Why is Pharmaceutical Giant Merial Ignoring the Advice of Veterinary Experts?
Every scientist, doctor or veterinarian who works in industry knows that there's a fine balance between the research needs and the marketing needs of a pharmaceutical company, but just where does that balance lie?
Earlier this month, Merial, a veterinary pharmaceutical company, launched a national campaign against the advice of veterinary experts, to market Frontline and Heartgard while promoting outdated dog training and behavior modification techniques. In separate letters, all four veterinary-related animal behavior organizations -- the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, the Academy of Veterinary Behavior Technicians and the Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians -- announced their concerns. They have advised against outdated dog training techniques.
Merial's response:
Merial is committed to the principle that regular veterinary care is critical to maintaining the health and well being of pets. Merial believes that proper training enhances the lives of dogs -- and their owners too.
The issue at hand is the partnership between Merial and popular celebrity dog trainer Cesar Millan of the National Geographics Program The Dog Whisperer. In the campaign, Merial promotes their products and provides a Cesar Millan video as well as a waiting room DVD. The promotion occurs through veterinary hospitals and will involve commercials following the popular TV show.
In a letter to Merial, the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB), expressed the opinion of the organization that many techniques promoted in the show,
"are not scientifically sound and [involve] fear and intimidation to manage behavior." ACVB points out that studies in peer-reviewed publications and the clinical experience of [veterinary behaviorists] confirm that such techniques can actually worsen existing behavior problems, including aggression, and erode the human-animal bond.
The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior has also issued a public opinion on the matter, stating that some philosophies and techniques demonstrated to owners on the show "run counter to the standard-of-care promoted by veterinary behaviorists and taught at veterinary schools."
A joint letter from the Academy of Veterinary Behavior Technicians (ABVT) and the Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians (SVBT) adds its view that,
"If we had been asked to contribute information about creation of an advertising campaign that includes a pet trainer, we would have recommended [use] of another more current science based trainer such as Karen Pryor, [author of Don't Shoot the Dog], Ian Dunbar, Jean Donaldson, or Victoria Stillwell [It's Me or the Dog TV Show]."
Many readers may be wondering, "What's the hullabaloo?" To them the Dog Whisperer show is entertaining and the techniques do work in some cases. But the issues at hand are really these:
- Is it Merial's standard operating procedure to ignore the advice of veterinary experts in other fields as well because marketing their products takes priority?
- And should a company that uses animals in research be promoting techniques that veterinary experts recommend be avoided? Especially when such techniques can be detrimental to an animal's welfare.
There have been many cases in recent years of companies marketing products that have helped many people yet caused great harm to a significant number of people too. These major side effects have lead to the removal of the products from the market. The job of the veterinary experts and scientific community is to ensure that companies protect the consumer first, by providing products with minimal adverse effects, especially when safer, more effective products and behavioral techniques exist.
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"Maybe Merial knows exactly what they are doing. Maybe they do know what science says, but they also SEE what real life experience brings about. Science certainly has it's place in dog behavior as well as other situations, but I don't believe science is the end all be all. You see, I have two exercise science degrees. I have done research and have had research done on me. Science and research told me that based on my muscular make up, I would excel at endurance sports (distance running). However, I excelled in speed and power sports-sprinting and jumping in track and field. Science was wrong. Real life was right."
Oh Leah....th
I also wrote Merial congratulating them for their partnership with Cesar Millan.
As far as I am concerned, this criticism of Mr. Millan is largely hypocritical and the product of sour grapes: jealousy at his success.
Allow me to illustrate why I believe it is hypocritical: Visit http://abr
I've been following "Cesar's Way" with my own dogs, giving them lots of exercise, setting rules, and then giving affection, and have been very pleased with the results. I know I could do better, with more on-leash walking (much of their exercise is off-leash) and with more consistent rule applicatio
On the other hand, I know someone who has a dog who is out of control despite working extensively (and expensively, I might add) with someone who is vehemently opposed to Cesar Millan and his methods.
For me, the proof is in the pudding.
Maybe Merial knows exactly what they are doing. Maybe they do know what science says, but they also SEE what real life experience brings about. Science certainly has it's place in dog behavior as well as other situations, but I don't believe science is the end all be all. You see, I have two exercise science degrees. I have done research and have had research done on me. Science and research told me that based on my muscular make up, I would excel at endurance sports (distance running). However, I excelled in speed and power sports-sprinting and jumping in track and field. Science was wrong. Real life was right.
