Mark L. Morris Sr. and the Birth of Prescription Pet Food

April 23, 2013
By Donald F. Smith

I am always fascinated when an author or producer introduces a veterinary backstory into a movie, book or other form of pop culture. Recent examples include Water for Elephants¹ and War Horse.²Though a story of fighter pilots rather than birds, Red Tails³ also has a connection to veterinary medicine.

So when a friend gave me a copy of the novel, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, last summer, the reference to a famous guide dog named Buddy bred by a kennel in New Jersey caught my attention. While investigating events surrounding the suspicious death of his father, young Edgar discovers letters written in 1934 by his late grandfather to a man in Morristown named Brooks, one of the original breeders of guide dogs for the blind. Author David Wroblewski doesn’t tell us about the far-reaching contribution of Buddy, his role in the development of the pet food industry in general, so here is the “rest of the story.”

Cover of David Wroblewski’s novel,
“The Story of Edgar Sawtelle”.
(Photo by Dr. Smith)

Mark Morris was an advanced-standing transfer student who arrived at Cornell University in the fall of 1925 and received his veterinary degree the following spring. Two years later, he established the Raritan Hospital for Animals in Edison, New Jersey, considered at the time to be the second exclusive small animal practice in the country.⁴ Ahead of his time in many of his veterinary concepts and practices, Morris became convinced that proper nutrition was essential to improve the health and well-being of pets.

Dr. Mark L. Morris Sr., Cornell Graduate 1926
(Photograph © Cornell University)

During the 1930s, a blind man named Morris Frank was touring the country by train with the country’s first guide dog for the blind, a Swiss-born German Shepherd named Buddy. Morris and Buddy became national advocates for these working dogs, demonstrating the positive impact they could have on the life of a blind person, allowing them to navigate in their homes and communities independently, safely and with dignity.

When Buddy’s life was threatened by kidney disease, Dr. Morris was consulted and he formulated a diet low in protein and salt that slowed the progression of the renal failure. This diet allowed Buddy and Mr. Frank to continue their travels about the country spreading the good news of dogs as helping companions for the blind.

Initially, Buddy’s special food was mailed as needed to Mr. Frank in glass jars, but the jars often broke in transit. Morris and his wife, Louise, then developed a canning procedure for processing of the specialized diet. Meanwhile, everywhere Mr. Frank and Buddy went throughout the country, they were telling people of the miraculous and life-saving food developed by the Morris’ back in New Jersey.⁵ The Morris’ fame spread and the prescription pet food industry was born.

The ‘kidney diet’ was named Canine k/d®, and was later licensed to Hill’s Packing Company (now Hill’s Pet Nutrition) to produce what became a growing line of pet prescription formula diets.⁶

Mark L. Morris Sr. weighing a puppy.
(© The Morris Animal Foundation)

With the royalties from the sale of these diets, Mark Morris established a foundation in 1948 dedicated to animal health and well-being. Originally called the Buddy Foundation, the Morris Animal Foundationis now the largest organization in the world to invest in research that promises to advance veterinary medicine and improve the quality of life for companion animals, horses and wildlife. The Foundation also supports scholarships for veterinary students.

In 1993 Dr. Morris died at the age of 92. His legacy continued through his veterinarian son, Dr. Mark L. Morris Jr., who died in 2007.⁷

Dr. Mark L. Morris Sr. in late life.
(© The Morris Animal Foundation)