Purina, AKC's Canine Health Foundation finalize multi-year research partnership

St. Louis, Mo. ­

Nestlé Purina PetCare and the American Kennel Club's Canine Health Foundation (AKC/CHF) inked a multi-million dollar, multi-year partnership to further canine health and research.

Purina and the AKC/CHF, the largest non-profit financier of exclusivelycanine health research in the world, will work closely together to fundresearch that could advance the successful prevention and treatment of disablingand fatal diseases of dogs such as epilepsy, heart disease, orthopedic diseaseand the number one disease killer of dogs, cancer.

"Since 1995, the Canine Health Foundation has been providing supportfor groundbreaking research to improve the quality of life for dogs andtheir owners," says Dan Christian, DVM, executive director. "Togetherwith the Canine Health Foundation, we intend to make great strides in furtheringresearch that is directed toward preventing and treating canine diseases."

Christian adds, "We are proud to announce this important partnershipthat continues Purina's dedication to the advancement of pet health throughscience and research."

The commitment is the latest development in Purina's ongoing work withthe AKC/CHF, which for the last eight years has included providing resourcesand support for mapping the canine genome plus the annual Canine GenomeMapping meeting, the Canine Cancer Initiative, the Canine Health FoundationParent Club Conference and the Search and Rescue Dog Health Fund.

Additionally, in 2002 Purina established the Purina Parent Club PartnershipProgram to help breed clubs raise money for health research. In this firstyear, Purina donated more than $40,000 through participating breed clubsto the Canine Health Foundation.

"Purina has dedicated more resources to the study and continuedunderstanding of canine health issues than any other pet food manufacturer,"says Howard Falberg, president of the AKC/CHF. "We are honored to workwith them in this unique and powerful partnership."

Like humans, dogs suffer from many diseases that are primarily geneticin nature. Through the AKC/CHF's support of scientific research, significantprogress has been made toward treating and minimizing the incidence of caninediseases including the discovery of the genetic defects causing narcolepsy,cystinuria, stationary night blindness and von Willebrand's disease.

The AKC/CHF has also provided support to scientists completing the caninegenome map ­ a dramatic step toward the eventual eradication of inheriteddiseases.

The AKC Canine Health Foundation, founded in 1995, is the largest non-profitbacker of exclusively canine research in the world. Its mission is to developsignificant resources for basic and applied canine health programs, withan emphasis on genetics in order to improve the quality of life for dogsand their owners.

Nestlé Purina PetCare promotes responsible pet care, humane education,community involvement and the positive bond between people and their pets.

Based at Nestlé Purina PetCare's headquarters in St. Louis, thePurina Pet Institute is the embodiment of Purina's commitment to achievingbetter nutrition for dogs and cats through scientific discovery and theenhancement of the pet/owner relationship.