Useless heart experiments on dogs

A group of physicians is filing a lawsuit against Detroit’s Wayne State University for using dogs in heart experiments that have no scientific or medical value, and only cause the dogs pain and early deaths.  “Wayne State is being sued by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a national organisation that claims the university illegally imported and abused 21 dogs for medical experiments,” said WWJ Legal Analyst Charlie Langton. They accuse the school of purchasing the dogs from a Virginia facility with the intention of performing painful experiments on their hearts that only lead to death. The university says these are “baseless accusations,” and the USDA has yet to verify the charges.

But the lawsuit states that since 2000, over $16m in government (i.e. taxpayer) funds have been behind this research in an effort to replicate cardiovascular conditions humans experience, particularly with high blood pressure and heart failure. Dr. John Pippin, director of academic affairs for the Physicians Committee, calls the experiments “abuse at several levels.” “We have been looking into this and concluded that this research is not just cruel, and actually it’s lethal to every dog studied, but that it’s unnecessary, wasteful and does not contribute to the advancement of human health.” The dogs undergo numerous major surgeries and are forced to exercise just days later, causing so much stress to their bodies that they either die or are euthanised soon after. “They have catheters and mechanical devices inserted into their body cavities and attached to their heart and blood vessels,” Pippin explained. “They have the blood flow to their kidneys obstructed to create hypertension. And with all of this hardware in them, if they survive the surgeries, they are forced to run on a treadmill, some data are obtained from these devices inside them and when the researchers are through with them they kill the dogs because obviously with all this instrumentation and trauma they’ve undergone, they’re not going to survive long anyway.” 

Recently a Michigan judge ruled in favour of the committee, and ordered the university to provide medical records and other documentation for the experiments. The documents showed that this research had been taking place from March 2012 through April 2013. “As many as 25% of these dogs, if you can believe this, died during the surgery or after the surgery before any research is done. So, this is a very ham-handed thing that the researchers are doing. They can’t even get the dog through the surgery a lot of times,” Pippin noted. One dog, named Rogue, had her chest and abdomen opened to implant 9 devices, one of which may have rubbed a hole into her aorta, causing her to internally haemorrhage. She was euthanized at 16 months old. 2-year-old Betty was brought to Wayne in April 2012 and had 2 major surgeries that left 9 tubes and wires protruding from her skin. For the next 2 months, blood flow to her kidneys was obstructed, she was injected with drugs and she forced to run on a treadmill. 4 months after arriving, her health record simply read “Dog euthanized.” “These researchers, although they’ve published papers, they haven’t advanced human medicine.

There is nothing that my mother or your cousin has benefited from because all these dogs over the years have been tortured and killed. It makes me feel as a physician that it’s a horrible waste of time and hope and resources. It makes me feel as a compassionate human being that it’s an egregious ethical violation,” Pippin said. The committee hopes to have these experiments ended, and to allow the surviving dogs to be adopted. “We are filing a complaint with the Michigan Dept of Agriculture and Rural Development to seize these dogs who have been illegally imported into the state, at least the ones that are still alive, and after an appropriate observation period to offer them for adoption for the public,” Pippin said. Matt Lockwood, director of communications for Wayne, denies the charges. “Wayne State is committed to the protection of animals, but also recognizes the benefits of research involving animals,” the statement read. A protest was held by champions for animals on campus. The committee will be delivering a petition with over 1,000 signatures to university president M. Roy Wilson before the lawsuit is officially filed.

Imperial College cruelty exposed

Imperial College London intends to “significantly” improve its treatment of animals in laboratories after an undercover investigation. Footage obtained by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection appeared to show workers at the university – which is a world leader in scientific research – beheading animals with a guillotine and breaking the necks of others using a metal rod.  In response to a review, Imperial pledged to take immediate action, admitting there was “significant scope for improvement” in the way its labs treat animals used in experiments.  The BUAV says its members infiltrated labs at Imperial, which led them to discover rats wriggling during operations in which they were supposed to be anaesthetised, technicians decapitating baby rats with scissors, and mice kept in an emaciated and “pitiful state”.

The College approached Professor Steve Brown, the Director of the Medical Research Council’s Mammalian Genetics Unit at Harwell to lead the review, which accused the university of complacency and made 33 recommendations for sweeping reforms it felt were needed to improve Imperial’s treatment of animals.  The university was criticised for an over-reliance on agency staff, and for running an ethical committee that was not fit for purpose. An ethical committee is the body that evaluates the way animals are used in experiments and attempts to minimise long-term reliance on vivisection.  The independent experts stressed that they were not investigating the specific claims made by the BUAV, and were instead focussing on general treatment of animals at Imperial.  Prof. Brown said: “Our investigation identified a number of serious concerns on the conduct, management and oversight of animal research at Imperial College.” He added: “While our focus has been on Imperial College, the committee’s recommendations should serve as a useful framework for other institutions to review their policies and practises.”  The BUAV called the conclusions a “devastating indictment”, adding: “If such criticisms can be levelled at one of the world’s leading universities, then it is inevitable that similar issues arise in research establishments all over the country. “It should not take an undercover investigation to expose what is happening in UK laboratories. The system overseeing animal experiments is broken and needs a drastic review.”  The Home Office says it is carrying out a separate inquiry into the specific BUAV claims, adding that it intends to prosecute anyone breaching animal research regulations.

