Does anyone know the petfood companies that DO NOT test on animals?

October 12, 2004

For the past five years, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has worked with Iams to improve the lives of cats and dogs. We are extremely proud that our leadership has resulted in Iams taking significant steps toward assuring the care and welfare of dogs and cats used in their nutritional studies.

Public attitudes about the treatment of animals are rapidly evolving. Certain uses of animals that were considered routine and unremarkable are now being examined carefully and questioned. The debate over nutritional feeding experiments on dogs and cats cannot be separated from this broader societal discussion and context. Pet food companies are viewed as entities that are in the business of helping companion animals, and certain aspects of the animal testing that they conduct – whether it is to test nutritional adequacy or to develop new foods – can be troubling to the animal-loving segment of the public, especially if the testing involves pain or distress to the animals.

The ASPCA’s position on animal testing has been to challenge industry and science to find alternatives, by refining existing tests to minimize animal distress, reduce the number of animals necessary for an experiment, or replace whole-animal use with in vitro or other tests. While the ASPCA would prefer that no animals be subjected to tests, this is not possible due to regulatory requirements, the limits of science and the reality of the consumer marketplace. We believe that our access inside the headquarters of Iams, one of the world’s largest animal-health companies, provides the animal welfare community with a unique opportunity to effect long-term change.

On October 7, 2004, Iams announced an unprecedented decision to move nutritional studies from external contract facilities and universities into three locations: 1) pet owners’ homes; 2) Iams Pet Health and Nutritional Centers; and 3) organizations where dogs and cats are already living, such as shelters. This will ensure that dogs and cats are treated humanely during nutritional studies, and it is welcome news from a leader in the pet food industry.

The relationship between Iams and the ASPCA has resulted in many other significant improvements in animal care:

- Dr. Steven Hansen, Senior Vice President of the ASPCA Midwest Office, is a member of the Iams International Animal Care Advisory Board. As a member of the Board, Dr. Hansen has unlimited access to the research protocols and programs that the Iams Research and Development Department is undertaking. This type of access is unprecedented.

- Beginning in the Spring of 2003, the ASPCA began participating in site visits to external facilities where Iams was conducting nutritional studies. Reports on these visits have led Iams to make changes in the housing, care and enrichment of animals involved in Iams’ program.

- Dr. Hansen and a broader ASPCA team continue to conduct unannounced external visits to locations where Iams is conducting nutritional studies. Reports on visits are posted on the ASPCA website, http://www.aspca.org, so that the public has complete access to the results and can learn about the care of dogs and cats at these research facilities. Iams is addressing the team’s recommendations.

- Dr. Hansen and the Iams Advisory Board have strongly encouraged Iams to implement an unprecedented individualized program to ensure the well-being of each and every dog and cat participating in Iams nutritional studies. This program allows Iams to tailor its enrichment programs to meet the specific needs of individual pets.

As a result of our ongoing dialogue over pet food nutritional research, we have developed with the following standards that we are now asking members of the pet food industry to incorporate into their nutritional research and quality-testing programs. We would request pet food manufacturers to:

- Support the ultimate elimination of laboratory feeding studies with the greatest possible speed and energy;

- Support a policy of zero tolerance for any pain and distress that might result during a nutrition study, and to not engage in any studies involving techniques that would not be routinely employed in human nutritional studies;

- Implement animal welfare improvements for all dogs and cats, whether they are in homes or shelters, and to be a leader in the industry when it comes to setting new standards for dog and cat welfare; and

- Move rapidly to end all laboratory animal testing that is conducted solely to satisfy nutritional adequacy statements for Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) labeling and to test formulation palatability.

In addition, until laboratory-based nutritional studies have become superfluous, we are asking the pet food manufacturers to commit to:

- Taking responsibility for the welfare of every dog and cat for the balance of his or her life. This means that every dog and cat should either be adopted out at the end of their time on nutritional study or retired to an appropriate setting that will accommodate both major and minor behavioral needs, if the animal is determined to be unsuitable for adoption for behavior reasons. In other words, no dog or cat should be euthanized for reasons of human convenience or cost saving, nor should either be warehoused in an institutional setting;

- Phasing out external, contract-based research as a first step toward the ultimate elimination of any laboratory-based tests for pet food research; and

- Providing a state-of-the-art, physically and socially enriched setting for those animals that are currently enrolled in nutritional studies.

The ASPCA is committed to continuing our work with Iams to further improve the care of dogs and cats in nutritional studies. Our partnership with Iams includes other programs designed to benefit pets. Iams funds the ASPCA’s Pet Nutrition and Science Advisory Service, which consists of a toll-free number that pet owners can call with questions about pet nutrition. In July 2004, Iams became the sponsor of the ASPCA’s “Meet Your Match Canine-ality Adoption Program.” This unique and innovative color-coding system is designed to help shelters make lasting and loving dog adoptions by testing a dog’s “canine-ality” (personality) and matching it with the lifestyle of the adopter, greatly increasing the likelihood that a successful match is made. Through Iams’ sponsorship, the ASPCA is facilitating 20 regional day-long training sessions that are free for shelter staff.

While we have made great strides, more needs to be done. We will continue to work with companies like Iams that have demonstrated a willingness to change standards and practices, and we hope that other companies will open their research doors to animal welfare advocates in the future. We believe that such interactions will ultimately lead to further reduction, refinement and replacement of animals used in research, while still providing critical information that will improve the health and well-being of all animals.