holm@helsinki.fi

Dinners

Please select the dinners you'd like to attend in the registration form, so we know how many will be coming.

  • Friday dinner: a restaurant where everybody pays but we make the reservation
  • Saturday dinner (at Anna's house): 40 € (food only) or 50 € (food + wine) (free for lecturers and their staff)

Payment & Invoicing

Invoices will be sent after the seminar due to university processing delays. No need to worry—we appreciate your patience. All fees go directly toward covering seminar costs (lecturers, venue, coffee, etc.). We never make a profit, but in case we someday would, all extra revenue would go to sponsoring the nutrition research done by the DogRisk research group.

Questions about the seminar (FAQ)

Is it possible to pay to get all materials (power points, if it will be video, etc.) sent to you afterwards if we can't make the seminar ourselves (including remotely on Zoom)?

Yes. All the ones that we are allowed to share afterwards (this is up to individual lecturers), we will share to those who registered and paid (where applicable) for the seminar. Once we get the lecture recordings and other materials ready, you will get a link to access them.

Is there anywhere we can enter to only get sent this material afterwards? 

Unfortunately, not. But you can just register as usual and we will send everybody that has registered and that has paid (where applicable) a link to access the materials as soon as we have the materials (lecture recordings, etc.) ready.

Last year's seminar is available on the website and on YouTube for free. Will this year's be?

The seminar will not be available to view for free, at least not immediately for quite some time. We've released the two previous seminars about 2 months before the next in part to let people see what the seminar is like. It would also not be fair to the people who paid to attend the seminar to give it for free for everyone immediately afterwards.

Registration

Please, only one name per registration! If you register many from your firm/team/association, they all have to be done separately as we need to know dietary restrictions, titles and names for nametags etc. The paying info can be completed in the first and the next ones can be filled in with “as A. Smith”.

Contact

For more info please contact: Sarah Holm – sarah.holm@helsinki.fi

About your stay in Helsinki

Did you know that Finns have been voted as the happiest people on earth for at least 4 times in a row now? That Helsinki is one of the most secure and clean capitals to live in? That we Finns are curious and love nature? And that more than every second family has a dog… or many? So, it’s a great place to visit and the DogRisk seminar is even a better reason!

 University of Helsinki main building on Google Maps

️ AirBnB for Helsinki

️ Hotels and hostels

For cheap hostels close to the lecture hall try:

  • Sky hostel Helsinki
  • Hostel Diana park
  • Eurohostel
  • Arcadia hotel & hostel

These can also be found on www.booking.com

PLEASE, FEEL WARMLY WELCOME!

We are happy if you can spread the link as much as possible so that all those that are interested in a healthy diet can take part!

See you in September in Helsinki!