Merial, Merck, Bayer and Pfizer pride themselves on their humane treatment of animals. Bayer is even quoted stating, "When it comes to how the animals are kept, [our company] strictly observes the requirements of the law and exceeds them in many cases," however, Bayer (along with the three other pharmaceutical companies) are currently outsourcing their product testing to the Dr.Young Veterinary Research Services, a facility that clearly doesn't adhere to even the minimal regulations set down in the Animal Welfare Act.

The facility has even been cited for improper care of animals. In 2010 for instance, the USDA cited him for geriatric dogs, several of them underweight, walking with a stilted gait. Local residents state, “It looks like a horror house” ... “It’s scary. I mean those dogs are crying.”

With over 400 animals and only 12 workers at the facility, the animals cannot get the individual attention and care that they need. Dogs and cats are social creatures that need time to run, jump, play, and be animals. When it comes to the Young facility, the numbers don’t add up; perhaps this is the reason that USDA inspectors visited the facility three times in the last year alone!

By using research from a company that blatantly lies about its capacity to care for its animals, these four giants have quite an impressive gap between their words and their actions.

What we are asking for is simple: that the aforementioned companies stop using and funding research from the Dr. Young Veterinary Research Services! Then and only then can any claims about the adherence to the Animal Welfare Act be substantiated.