Morris Animal Foundation

Since its inception 75 years ago, Morris Animal Foundation has emerged as a global leader in the advancement of animal health. It stands as one of the few organizations exclusively committed to funding research for all diseases and health challenges impacting dogs, cats, horses and wildlife. 

Founded in 1948 and headquartered in Denver, it is one of the largest nonprofit animal health research organizations in the world, funding nearly $160 million in more than 3,000 critical animal health studies to date across a broad range of species.

The Foundation currently supports 200+ active studies annually, including work on improved and novel vaccines for infectious diseases in cats, new drug therapies for heart disease in dogs, as well as critical research to safeguard endangered species worldwide.

Every year, the Morris Animal Foundation funds a new suite of impactful and significant studies to meet emerging health needs in companion animals and wildlife. 

Golden Retriever Lifetime Study

In the 12 years since the Foundation unveiled its Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, it has achieved a significant milestone, documenting 500 cumulative diagnoses of four major canine cancers in the cohort: hemangiosarcoma, lymphoma, high-grade mast cell tumor and osteosarcoma. This valuable big dataset, along with biosamples, has been made widely available to help researchers discover and understand potential risk factors for cancer and other diseases in dogs, as well as provide a model for these risk factors in people.

Recent Endeavours 

Other recent studies and research by the Morris Animal Foundation include: 

• Investigating inflammation, cognitive decline and disease in aging dogs 
• Evaluating the efficacy of anesthetic protocols for pain control in cats 
• Assessing novel nonsurgical sterilization methods for free-roaming cats (both male and female)
• Working toward a vaccine for strangles, a highly contagious disease of the upper respiratory tract in horses
• Developing better diagnostic methods and alternative treatments for foals with sepsis, a common cause of illness and death for these young animals
• Pioneering strategies to save New Zealand’s yellow-eyed penguins, also called hoiho, from emerging new diseases, that may also help other endangered penguins
• Identifying threats to endangered West Indian manatees to help save this understudied subspecies

Thanks to the Foundation’s long history of funding animal health research, veterinarians and wildlife managers have enhanced diagnostics, treatments, and even some cures for diseases and other health challenges that affect the animals in their care and in the field.

Morris Animal Foundation envisions a world where animals live full and healthy lives – and it’s only possible with the help of its generous donors and research partners.