University animal deaths

British universities killed a staggering 1^.3m animals last year in the name of research, it has emerged.  Among the slaughtered animals were almost 1m mice, 124 monkeys, 10 dogs and 6 emus that were all killed for medical and veterinary research throughout British universities and research institutes. Edinburgh University had the highest death rate, with 226,341 animals being killed, followed by Oxford and Cambridge.  Some 226,000 fish, 50,000 frogs and 4,250 birds were put to death for vivisection – compared to just 40,248 animals that are killed for research by the Institute for Cancer Research annually. 

The figures were obtained in Freedom of Information Act requests by The Tab series of student newspapers to every university in Britain. Animal welfare groups expressed their ‘disgust’ at the findings and claimed much of the research is funded by High Street charities.

Michelle Thew, CEO of The BUAV,said: ‘The details of some (university) research will not only surprise but disgust. ‘Tests have involved forcing rodents to inhale diesel fumes to investigate their harmful effects and deliberately inflicting high levels of stress on baby animals to see if having a stressful childhood causes mental health issues in adulthood. ‘Many members of the public are under the illusion that all animal experimentation is vital for human health benefits, whereas this couldn’t be further from the truth.’ The FoI request was submitted to a total of 132 universities and research institutes.  Among the 44 universities who replied, a total of 1,329,013 animals were killed between July 2012 and July 2013, with mice accounting for 73% of the dead. The University of Edinburgh has the highest death toll due to its College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, which is one of the oldest units of its kind in the UK. The college euthanised 165,050 mice, 51,368 fish, 7,260 rats and 1,824 birds, while Oxford University’s casualties included 29 monkeys, 18 pigs and 43 badgers. 

Cambridge University’s deaths included 186 guinea pigs and 36 primates, while 6 emus were killed at the Royal Veterinary College in London.  Kings College London, Imperial College London and Stirling University in Scotland were the only other 3 institutions which killed more than 100,000 animals. Andrew Tyler, the director of Animal Aid, said the experiments carried out on animals are unreliable for human medicines. ‘Apart from causing a great deal of suffering to these animals the experiments of this type do not deliver the data that is reliable and productive for human medicine. ‘It should not happen, especially not at universities. ‘Much of the research of this sort in universities is funded by medical research charities, high street charities, such as the British Heart Foundation or Cancer Research.

‘When we polled people a huge 80% said they didn’t want their money going into this type of research, so the British public is not happy with this either.’ ‘I don’t think they know this happens at universities.’  Mr Tyler’s sentiments were echoed by animal rights group PETA, who told Mail Online: ‘The development of cutting-edge non-animal methodologies that can accurately predict what happens in human beings is exciting and also progressive science that works. ‘Unless they wish to be at the bottom of the science pile, these universities need to embrace today’s technological breakthroughs.’  But the Association of Medical Research Charities refuted claims the research being carried out was unnecessary. Chief Exec, Sharmila Nebhrajani, said: ‘Charities fund projects using animals only when they are satisfied that there is no possible alternative. ‘That the scientific benefit that will come from the project will outweigh the impact of the experiment on animals and that all animals in the lab are treated as respectfully and humanely as possible.’ Newcastle University used 14 macaques, while Kings College London euthanised 39 marmosets, the Freedom of Information request revealed. The University of Leicester, which euthanised 18,204 animals, declined to comment to The Tab and directed reporters to a statement on animal testing on the website of its Central Research Facility.  The statement reads: ‘Animals are only used in research programmes where there are no alternatives. ‘The minimum number of animals consistent with the objectives of the research is used and the animals are housed in optimal conditions. ‘The University’s use of animals is scrutinised by an ethical review process which includes lay representation (including members external to the University).’

Wild captured baboons for experiments

An investigation carried out by the BUAV has uncovered the cruel capture and use of wild baboons in Kenya and the involvement of researchers from Newcastle University travelling to the country to conduct invasive research. Legislation in Kenya relating to animal experiments is outdated and hopelessly inadequate.

Wild baboons are captured and held at the Institute of Primate Research (IPR) under conditions which seriously compromise their welfare and breach international guidelines, before being subjected to disturbing experiments.  In the UK, using wild-caught primates in research was effectively banned in 1995, yet researchers from Newcastle University are bypassing UK law and are travelling to Kenya to use wild-caught baboons in disturbing and highly invasive experiments. This is also in blatant breach of recent guidance by UK funding bodies which requires UK researchers to maintain UK welfare standards when carrying out experiments abroad. 

The BUAV investigation has uncovered the unacceptable conditions in which wild baboons and other primates were held at the Institute of Primate Research; conditions that compromised the welfare of baboons and failed to meet international welfare standards. Some of the baboons were housed on their own in barren metal cages. There was no enrichment. These conditions can cause disturbed abnormal behaviour and take the form of pacing and circling. The introduction of baboons to others was often done poorly, resulting in fighting and injuries. Some infants were taken from their mothers at a young age and housed alone. Researchers from Newcastle University have been conducting especially invasive brain surgery on baboons in which the individual’s head was placed into a stereotaxic frame and held in place whilst the skull was drilled open and parts of the brain removed.

The animals were kept alive under anaesthetic for many hours while tests were carried out before being killed. 

For further information on the BUAV investigation: http://bit.ly/CaptiveCruelty

To watch the BUAV film: http://bit.ly/captivevideo

Shoreham Protester –

With special thanks to Sue at the SP for thisinformation.

The Shoreham Protester was first issued during the live export protests at Shoreham Harbour in 1995. 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/1000-police-drafted-to-animal-port-1566585.html

It now covers a whole range of animal rights issues, national and international, and is produced as a monthly newsletter.

To join the SP and to get a free trial, please visit the following:  http://www.shoreham-protester.org.uk/ 

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