Latest news with #animaltesting
CBC
14 hours ago
- Health
- CBC
Premier Doug Ford warns Ontario scientists doing medical tests on dogs to 'stop before I catch you'
Premier Doug Ford warned Ontario scientists who use cats and dogs in research experiments that he would be "hunting" them down to end such work. Ford said it was unacceptable for beagles to be used in cardiac testing that had been approved by London's Lawson Research Institute and St. Joseph's Health Care London, and promised to introduce legislation to ban testing on certain animals. "I understand the mice, the rats, you know, maybe a rabbit, but these poor little beagles — you just look at their faces," Ford told a news conference in Windsor on Tuesday. The comments relate to an article released last week by the Investigative Journalism Bureau at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health that revealed dogs had been used for years in the heart study. According to the article, published in partnership with Postmedia, researchers were inducing three-hour heart attacks in dogs and puppies before euthanizing them and removing those organs for further study. "I have now directed our team to start hunting down anyone else doing research on dogs or cats," Ford said Tuesday. "It's just unacceptable. Imagine your little dog being there and they try to put him into a heart attack. The poor thing. That's terrible and inhumane." Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday in Windsor that he's looking at legislating the end to medical testing of certain animals. (Justin Escoto/ CBC News) The research had been kept under wraps, but once the story was published, hospital CEO Roy Butler wrote to staff promising more transparency. He said the work had been approved by the internal animal ethics committee that follows Canadian animal welfare guidelines. "Animal research at Lawson is highly regulated and undertaken only when scientifically necessary and after all other alternatives have been considered," Butler's statement said. On Monday, St. Joseph's Health Care London said that it would "immediately cease" research involving dogs. CBC News has made multiple requests for an interview but the hospital has declined. Ford's office has not responded to questions about whether it directly ordered the cardiac testing to end, but the premier's comments Tuesday suggest as much. "And just a message: If you're doing this with dogs or cats, you gotta stop before I catch you. Simple as that. We're going to legislate this ... You aren't gonna be going after animals like that," Ford said. Almost 17,000 dogs used for science in 2023 According to the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC), which develops standards for the ethical use and care of animals in science, 16,151 dogs were used in research in 2023, the most recent statistics available. The council, which also participates on ethics review panels for research approval, said decisions on animal experimentation are guided by the "Three Rs": Replacement, reduction and refinement. "Is there an alternative method? If yes, you shouldn't use an animal. Reduction is, 'Do you need to use that amount of animals to conduct research?" said Pierre Verreault, CCAC's executive director. The refinement principle aims to minimize pain and distress by using pain medication if possible and giving the animal comfort. Charu Chandrasekera, executive director of the Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animal Methods, previously worked in a lab that studied heart failure using animals. Chandrasekera said she's thrilled Ford is speaking out. St. Joseph's Hospital said Monday that it would 'immediately cease' research involving dogs. (St. Joseph's Healthcare London) She's been advocating for legislation that guides medical research using animals and believes scientists have become complacent when seeking out alternatives. "We don't have federal legislation defending animals in science. We do not have a federal animal welfare act. We don't have a lot of things that other countries do, and people always ask me, 'Why don't Canadians care?'" said Chandrasekera. "This is a defining moment for science in our country, and hopefully we can show the world that Canadians care by making a plan to phase out animal testing and adopting more and more animal-free methods." After Ford made comments on legislating an end to using dogs in research, CBC reached out to one of the largest medical research organizations in Canada for comment. The University Health Network (UHN), a public research and teaching network in Toronto, said it doesn't conduct studies on dogs or cats. "We are committed to the highest ethical standards of animal care and use for the purpose of continued progress in the field of human medicine," a UHN spokesperson said in an email. "The use of animals in research has been essential for advances in life sciences, medicine and agriculture, and has resulted in enormous benefits for human and animal health. We also continue to explore alternative approaches to reduce and replace animals where possible. "Any research involving animal models is conducted under a rigorous ethical and regulatory framework with protocols that align with national and international regulatory bodies," the release added.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
