Rescue Animals

Morris Animal Foundation was established in 1948 by Dr. Mark L. Morris Sr., a visionary veterinarian who believed there was a need for a foundation that solely addressed animal health and welfare. Dr. Morris was a veterinarian, humanitarian and animal health pioneer who was one of the first veterinarians to use diet to control disease.

One of Dr. Morris’s first patients was Buddy, who was among the first guide dogs in the United States. Buddy suffered from kidney failure, and his owner, Morris Frank, then the national ambassador for the Seeing Eye, sought Dr. Morris’s advice. Dr. Morris created a special diet that dramatically improved Buddy’s health, and soon he and his wife, Louise, were canning the food in their kitchen. When they couldn’t keep up with demand, they partnered with the Hill Packing Company to produce what later became the first Hill’s Pet Nutrition Prescription Diet. Dr. Morris used the royalties from that diet to establish Morris Animal Foundation, and the first two studies funded looked at nutrition in cats and dogs.

With more than 60 years of history, our reputation and scientific expertise are second to none. Since our inception, the Foundation has funded more than 1,700 humane animal health studies. At any given time, Morris Animal Foundation is managing about 300 animal health and welfare research studies  at the world’s most respected research institutions, colleges of veterinary medicine and zoos. Each year, we also fund about 70 veterinary student scholar projects.