We are very excited to offer you the first digital chapters of Small Animal Clinical Nutrition (SACN) 6th edition. Here you will find the new urinary, renal, and hyperthyroid chapters, with updated visuals, tables and scientific details. 

But, first: stop for one second. Why change from a (rather large) printed book to a digital platform?

Whereas digital books are arguably more eco-friendly than their print counterparts (taking into account the valuable discussions with varying views), we also wanted to make the chapters accessible to as many readers as possible. Working together with Clinician’s Brief, the leader in veterinary print and digital  media, allowed a unique opportunity to combine the strengths of the scientifically based SACN with the clinical relevance of Clinician’s Brief. The content is completely accessible anywhere; you can read it from any gadget of your preference. If you wish, you can still print individual chapters. 

This edition of SACN is completely free, and we have linked specific articles from Clinician’s Brief top authors to relevant chapters. Once you're done reading, you can test your knowledge at the end with a handy RACE-accredited quiz.

We truly believe that this will be the source of veterinary nutritional information of the future and with this the Mark Morris Institute is dedicated to keep the materials relevant and up to date. This is just the beginning; many more materials may follow until the entire print 5th edition has been converted to this accessible 6th digital edition.

Debbie Davenport & Jolle Kirpensteijn

Chief Editors, Small Animal Clinical Nutrition   

The Mark Morris Institute (MMI) is dedicated to being the leading resource in nutritional education for the veterinary profession with the goal of promoting optimal companion animal health.

MMI was founded in honor of Dr. Mark Morris Sr., a pioneer in the field of clinical nutrition for companion animals. His work was carried on by his son, Dr. Mark Morris, Jr.

MMI provides pet nutrition education for veterinarians and students of veterinary medicine around the world through publications and university teaching courses.  

Dr. Mark Morris, Sr. helped improve the quality of life for millions of beloved pets around the world. In 1929, Dr. Morris built one of the first hospitals for the practice of small animal medicine, in Edison, New Jersey. In 1948, Dr. Morris founded the Morris Animal Foundation, which today is the largest non-governmental sponsor of companion animal health studies in the world. It has funded over 1600 animal health studies at veterinary colleges around the world since its inception.

Dr. Morris worked tirelessly with the nation's veterinary schools to encourage the teaching of clinical nutrition. Dr. Morris is perhaps best known for his work in the development of animal foods for the dietary management of diseases in dogs and cats. His first contribution was a restricted protein diet for canine kidney patients called Prescription Diet® k/d®, first marketed in 1948.  Dr. Mark Morris, Sr., died in 1993, at the age of 93, but he left a proud legacy of accomplishments in veterinary medicine that spanned five decades.  

Dr. Morris Jr. was born February 3, 1934 in New Brunswick, NJ. In 1954, Mark was accepted into the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and received his DVM degree. After graduation in 1958, the couple moved to Topeka, where Dr. Morris began his work in the family business, appropriately named Mark Morris Associates. After completing his M.S. and Ph.D. at The University of Wisconsin in 1963, Dr. Morris returned to Topeka and expanded the Prescription Diet line of products and introduced the concepts of lifestage nutrition and wellness nutrition in the Science Diet which is sold around the world today for healthy dogs and cats. 

He is the co-author of Small Animal Clinical Nutrition through its fourth edition which was the standard textbook on clinical nutrition used to educate veterinarians throughout the world.