OSU veterinary professor awarded the 2009 Mark L. Morris, Sr. Lifetime Achievement Award

Topeka, Kan.

-- An Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine professor and researcher will receive the Hill's Pet Nutrition 2009 Mark L. Morris, Sr. Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to feline health.

Tony Buffington, DVM, MS, Ph.D, DACVN, will be honored for his study of urinary tract disease in cats and for identifying how environment impacts the health of indoor cats, according to information from Hill's Pet Nutrition.

Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. will donate $20,000 to the Morris Animal Foundation in Buffington's name.

By pinpointing the role of acid-based balance in foods and its relationship to the formation of feline urinary stones, Buffington's work resulted in a change in formulation of commercial pet diets, Hill's stated.

Buffington's investigation into the role of indoor environments on disease risk in cats led him to develop the Indoor Cat Initiative, which educates pet owners and veterinary clinicians about how enriching an indoor cat's immediate surroundings plays as important a role to health and wellbeing as proper diet and health care, according to a release from Hill's.

The Mark L. Morris Sr. Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented at the opening ceremony of the North American Veterinary Conference (NAVC) in January. The annual award is given to a veterinarian who has made significant contributions to the welfare of companion animals through a lifetime of professional work.