Caring Science

By keeping our pets in a home-like environment, we gather more accurate, realistic data that can be applied to pets everywhere.

We call this approach Caring Science.

Throughout the WALTHAM^® Centre for Pet Nutrition, you will see constant reminders of Caring Science at work.

This includes:

• Specialist carers who look after the wellbeing of our pets
• Living areas designed to keep our pets happy, such as aviaries that use climate and lighting control to mimic the seasons, as well as offering free flight areas for our birds
• Pet friendly solutions to research problems, such as a computer activated 24-hour system that collects and measures urine samples from cats in the most natural way
• A sensory garden for dogs that provides stimulation and play while teaching us about their behaviour.

Our caring approach goes far beyond simply making sure that our own pets are healthy; we are involved with all kinds of research designed to improve the overall health of the world’s pet population.

In emerging markets such as China and India, we are closely involved in developing diets that offer more effective nutrition than the table scraps that are typically still fed to pets.

When designing studies, our Caring Science approach involves three main considerations, known as the 3Rs, that are now widely adopted in animal research. They are refinement, which minimises the impact of trials on the pets; replacement, which means doing research without animals; and reduction, which uses fewer animals or smaller samples.