Premier Doug Ford is applauding a London, Ontario hospital’s decision to stop experiments on dogs after reportedly conducting them for years.
On Monday, St. Joseph’s Health Care announced it would “immediately cease” research involving dogs, after consultations with the provincial government.
“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,” the hospital said in a statement.
The decision comes days after an exclusive report from the Investigative Journalism Bureau and the National Post revealed that researchers at the hospital’s Lawson Research Institute had allegedly been “secretly” using puppies in its studies.
According to reports, as part of a heart attack recovery study, scientists would induce up to three-hour-long heart attacks on dogs before euthanizing them and removing their hearts for research.
Whistleblowers also claimed that the research process was “clandestine,” saying that the animals, between 10 months and two years old, would arrive in the hospital secretly, while researchers would play loud music to muffle the barking and throw concealed animal food bags into a separate garbage bin.
After the reports came public, the hospital released a statement acknowledging the existence of the study, but denying accusations of unethical protocols, saying it follows Western University’s Animal Care Committee and the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) for research involving animals.
“While several claims in the article are incorrect and do not accurately reflect the full reality of our protocols, regulatory rigour, ethical integrity, or our deeply held values, we are committed to being transparent about the purpose and importance of this work- while also respecting the confidentiality required to protect our research teams and the integrity of the research,” the hospital said.
The hospital also explained that research involving animals has contributed to advancements on the treatment of diseases including cancer, diabetes, and organ transplantation, and that animal testing is required by Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve new treatments.
St. Joseph’s also said it would be offering “education sessions” in the upcoming months for staff to better understand this research and its protocols.
“Access to animal care research areas is limited to protect animal safety, the quality of research and regulatory compliance — not to hide or withhold information,” it added.
Now, the hospital says its decision to shut down the experiments could have “a significant impact” on innovative cardiac treatments and the teams involved in the study.
Meanwhile, Ford is applauding the decision, which came after consultations with his government.
“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,” he said.
ADVOCATES CALL FOR FURTHER ACTION
Animal law advocacy group Animal Justice, which has received access to videos and interviews with whistleblowers, says it considers the decision to end the study a success.
“Ending St. Joseph’s cruel and outdated dog research program is a major victory for the innocent dogs who were forced to endure invasive, painful experiments and death behind closed doors,” Animal Justice Lawyer and Executive Director Camille Labchuk said in a statement.
On Saturday, the group held a vigil outside of St. Joseph’s in London to honour the animals and advocate for the end of experiments involving “animal suffering.”
The event gathered over one hundred attendees, who brought banners and flowers, and spoke against the experiments.
But even after Monday’s announcement, Animal Justice says the hospital allegedly still continues research in other species, including pigs and rodents, and says it will advocate for the end of all animal experiments, and the release of dogs who are still confined.
“These experiments should never have happened in the first place. Animal Justice is now urgently calling on St. Joseph’s to publicly commit to rehoming the dogs who are still alive and still living in cages in the lab. After enduring so much suffering, they deserve a second chance at life. We urge St. Joseph’s and all other institutions to end the use of animals in experiments and embrace modern, humane science,” Labchuk added.
The group has also opened a new whistleblower line for more Canadians to denounce animal abuse in research labs, farms and elsewhere.
