Mars Petcare has become a Diamond Partner of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), building on a long-term relationship with the global veterinary association established by the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition, the company’s scientific HQ.  Under the terms of the new partnership, individual divisions of Mars Petcare will support the work of four of the WSAVA’s key Clinical Committees as follows:

• The Global Nutrition Committee (GNC), which helps the veterinary healthcare team and owners to understand the importance of nutrition in companion animal health, will be supported by Royal Canin.
• The Animal Wellness and Welfare Committee (AWWC), which promotes advances in companion animal wellness and welfare around the world, will be supported by Mars Petcare.
• The Hereditary Disease Committee (HDC), which raises awareness and understanding of hereditary disease and genetic predispositions in dogs and cats, will be supported by Wisdom Health.
• The WSAVA One Health Committee, (OHC), which works to highlight the importance of the companion animal-human interface on the global One Health agenda, will be supported by Mars Petcare.

Mars Petcare represents more than 50 brands in more than 55 countries which serve the nutrition and health needs of dogs, cats, horses, fish and birds.  It is also the world’s largest veterinary health group. The company’s recently launched Connected Solutions division focuses on innovation, offering services such as Wisdom Panel® Health patented genetic technology testing for dogs and the Whistle® dog tracker.
Commenting, Dr Karyl Hurley from Mars Incorporated said: “As Mars Petcare, we have partnered with the WSAVA now for nearly three decades and we are delighted to renew our ongoing commitment with the WSAVA to make a better world for pets.”
Dr Shane Ryan, WSAVA President, said: “It is thanks to partnerships such as this one with Mars Petcare, that the many global veterinary experts who contribute voluntarily to the WSAVA’s important work are helping to transform the future of companion animal medicine, both for practitioners and for their patients.
“Our Global Guidelines in key areas of veterinary practice, including nutrition and hereditary disease, together with our other CE activities, provide much needed support to companion animal veterinarians, particularly in countries where companion animal practice is still emerging.  We are delighted at the opportunity to build an even closer relationship with the team at Mars Petcare and have exciting plans for our partnership.”
Diamond Partnership is the premier level available under the WSAVA’s Partnership Program.