Unconditional Respect for the Veterinary Profession

For the past two months, our Unconditional Social Responsibility campaign has focused on Caring to Make the World a Better Place – and in the midst of a global pandemic, we shared some wonderful stories about how Merck Animal Health and our colleagues have provided Unconditional help to others.

During August and September, we turn our focus to our Unconditional Respect for the Veterinary Profession. This is a story about commitment and dedication. With more than 113,000 practicing veterinarians in the United States¹ and 30K +/- veterinary practices, veterinarians are critical to our society. They are the great protectors of the human-animal bond…and integral to helping ensure a safe and sustainable protein food supply. They are our heroes.

This month, together with the American Veterinary Medical Association, we honor three outstanding individuals for their work with Merck Animal Health sponsored awards:

• Dr. Robin Downing: Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year Award. Named for the late Leo K. Bustad, DVM, PhD, a former dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University and founder of the Delta Society (now Pet Partners), this award recognizes the outstanding work of veterinarians in preserving and protecting the human-animal bond.
• Dr. Harry Werner: AVMA Animal Welfare Award presented to an AVMA member veterinarian in recognition of their achievement in advancing the welfare of animals via leadership, public service, education, research/product development, and/or advocacy. 
• Janice Siegford, Ph.D.: The AVMA Humane Award given to a non-veterinarian to recognize achievement in advancing the welfare of animals through leadership, public service, education, research/product development, and/or advocacy.

In the weeks ahead, we’ll be sharing how you can help recognize our veterinarians for their Unconditional care and service to animals.

Stay tuned!