Media

April 4, 2022

USA Today writes another hit job on Seresto; ‘investigative’ report fails to seek comment; vets continue to be ignored

Just over a year ago, on March 2, 2021, USA Today, whose parent company Gannett became America’s largest newspaper publisher when it merged with Gatehouse in 2019, printed a thinly sourced story declaring one of America’s most popular pet products, Seresto flea and tick collars, to be killer collars. The story was castigated by veterinarians and other health professionals — including board-certified veterinary toxicologists we interviewed.

January 26, 2022

Press feasts on dog ‘death by rat urine’ lepto rumors — but NYC Health Dept. spox says no cases reported

This report has been updated to include a statement we received around 6pm ET on January 26 from acting press secretary Michael Lanza at NYC’s Department of Health: “The Health Department so far cannot confirm recent reports of canine leptospirosis related to McCarren Park. We have not received reports of leptospirosis in dogs from Brooklyn this year. The Health Department has reached out proactively to several veterinary hospitals in the area, none of which have seen cases so far this year.”
“‘Multiple’ dogs may have been sickened by rat-transmitted illness,” ABC affiliate WABC-TV reported Monday. However, in New York City, Health Department officials have not confirmed even one case involving the illness. And we’re not trying to pick on bloggers, but there’s a reason our only blogger is Nellie the Labrador: One blog declared a leptospirosis “outbreak” as early as last week, apparently scooping The Canine Review, and even The New York Times. In fact, the blogger’s source on “outbreak” is city councilman Lincoln Restler, who is not, in fact, on the payroll of any health department.

December 20, 2021

Petplan is now ‘Fetch by The Dodo’–which means policy holders can now complain to Ken Lerer, too

There is at least one piece of good news for Petplan (or ‘Fetch by The Dodo’) policy holders, which is that you now have a prominent New York media executive to rope in when you file complaints to departments of insurance: Ken Lerer

October 8, 2021

USA Today “updates” Seresto story without admitting corrections, even removing entire “Why this story matters” sidebar

USA Today editor Emily Le Coz reached out to Elanco this morning to inform the company that a September 24 story about Seresto flea and tick collars that Elanco had been disputing emphatically, and for which it began demanding corrections immediately after the story was published, has now been “updated” two weeks later, though without […]

October 1, 2021

Gannett punts questions about corrections arising from another dubious Seresto story to outsourced reporter who wrote it

Nearly a week after Seresto parent company Elanco (NYSE: ELAN) issued a letter demanding corrections to a USA Today story alleging Elanco covered up 11,000 adverse incident reports related to Seresto flea and tick collars–a product Elanco did not even own until more than half way through 2020 – Elanco finally received a response. However, […]

October 1, 2021

Petplan spox, CEO remain mum on rebrand plans with The Dodo touted one year ago

Internet sensation The Dodo and pet insurance provider Petplan appear to have dissolved plans to build a partnership. Both parties have refused repeated requests to comment since mid-September, and the Petplan camp has offered “no updates” since our story in April. Last October, the announcement was all but shouted from the rooftops: “Petplan, North America’s […]

September 27, 2021

Seresto parent company Elanco demands corrections, retraction after new USA Today story alleges cover-up

A spokesperson for Elanco, the parent company and maker of the popular Seresto flea and tick collars, told TCR yesterday that the company categorically disputes the substance of a story published on Friday by USA Today alleging that it “failed to report an additional 11,000 safety-related incidents to the federal government since 2020.” In essence, […]

September 15, 2021

VIN News and the AVMA: A Cozy Relationship

The absence of reliable, credible information for pet owners about companion animals is a frequent obstacle for the veterinary profession, in part because, as most veterinarians explain it, they say they feel like they are competing with “Dr. Google.” So, it begs the question: Why would the American Veterinary Medical Association have a policy of […]

April 13, 2021

Newest Seresto suit also veterinarian-free zone, but USA Today starts to talk to vets and conduct requisite reporting

A new Seresto suit is afoot.

This time, the plaintiff is Florida resident John Czerniak, although he, too, is seeking the company (“and all others similarly situated”) of additional plaintiffs. His lawyers are Knoxville, Tennessee-based Greg Coleman Law PC, according to the complaint – which contains 13 consecutive allegations and zero evidence apart from the embattled Hettinger story.

March 29, 2021

COLLARGATE EXPLODES: Seresto story errors amplify

The first class-action lawsuit prompted by USA Today’s veterinarian-disputed ‘Seresto’ story was filed last Monday against Elanco Animal Health Inc. (NYSE: ELAN). The suit seems to be as evidence-free as the USA Today story– the source upon which the suit relies.