Mars Petcare And WALTHAM® Support International Conferences To Help Improve The Lives Of People And Their Pets

July 19, 2013 /3BL Media/ - WALTHAM® scientists, research collaborators and grantees will present critical advances in the field of human-animal interaction (HAI) to leading experts at two renowned international conferences taking place this week. The WALTHAM® Centre for Pet Nutrition is the state-of-the-art petcare science centre for Mars Petcare and provides the science and expertise underpinning leading Mars brands.

The annual conference of the International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ) is taking place from 18-19 July in Chicago, US. It will be followed by the triennial conference of the International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations (IAHAIO) also taking place in Chicago from 20-22 July. Mars Petcare and WALTHAM® are major sponsors of both conferences, which bring together a broad range of interdisciplinary researchers and practitioners in the field of HAI.

"Mars has been driving industry-leading research to create meaningful improvements in the lives of pets for 50 years. We partner with leading scientific institutions to advance and share knowledge of the positive and lasting benefits of pet ownership on human and animal health and wellbeing," commented Dr. Sandra McCune, Scientific Leader, Human-Animal Interaction, WALTHAM® Centre for Pet Nutrition. "We are proud to once again be supporting the ISAZ and IAHAIO conferences and helping to promote dialogue that has the potential to significantly impact the lives of both people and their pets."

Mars' work in the field includes studying the clinical potential of HAI for helping to treat conditions as diverse as obesity, autism and post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adults. In partnership with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), Mars is also investigating the roles pets play in promoting optimal development in children.

Among the numerous talks by researchers supported by the NIH and Mars-WALTHAM® will be a presentation of exciting findings from Washington State University showing that interaction with horses can help boost early teens' social skills. A team from the University of Western Australia will also present research supported by Mars-WALTHAM® demonstrating the role of pet ownership in helping to improve social relations and connect communities. Meanwhile, University of Maryland researchers will highlight intriguing new findings from studies supported by Mars-WALTHAM® that show the mental and physical health benefits of dog interaction for elderly adults with dementia.

To find out more about the WALTHAM® Centre for Pet Nutrition, click here. 
To find out more about Mars approach to science, click here. 

About the WALTHAM® Centre for Pet Nutrition:

Celebrating 50 years of innovative science, the WALTHAM® Centre for Pet Nutrition serves as a leading scientific authority in advancing the frontiers of research into the nutrition and health of companion animals. Located in Leicestershire, England, the renowned state-of-the-art science institute for Mars, Incorporated generates knowledge that enables the development of innovative products that meet pets’ needs in a practical way. Since the publication of its first original research in 1963, WALTHAM® has pioneered many important breakthroughs in the field of pet nutrition and human-animal interaction, resulting in more than 1,700 publications, including over 600 peer-review scientific papers. Today, WALTHAM® continues to collaborate with the world’s foremost scientific institutes, driving Mars' Petcare vision to create a better world for pets and providing the science and expertise that underpins leading Mars brands such as WHISKAS®, PEDIGREE®, NUTRO®, TRILL®, CESAR®, SHEBA®, KITEKAT®, DREAMIES®, AQUARIAN®, WINERGY®, BANFIELD® Pet Hospital and the ROYAL CANIN brand.

For more information, please visit www.waltham.com

About Mars, Incorporated

In 1911, Frank C. Mars made the first Mars candies in his Tacoma, Washington kitchen and established Mars’ first roots as a confectionery company.  In the 1920s, Forrest E. Mars, Sr. joined his father in business and together they launched the MILKY WAY® bar. In 1932, Forrest, Sr. moved to the United Kingdom with a dream of  building a business based on the objective of creating a “mutuality of benefits for all stakeholders” – this objective serves as the foundation of Mars, Incorporated today. Based in McLean, Virginia, Mars has net sales of more than $33 billion, six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks, Symbioscience, and more than 72,000 Associates worldwide that are putting its Principles into action to make a difference for people and the planet through its performance.

Mars brands include: Petcare – PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, KITEKAT®, BANFIELD® Pet Hospital, NUTRO®, SHEBA®, DREAMIES® and CESAR®; Chocolate – M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY® and TWIX®; Wrigley – DOUBLEMINT®, EXTRA®, ORBIT® and 5™ chewing gums, SKITTLES® and STARBURST® candies, and ALTOIDS® AND LIFESAVERS® mints.  Food –UNCLE BEN’S®, DOLMIO®, EBLY®, MASTERFOODS®, SEEDS OF CHANGE® and ROYCO®; Drinks – ALTERRA® Coffee Roasters coffee, THE BRIGHT TEA CO.® tea, DOVE®/GALAXY® Hot Chocolate, and FLAVIA® brewer; Symbioscience – COCOAVIA®, WISDOM PANEL® and SERAMIS®. 

For more information, please visit www.mars.com.  Follow us: facebook.com/mars, twitter.com/marsglobal,youtube.com/mars.