Winn’s annual symposium on feline health

Winn’s 34th annual symposium on feline health was held on June 28, 2012 in Quincy, MA with an audience of over 100 cat owners and veterinarians. Dr. Leslie Lyons of the University of California, Davis presented an update on recent advances in genetic research and newly discovered mutations causing disease in cats. For example, recently the mutation causing a craniofacial defect in Burmese kittens was confirmed in Dr. Lyons’ laboratory. Winn has helped support Dr. Lyons’ research to improve cat health for many years.

Dr. Leslie Lyons, Dr. John Rush, Steve Dale (L to R)

Dr. John Rush of Tufts University discussed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), covering disease presentation, diagnosis, and treatment. HCM is the most common cardiac disease in cats and causes the death of many cats every year. Winn’s Ricky Fund was established to further research into this important disease and has funded many projects to date, including discovery of genetic mutations associated with HCM in certain cat breeds. This year, Winn funded three new feline health project at Tufts University.

Award winner Darlene Arden

Another important event at the Symposium was the presentation of Winn’s 2012 Media Appreciation Award to Darlene Arden for her dedication to feline health and welfare. Read more about the award on Winn’s website.

More photos from the Symposium can be found on Winn board member Steve Dale’s blog.

More on cat health:
Winn Feline Foundation Library
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