By Katie Burns

    

Animal health and nutrition products may be the most tangible contributions of industry to veterinary medicine, but many companies also sponsor the profession's organizations and events—such as the AVMA and the AVMA Annual Convention.

The AVMA convention's gold-level sponsors are Bayer Animal Health, Fort Dodge Animal Health, Hill's Pet Nutrition, and Merial. The companies also host events during the convention, such as Saturday's Bayer Bash.

Three of the convention's gold-level sponsors are also the AVMA's platinum-level sponsors—Fort Dodge, Hill's, and Merial. The companies support the Association through the Platinum Partner Program, with each of them providing $380,000 annually for four years starting in 2008.

"Fort Dodge Animal Health is proud to support the AVMA, which offers high-quality information and continuing education to the veterinary medical profession," said Craig Wallace, the company's vice president of U.S. sales.

Another reason that Fort Dodge partners with veterinary organizations is to help educate clients about animal health. The company works with the AVMA to promote National Pet Wellness Month each October and continue the wellness initiative throughout the year.

To commence the AVMA convention, the company sponsored the Fort Dodge Comedy Kickoff. Today, Fort Dodge is hosting a symposium on "Keeping Pets Healthy Year Round." Experts from academia and private practice will discuss Lyme disease, leptospirosis, vaccination safety, and other topics in small animal practice. Fort Dodge also is holding sunrise sessions today and Monday regarding ProHeart 6 and ProMeris, respectively, which target heartworms and fleas.

In the exhibit hall, staff at the Fort Dodge booth are available to talk with convention attendees about the company's range of products for small and large animals.

"Fort Dodge Animal Health prides itself on a commitment to innovation, research, and product development—as well as strong alliances with veterinarians, livestock producers, and pet owners," Wallace said.

Hill's Pet Nutrition has a commitment to education for the entire veterinary health care team, said Dr. Daniel S. Aja, the company's director of professional affairs. At the AVMA convention, Hill's sponsors all the educational sessions for veterinary technicians as well as other programming.

"As we all know, the economics of veterinary practice become more challenging every day," Dr. Aja said. "Our sponsorship of the AVMA convention helps the AVMA keep the conference costs at a reasonable level, which benefits our profession and the patients we treat."

In the exhibit hall, the Hill's booth focuses on the role of nutrition in managing obesity in companion animals. Kiosks and education stations showcase many of the company's nutritional products.

"Our use of nutrition to alter the expression of genes—ie, nutrigenomics—is revolutionary in the control of obesity," Dr. Aja said.

On Tuesday, Hill's is sponsoring a symposium on "Physical Rehab: Making it Work in your Practice." The sessions cover principles of canine rehabilitation and multimodal management of osteoarthritis.

Dr. Aja said Hill's has been a partner of the veterinary profession since the company's founding 60 years ago by a veterinarian, Dr. Mark L. Morris Sr.

Merial's support for the AVMA underscores the company's commitment to veterinarians across America, said Dr. Howell "Hal" P. Little, Merial director of field veterinary services.

"Our support as a platinum sponsor helps the AVMA in its efforts to educate and inform veterinarians—thereby helping them not just survive but also flourish as animal-health advocates in a rapidly changing marketplace," Dr. Little said.

Tonight, the third installment of the Merial Concert Series features pop singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield. Merial will donate $5 to Paws to Save Pets, a program that funds disaster preparedness and relief efforts for companion animals, for each concert invitation (which were mailed to attendees prior to convention) that attendees present at its booth or the concert.

At the Merial booth, convention attendees of all ages can help color in squares on a Paws to Save Pets mural. For each square that attendees color, Merial will make a $5 donation to the program.

The Merial booth also will showcase a new simulator tool to visualize outcomes of heartworm treatment. In addition, Merial and the American Heartworm Society will host a champagne toast and give away gifts at 5:30 p.m. Monday to thank veterinary professionals for participation in April's Heartworm Awareness Month.

Along with the platinum- and gold-level sponsors, many other companies contribute to the AVMA. A list of convention sponsors appears on this page.