Real life has shown Cesar what works with dogs. He also looks at science. In his newest book, A Member of the Family, he sites many scientific articles and research. He too sees that science has it's place and can be very beneficial. But he also sees that science isn't everything. He has honed his skill of interacting with dogs for years and therefore has years of experience to his credibility.
I've had success with my fear aggressive dog using Cesar's philosophy. I'm currently having success rehabbing an intensely anxious foster dog using Cesar's philosophy. For the first time in this dog's life, she is able to relax and be calm. That is what Cesar's philosophy is all about-teaching a dog to be a relaxed, happy and completely fulfilled member of your family. What's unsafe about that?
I, too, wrote to Merial, congratulating them on their decision to sponsor Cesar Millan, just as I have written to Petco and congratulated them on sponsoring his show and selling his products in their stores. Cesar's way has been an enormous help in teaching my two dogs not to jump on guests as they arrive. Cesar's philosophy of "minimum amount of energy needed," his fulfillment formula of "exercise, discipline, and affection," where "discipline" means "rules, boundaries, and limitations," NOT "punishment," actually works to teach aggressive dogs that they don't have to protect themselves and their owners from every little thing out there in the big wide world. Cesar isn't a dog trainer. He rehabilitates dogs and trains humans in how to communicate with their dogs and how to get their dogs to willingly comply with what the owners want the dogs to do. Unfortunately, the treat-based training teaches the dogs to do whatever will get them the treats. I don't always have treats in hand when I take my dog places, and I've found that Cesar's way gets willing compliance, relaxed, comfortable dogs, and keeps the dogs from bouncing up and down and all around as if they've never had any training at all. I'm glad Merial and Petco are sponsoring Cesar, and I hope other companies do, too.
Cesar Millan's methods have helped me with my rescue Plott Hound, helping her overcome severe food aggression due to having become emaciated before we found her abandoned at a gas station. We also used his techniques to help her get along with our cats, who at first awoke her predator instincts. We have an established pack in our household that consists of two humans, Eve (our Plott Hound) and 5 cats. Because of Cesar, Eve is a good dog, a happy dog and one who even has her own "puppy" (one of our cats). Cesar's philosophy has helped me in my volunteer work with our local animal shelter, where I am learning Ian Dunbar's Open Paw methods. The two methods combine very nicely -- Open Paw for working within the confines of the shelter and teaching positive associations (something Cesar ALSO uses) and Cesar's Way for remaining calm and patient with the dogs while I work with them. Not all learning comes from pieces of paper. Please consider that maybe Merial know what they are doing!
It is always so sad when those who also have a vested interst in other choices ingore the hundreds of easily accessible success stories of the dogs and owners that Cesar Millan has helped directly, as well as the literal thousands of success stories by those who are not "professional" and therefore have no commercial interest in anything but the well being of their dogs, and are willing to learn to apply the techniques of Cesar Millan's solutions appropiate and correctly.
These professionals speaking against Cesar Millan, don’t mention they also spent money and time for certain technqiues that they themselves profit on, so there is frequently no room for any program but their own. There are thousands of success stories on the public archives of my (currently) over 3,000 member yahoo email list and personally saved 40 last chance dogs (on my youtubesite) about to be euthanized for their "problem behavior" when local "professionals” would not help save their lives.
Cesar is the first to applaud “ANY solution which will help change a problem dog behavior”, and that the “LEAST amount of energy needed such be applied”.
Please simply live and let live - (literally )for the thousands of dogs that ARE being saved with this comment sense approach and solution applications (correctly and safely applied). I am simply grateful for forums such as this, where the people with open minds can explore the many options available rather then give up on them selves and their beloved animals!
I received my box of promotional materials featuring Cesar Milan from Merial last week. I decided that I would put up the poster in my clinic, but wrote on a bright pink sticky note: "Ask us why we don't recommend these training methods." It has already provided some opportunities to discuss his training methods as well as alternatives that we do recommend with our clients. Every situation can be an educational opportunity.
