A Deadly Study For Animals

Why would someone do that!? Ah, people can be SO stupid!!! :mad: :mad:

I marvel at how cruel humans tend to be...
I fail to see with the medical technology we have now how in the hell is killing a dog going to help you assess its healing...wouldnt studying how it walks and recovers be better? How bout focusing on WHY youre healing the dog...to give it a better quality of life...death does not count towards the quality of life duh...

I was remembering an article I read some time ago by a
Veterinarian who was was reflecting back on his student days.


"What we did to Rodney"

~ Peter M. Henricksen ~

"We called him Rodney.
He was a tall, gangly, flea-bitten shepherd mix. One ear stood up, shepherd style, and the other flopped over and bounced against his head like a rag doll when he ran. His head and feet were too big for his thin but muscular body. A stale, musty odor accompanied him from flea-infested skin and neglected ears. Altogether, he wasn't much to look at - one of thousands of dogs facing the world without the luxury of an owner.

I was in my third year of veterinary school, and he came from the local dog pound. For the next quarter, four of us students would practice surgery training. He was always happy to see us - tail thumping widely against the walls of his small steel cage.

Rodney hadn't much of a life, so a pat on the butt and a little walk around the college complex made his day.

The first thing we did was neuter him, a seemingly benign project, except it took us an hour to complete the usual 20-minute procedure, and an anesthetic overdose kept him out for 36 hours. