World Veterinary Day is the one day a year set aside for the people who keep animals, and by extension the rest of us, healthy: veterinarians and the whole veterinary team around them. It's run by the World Veterinary Association (WVA) and falls on the last Saturday of April. The next one is Saturday, April 24, 2027.
Each year has its own theme, picked by the WVA, and veterinary groups around the world build talks, open days and social campaigns around it. Pet owners can join in too, and the simplest way is a thank-you that names the person who helped.
When is World Veterinary Day?
The WVA states that World Veterinary Day is observed annually on the last Saturday of April. Because it's tied to a weekday, the date moves a little each year, always landing between April 24 and April 30.
Year | World Veterinary Day |
|---|---|
2027 | Saturday, April 24 |
2028 | Saturday, April 29 |
The most recent one was Saturday, April 25, 2026. For any later year, find the last Saturday in April on the calendar, then check the WVA's site closer to the time for that year's theme.
The latest theme: Veterinarians, Guardians of Food and Health
The 2026 theme, chosen by the WVA Council, was "Veterinarians: Guardians of Food and Health." It puts the spotlight on work most pet owners never see: veterinarians checking animal health on farms and in slaughterhouses, keeping food of animal origin safe "from farm to fork," and catching disease early.
The WVA's campaign material ties that work to three bigger jobs:
- Stopping zoonoses, the diseases that pass between animals and people. Early detection in animals is a first line of defense (more in our guide to emerging zoonotic diseases).
- Fighting antimicrobial resistance (AMR), when bacteria stop responding to antibiotics. The WVA wants veterinary oversight of antibiotic use in animals to be a core part of every country's AMR strategy.
- One Health, the idea that animal, human and environmental health are linked and need to be managed together.
That's why the day belongs to the small-animal vet spaying a cat as much as to the vet inspecting a dairy herd.
What about the 2027 theme?
It hadn't been announced by November 2026. At that point the WVA's World Veterinary Day page was a form asking its Council members to suggest themes for 2027. The announcement usually comes in the weeks or months before the day: the 2026 theme was posted in February 2026, the 2025 theme in April 2025.
Who started World Veterinary Day?
The day belongs to the World Veterinary Association, whose roots go back to the first international veterinary congress, called by Dr. J. Gamgee in Hamburg in 1863. Today the WVA represents more than 500,000 veterinarians through over 90 member associations.
According to the WVA's own record, the WVA and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, then called the OIE) agreed in 2008 to create World Veterinary Day and its award. The format has run the same way since: the WVA Council picks a theme each year, and the World Veterinary Day Award goes to the member association that runs the best campaign around it. The award is open to WVA member associations only, not to individual clinics, and is sponsored by HealthforAnimals. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) won it in 2021 for its campaign on the veterinary response to COVID-19.
A short video from the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) for World Veterinary Day 2023:
Past World Veterinary Day themes
Scan the list and you can watch the profession's priorities shift: rabies, antimicrobial resistance and vaccination in the early 2010s, resilience and inclusion after the pandemic, and food safety now.
Year | Theme |
|---|---|
2026 | Veterinarians: Guardians of Food and Health |
2025 | Animal Health Takes a Team |
2024 | Veterinarians are essential health workers |
2023 | Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness in the Veterinary Profession |
2022 | Strengthening Veterinary Resilience |
2021 | The Veterinary Response to the COVID-19 Crisis |
2020 | Environmental Protection for Improving Animal and Human Health |
2019 | Value of Vaccination |
2018 | The role of the veterinary profession in sustainable development to improve livelihoods, food security and safety |
2017 | Antimicrobial Resistance: from Awareness to Action |
2016 | Continuing Education with One Health Focus |
2015 | Vector-borne Diseases with a Zoonotic Potential |
2014 | Animal Welfare |
2013 | Vaccinations |
2012 | Antimicrobial resistance |
2011 | Rabies |
2010 | One World, One Health: more cooperation between veterinarians and physicians |
2009 | Veterinarians and livestock farmers, a winning partnership |
2008 | The diversity of the Veterinary profession |
Ways to celebrate World Veterinary Day
You don't need a big budget. Pick one idea that fits your team or your town and do it well.
At the clinic, school or association
- Run a team post series around the year's theme. The WVA's 2026 example: each team member finished the sentence "I am a guardian because..." with a photo. Posts like that show the public what the job really involves.
- Show the work behind the scenes. Short videos from surgery prep, the lab, a farm call or a food-safety inspection explain more than any slogan.
- Host a talk or webinar. Pet care basics and prevention for owners, or a panel of vets from public health, food safety and practice.
- Visit a school or a university class. Talk about veterinary careers, from small-animal practice to epidemiology. Vet techs, assistants and receptionists count too; our guide to becoming a vet tech is a good handout.