London, Ont. hospital announces it will cease testing on dogs
A newly published report alleges dogs are being tested on and killed for human heart research at St. Joseph's Hospital. CTV London's Reta Ismail reports. The Lawson Research Institute at St. Joseph's Health Care has announced that after consultations with the Ontario government, they will immediately cease research studies involving dogs. This comes after community backlash following a report published last week by the Investigative Journalism Bureau in partnership with National Post. The report details claims by anonymous whistleblowers that the animals were being subjected to painful and prolonged procedures as part of research into human heart attack recovery. In a statement to CTV News, St. Joseph's Health Care wrote, in part, 'The Government of Ontario is an important partner in every aspect of our work. Following consultations with the province, St. Joseph's will immediately cease research studies involving dogs.' 'We acknowledge that this will have a significant impact on the ground-breaking research that has resulted in major strides in cardiac care and treatment, and on the dedicated teams involved in this work,' the statement concluded. A spokesperson for the hospital says more details will be forthcoming. Ontario Premier Doug Ford took to social media Monday to express his thoughts on the hospital's announcement, saying, 'I was deeply disturbed by last week's reports of inhumane medical research taking place on dogs at St. Joseph's Health Care London and immediately reached out to raise my concerns. I'm pleased that St. Joseph's has agreed to immediately stop this research. Our government will always act to ensure that any medical research is carried out in an ethical and humane manner.'
National Post
5 days ago
- Health
- National Post
Ontario hospital defends use of animals in research as critics speak out
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. Article content '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. Article content Article content Article content 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. Article content The dogs used at St. Joseph's come from U.S. breeders before being subjected to the experiments, Devine said. Article content Insiders say the dogs are in cages at St. Joseph's and are alone 23 hours a day, the story said. Article content Article content Article content Devine said she doesn't know how many dogs have died. Article content Article content '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. Article content Animal Justice posted a story and photos about the research at Lawson Research Institute on its website Thursday. Article content The dogs have shown 'troubling repetitive behaviours' such as pacing, tail sucking and repeatedly dunking their faces in water, the story said. Article content Dogs are heard whimpering and screaming in pain during recovery, Animal Justice said. Article content 'Animal care staff are emotionally devastated when animals they bond with are killed,' the story said. Article content 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.'
CTV News
6 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
London, Ont. hospital defends use of dogs in heart research amid cruelty claims
A newly published report alleges dogs are being tested on and killed for human heart research at St. Joseph's Hospital. CTV London's Reta Ismail reports. St. Joseph's Health Care in London, Ont. is facing growing public and political scrutiny following allegations that dogs are being used and killed in cardiovascular research conducted at its Lawson Health Research Institute. The allegations stem from an investigative report published Wednesday by the Investigative Journalism Bureau in partnership with National Post. The report cites whistleblowers who claim the animals are being subjected to painful and prolonged procedures as part of research into human heart attack recovery. 'They call it the secret sixth floor,' said Robert Cribb, founder of the Investigative Journalism Bureau. 'It's there that [dogs] undergo procedures, which are effectively inducing heart failure to study its recovery. They can go on for as long as three hours, according to internal study protocol documents we reviewed.' The program, according to sources cited by CTV News, has been ongoing for several years. A 2019 research paper shows medical imaging of canine hearts used in related studies. In a statement to CTV News, St. Joseph's did not deny the use of dogs in research, but said, 'The story contains several inaccuracies of fact.' The hospital emphasized the necessity of the studies, saying they aim, '… to learn more about how to accurately image post-heart attack injury and healing that we cannot yet decipher using other models.' 'No other effective models currently exist for this specific line of inquiry,' the statement added. The hospital said its approach to animal care is rooted in 'respect, excellence, and compassion,' and that all animal research is guided by 'rigorous policies and procedures' established by both provincial and national oversight bodies. However, the whistleblowers dispute those claims. According to Cribb, who reviewed photos and video shared by insiders, the conditions raise ethical concerns. 