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National Post

Ontario hospital says it will ‘immediately cease' use of dogs in heart research

By Investigative Journalism Bureau Article content After decades of secretly inducing heart attacks in dogs as part of cardiac research, St. Joseph's Hospital ended the practice on Monday in the aftermath of an Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB) investigation. Article content In a public statement, the Lawson Research Institute at St. Joseph's announced it will 'immediately cease research studies involving dogs' following consultation with the province. Article content Article content '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 reads, adding 'the government of Ontario is an important partner in every aspect of our work.' Article content The story details clandestine experiments that force the animals into heart attacks lasting as long as three hours, according to internal study protocol documents reviewed by journalists and experts. Article content Article content '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,' reads a post on X Monday afternoon from Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Article content '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.' Article content Article content In an interview, Ford called the research 'inhumane.' Article content Article content 'That's stepping over the line,' said Ford, who has a family dog at home and another six among his immediate family. Article content 'It can't happen here in Ontario and it won't happen. If I find any other universities or hospitals or research facilities doing that, I'm going to put an end to it immediately…We have to outlaw that in Ontario.' Article content Based on interviews with two whistleblowers as well as internal documents, images and video, the story details the surreptitious movement of dogs from a U.S. breeder into the hospital's receiving doors in covered cages and up to what some staff call the 'secret sixth floor.' Article content After the procedures, the dogs' hearts are analyzed using the same MRI and PET scanning machines used on human patients one floor below. Article content The puppies are eventually euthanized and their hearts removed for further study. After the dogs are killed, the whistleblowers say the carcasses are placed in garbage bags and placed inside barrels for removal.