- Team up with a shelter or rescue for an adoption event, or run a community clinic day for pets in need if your practice can manage it.
- Bring in therapy animals for a visit to a hospital, care home or school, or run a pet first aid session for owners.
- Organize a clean-up focused on local hazards to animals, like litter in parks or along waterways.
As a pet owner
The easiest way to celebrate is to thank someone by name. The University of Florida's veterinary college, for example, invited clients to send a note of gratitude to a specific veterinarian, technician or staff member for World Veterinary Day.
- Write a card about one moment. "Thank you for staying late when Max wouldn't stop vomiting" lands harder than "thanks for everything."
- Leave a review that names the people who helped, so the praise reaches them and not just the clinic.
- Drop off something for the break room. Coffee or snacks the whole team can share.
- Include your own animals. A longer walk, a favorite treat, extra cuddles. Snap a photo with your pet (and your vet, if they're up for it) and share it.
A small thank-you for your vet team
If you'd like to give something, these are four of our best-selling designs over the last 18 months that suit a veterinarian or any member of the team:
- Love Dog and Cat zip hoodie: the "LOVE" design with a stethoscope, paw prints, a dog and a cat on the back. The one catch: you'll need to guess the size.
- I Speak for Those Who Cannot travel mug: a travel mug with a handle and a simple cat-and-dog heart line art. A good pick when you don't know someone's style.
- Animal Love Beat 20 oz tumbler: a vacuum tumbler with an engraved heartbeat line that ends in a paw. A quiet design for someone who doesn't wear slogans.
- Love Veterinary cotton tote: the same "LOVE" design on a cotton tote for scrubs, lunch or books.
Want more ideas? See our list of gifts to thank your veterinarian, and remember that vet techs get their own week in October: our Vet Tech Appreciation Week guide has the dates. Buying for a whole team? Ask about bulk orders.
World Veterinary Day FAQs
What is the meaning of World Veterinary Day?
World Veterinary Day is a yearly event that raises awareness of the role veterinary professionals play in animal health, animal welfare and public health. It recognizes the work they do to protect the well-being of animals and the people they serve.
Who created World Veterinary Day?
World Veterinary Day was created by the World Veterinary Association (WVA), which agreed on it with the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) in 2008.
Why should World Veterinary Day be celebrated?
The professionals who serve the global community often have thankless jobs. This day is a reminder to show appreciation for all their continued efforts in caring for animals.
What is the official hashtag for World Veterinary Day?
#WorldVeterinaryDay. The WVA also uses a tag for each year, such as #WVD2026.
When is World Veterinary Day?
World Veterinary Day is celebrated annually on the last Saturday in April. The next one is Saturday, April 24, 2027.
World Veterinary Day messages
Need a few words for a card or a post? Here are some messages you can share with your veterinarian or veterinary team.
"Good veterinarians talk to animals. Great veterinarians hear them talk back. Happy World Veterinary Day!"
"May your days be wonderful and healthy like you make it for others. I want to thank you on this World Veterinary Day!"
"The best doctor in the world is a veterinarian. They can't ask their patients what's the matter, they've got just to know." Happy World Veterinary Day!
"Only a person that loves a challenge would take on patients that can't tell them where it hurts. Happy World Veterinary Day!"
"To all of the vets and their team around the world a very Happy World Veterinary Day."
"Medicos are going to be doctors. Veterinarians are going to be LEGENDS. Happy World Veterinary Day!"
"Some superheroes don't wear capes. They are called veterinarians. Happy World Veterinary Day!"
Happy World Veterinary Day!
From the cat on the exam table to the meat on the supermarket shelf, veterinary teams keep a lot of things safe that most of us never think about. One day a year, it's worth saying so.
Show us how you celebrated: post with #WorldVeterinaryDay and tag I Love Veterinary on Facebook and Instagram.
Originally written by Kristina Jordanovska. Updated by the I Love Veterinary editorial team.
Sources
- World Veterinary Association: WVA theme for World Veterinary Day 2025, Animal Health Takes a Team (date rule)
- World Veterinary Association: WVA theme for World Veterinary Day 2026, Veterinarians: Guardians of Food and Health
- World Veterinary Association: World Veterinary Day 2026 toolkit (PDF)
- World Veterinary Association: WVD 2027 theme suggestions
- World Veterinary Association: WVD themes and Award winners (document)
- World Veterinary Association: World Veterinary Day
- World Veterinary Association: WVD Award
- World Veterinary Association: AVMA wins World Veterinary Day Award 2021
- World Veterinary Association: About the WVA
- University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine: World Veterinary Day
- Federation of Veterinarians of Europe: World Veterinary Day 2023 (YouTube)
- I Love Veterinary store order data, last 18 months (gift picks)