'They're caged, there appears to be no beds, there's feces in the cages, and post-surgery there's certainly high-pitched whining,' he said. Animal Justice, a Canadian advocacy group, is calling for the immediate rehoming of the animals used in the research. 'We know there are serious questions about whether this research is needed or useful,' said Lawyer Alanna Devine, director of Campaigns at Animal Justice. 'Non-animal methods are being explored in cutting-edge science around the world. Canada is falling behind and so is St. Joseph's.' Meanwhile, Ontario's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, which regulates animal testing, acknowledged the issue in a statement to CTV News. Press Secretary Spencer Fair noted that the research received federal funding and said, 'We expect the federal government to ensure its funding recipients operate ethically, transparently, and in accordance with Ontario law.' In response to the controversy, CTV News also contacted London Health Sciences Centre. In a statement, the hospital confirmed its research institute conducts studies involving mice, rats, frogs, and pigs, but not dogs. Cribb acknowledged the importance of cardiovascular research but questioned the methods. 'Heart failure affects millions of Canadians, it's vitally important,' he said. 'The debate is over whether we need to kill dogs to do that.' CTV News reached out to Western University for comment. In a statement, the University said, 'Western is committed to the highest standards of animal care in research and teaching.' Adding that many of today's major medical and scientific breakthroughs, benefiting both humans and animals, would not have been possible without responsible animal research. 'The University takes a proactive, ethics-driven approach to research and is committed to providing the highest level of care for animals. All animal-based research activities at Western and our affiliated institutions (including Lawson) must be reviewed and approved by Western's Animal Care Committee (ACC), which oversees the Animal Ethics & Care Program. The ACC operates in alignment with the Ontario Animals for Research Act, the Canadian Council on Animal Care's Terms of Reference for Animal Care Committees and the Government of Canada's Agreement on Administration of Agency Grants and Awards by Research Institutions,' the statement reads. CTV has not been able to independently verify some of the claims made in the report.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
General Hospital spoilers: Emma and Gio headed for serious trouble?
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. On General Hospital, Emma (Braedyn Bruner) never turns away from a challenge, especially if it means she can help animals in the process. Exhibit A, she was thrown out of school and charged with crimes in California for protesting against animal testing. Now she's followed Dalton (Daniel Goddard) to Port Charles, determined to get the evidence she needs to prove he's testing something on animals. And she enlisted Gio's (Giovanni Mazza) help to do it. When Josslyn (Eden McCoy) stole Emma's work and used it to get an internship with Dalton so that she could get close to him on a mission for the WSB, Emma found another way to get what she needed. She stole the building master key from Vaughn (Bryce Durfee) while pretending to flirt with him. But Emma and Gio have no idea that whatever Dalton is doing is so much more serious than experimenting on animals. Anna (Finola Hughes) and Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) have just recently figured out that Vaughn is a WSB agent and that whatever Dalton is doing is tied to an international mystery. Now Anna is very concerned that Emma is putting herself in the middle of a situation that is far more dangerous than she thinks. And she is, especially if she becomes Dalton's new research assistant. Vaughn told Josslyn that Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna) is going to pull them out of the assignment. If that's true, and Josslyn quits the internship, Emma is next in line to take it. With the key she stole from Vaughn and unfettered access to Dalton's records, Emma could learn more than she wants to know about whatever experiments Dalton is really doing. Only Josslyn and Vaughn know that Dalton was doing something in a secret lab at General Hospital. Emma doesn't know that these experiments could be connected to medical research that people would be willing to kill for. And whoever is funding this research probably isn't going to let one college student get in the way of these experiments. Emma probably thinks the worst trouble she can get into is getting expelled or getting arrested again. But if she isn't careful, she's going to drag Gio with her into an international mystery that could put them both in very real danger. And knowing Emma, that's exactly what is going to happen. She doesn't really stop to think about the consequences of her actions or the big picture. And she doesn't take no for an answer either. Gio is a bystander in all this who is just going along with Emma because he wants to help and protect her. But if Emma insists on going through with her plan to bring Dalton down she may need Gio and her grandmother, Anna, to rescue her because she ends up in jail or worse. New episodes of General Hospital air on weekdays on ABC. If you miss an episode, you can catch up on Hulu. Solve the daily Crossword