Mr. Milan has stated with apparent pride he has no education in animal behavior and no formal training as a dog trainer, so it is no surpise he ignores modern, more humane techniques and continues to use his version of dangerous and cruel training methods popular 50 years ago, before we understood dog psychology and the application of learning theory to dog training. However, I am dissapointed that Merial, a supposedly science-based business, apparently failed to do any research on effective dog training and behavioral conditioning before associating their products with Mr. Milan. If they can be this unaware of scientific progress, what other mistakes affecting our dogs might they make for the sake of percieved profit? I will be advising my clients to purchase the competitor's products.
Janice Koler-Matznick, MS, CAAAB, CPDT
The Counsel for the Certification of Pet Dog Trainers also wrote a letter to Merial. I worked hard to get my certification through this agency and also to get my Certificate of Dog Behaviour Consulting through the International Association of Animal Behaviour Consultants. I wrote to Dr. Line at Merial expressing my concerns about using someone without any credentials what so ever and identifying him as a "leader" in my field and so far have heard nothing in return.
I suspect that Merial is tied in financially to Cesar Milan. I have been sharing with my clients the information about Merial promoting Mr. Milan's work and helping them to understand why such outdated information is so very dangerous and why they need to consider that if they are willing to promote someone who is uncredentialed, who is causing harm through his methods, they may be willing to make decisions about their drugs that are not based on the best information but rather on the most expedient or cost effective arguments.
Sue Alexander CPDT CDBC
Dogs in the Park
Guelph, Ontario
www.dogsin
What I sent (no reply):
"I'm very disappointed to hear that Merial will be partnering with Cesar Millan in a new ad campaign. I am a dog trainer and also do animal rescue. I find Cesar Millan's techniques to be outdated and cruel. In fact, AVSAB has issued position statements on punishment and dominance that back up how I feel about Millan's methods. I would never recommend his techniques to someone adopting a dog from me. Now I will not be recommending Heartgard/Frontline either (will encourage them to avoid those products), and will instead suggest other products. If Merial does not listen to veterinary behaviorists (who undoubtedly have the most knowledge and experience with dog behavior, using scientifically proven methods) regarding animal behavior, how can I be sure that the company takes the advice of medical experts regarding their products? Today, I threw out my supply of Heartgard and Frontline and placed an order of Advantage and Interceptor, which I will now be using on my jack russell.
I strongly recommend reading an article by Dr Sophia Yin, on the Huffington Post, entitled "Experts Say Dominance-Based Dog Training..
I do hope you reconsider your position on this matter."
I wrote an email to Merial a couple weeks ago expressing my disappointment in this promotion. Haven't heard any kind of reply. Our hospital is considering discontinuing dispensing of Heartgard, for this and other reasons. I'm so disappointed in Merial.
I too am dismayed by the Merial Advertising with Ceasar Milan.
I usually stay on the sidelines of these debates. Here the Company is exploiting the fame of a "actor" who sells himself as an animal specialist. This egnores the requests of the most respected Veterinary and Animal Welfare Organizations asking them to stop. Approximately 80% of animals surrendered to shelters are there for behavior problem reasons, behavior problems take the lives of many; animals each year. Veterinarians see daily the sad reality of the failures of "dominant the animal" based trainers. There are many many people interested in this problem and I hope more will write in to express their surprise that a Drug company will egnore the best Veterinary Medical Information to make some more money off of unsuspecting animal owners. This company makes heartworm preventative and not behavior related medicines.
Merial's promotion is misguided and thoughtless. They have given little consideration to the opinion of of the experts in the field of animal behavior. The response to letters, phone calls, and emails to concerned veterinarians has been woefully inadequate. This company needs to step up, confer with these organizations and modify this campaign. This promotion and Merial's response has tarnished the relationship with veterinarians, humane societies, and trainers. Repairing this relationship will require a much better effort from Merial.
Emily Kinnaird, DVM
I have contacted Merial by different avenues and have not yet heard back from them.
The general responses that Merial has issued have been a disappointment.
I would hope that Merial will take note of this gross marketing misstep and work with veterinary behaviorists in mitagating the damage that will result from it
Laurie Martin DVM
I just sent an email to Merial today. I'm very disappointed in their marketing decision and feel that they are sending the wrong message to dog owners regarding appropriate training techniques.
Jennifer Ng, DVM
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