November 14, 2017
Categories: Announcements
Smart dog

Graduate students, do you want to pursue research and develop expertise under the guidance of a mentor? Apply for a Maddie’s® Idea Lab Summer Scholarship Grant today!

We’re looking for students in the United States interested in projects that utilize innovative ideas and have a high likelihood of advancing the utilization of foster care for dogs and cats or  lifesaving of dogs and cats in, or at risk of entering, shelters. The application deadline is January 31, 2018.

Criteria for applying:

  • Applicants must be currently enrolled and in good standing at a college or university in the United States.
  • Applicants must be supported by a mentor.
  • The organization applying for the grant must be current on all grant reporting requirements if they have received funding from Maddie’s Fund® in the past. (Please contact us at 925.310.5450 if you have questions.)
  • We encourage that projects be conducted in association with a 501c3 animal welfare organization or government/municipal animal control agency in one of the 50 United States or Washington D.C. whose focus is on dogs and/or cats.
  • Projects that intentionally harm animal life or welfare will not be accepted, and university projects that use live animals must be approved by the institution’s Animal Care and Use Committee prior to funding.

One of our 2017 Summer Scholarship grants went to Wing Suen Lau (Sharon) who was mentored by Dr. Bob Weedon at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.

“They investigated the effect of a probiotic (Fortiflora) administration on the occurrence of stress-induced diarrhea in cats,” explained Dr. Sheila D’Arpino, Research Director at Maddie’s Fund. “They found that a smaller percentage of cats (7 percent) who received FortiFlora developed diarrhea lasting more than two days than did cats who didn’t receive FortiFlora (16 percent).”

There was no difference in occurrence of upper respiratory infection, a disease that shouldn’t be impacted by probiotic administration, between the two groups. While there were several other factors that might have influenced the findings, the results suggest that FortiFlora administration might reduce the frequency of diarrhea in shelter cats, especially kittens.

Find more information about the grants, including how to apply on our website. The application deadline is January 31, 2018.