A lawyer for a national animal rights organization says it was shocked to learn from “brave whistleblowers” about the conditions animals undergoing experiments at London’s St. Joseph’s Hospital are experiencing.
“We been working hard to find loving homes for the dogs and pigs at St. Joseph’s,” said Alanna Devine, director of campaigns for Animal Justice. “We have been in communication with the hospital asking they release the dogs and pigs for rehoming since whistleblowers reached out to us a couple of months ago.
“To date we have not gotten any confirmation they are willing to work with us.”
A
story published Wednesday
in the National Post and other Postmedia papers, including the London Free Press, detailed how Lawson Research Institute – the research arm of St. Joseph’s Health Care London – is secretly testing heart attack recovery using dogs and puppies on its sixth floor.
Researchers induce three-hour-long heart attacks in the animals before euthanizing them and removing their hearts for further study, two current staff members say.
The story was written by two reporters with the Investigative Journalism Bureau at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Postmedia supports the collaborative investigative newsroom.
The dogs used at St. Joseph’s come from U.S. breeders before being subjected to the experiments, Devine said.
Rats are also subjected to experiments and pigs are used in wound healing trials, she said.
Insiders say the dogs are in cages at St. Joseph’s and are alone 23 hours a day, the story said.
Devine said she doesn’t know how many dogs have died.
“We know a number of dogs have been killed based on information from the whistleblowers,” she said, adding there is no federal regulation of lab animals.
Animal Justice posted a story and photos about the research at Lawson Research Institute on its website Thursday.
The dogs have shown “troubling repetitive behaviours” such as pacing, tail sucking and repeatedly dunking their faces in water, the story said.
Dogs are heard whimpering and screaming in pain during recovery, Animal Justice said.
“Animal care staff are emotionally devastated when animals they bond with are killed,” the story said.
The Free Press requested an interview with Donna Ladouceur, chair of the board at St. Joseph’s Health Care London. The hospital responded with a
written statement
from its communications department that said the story published by Postmedia “contains several inaccuracies of fact.”
READ THE FULL STATEMENT HERE
“We are regulated and guided by rigorous policies and procedures for high-quality animal care – policies and procedures that are directed, legislated, monitored and/or enforced by institutional, regional, provincial and national bodies,” the statement said.
“Study approvals and grant dollars are allocated only if and after regulatory bodies and a panel of nationally recognized subject experts in the field determine through rigorous review that the research is both necessary and innovative.”
The canine experiments are done “to accurately image post-heart attack injury and healing that we cannot yet decipher using other models.” St. Joseph’s said in the statement.
The hospital said animal research has led to many medical breakthroughs such as:
- effective treatments for diabetes, leukemia, HIV/AIDS, arthritis, neurological disorders and cardiovascular disease
- vaccines for polio, rabies and measles
- new diagnostic tests for early treatment of cancer and heart disease
- surgical techniques in cardiac surgery and organ transplants
- bioengineering advances such as stents, pacemakers and joint replacements
Charu Chandrasekera, founder and executive director at Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animal Methods, said she is concerned about “animal care protocols and the justification for these experiments.”
“Many groups around the world are looking at human heart failure using PET and MRI imaging within real human patients with informed consent,” she said.
“My professional opinion is (this research) is entirely unnecessary based on what is happening around the world,” Chandrasekera said. “There are concerted efforts around the world to shift away from animal testing and as a country we are lagging behind when we should really be a global leader.”
Shannon LaHay, executive director of the Humane Society of London Middlesex, said in an email the society’s mission is “to promote the humane treatment of all animals.
“We also believe that broader societal practices involving animals, in labs, agriculture, and homes, must be continuously reviewed and held to the highest standards of welfare and care,” she said.
Animal testing in Canada, LaHay said, is governed by national and provincial frameworks, such as the Canadian Council on Animal Care “ that aim to ensure that animal use in research is minimized and conducted according to established standards.
“We encourage ongoing investment in, and exploration of, alternatives to animal testing,” she said.
Kendra Coulter is a professor and head of the animal ethics and sustainability leadership program at Huron University.
Dogs “are sentient beings who think and feel joy, as well as fear and pain,” she said.
“I commend those whose morals and understanding compelled them to speak out.”
HRivers@postmedia.com
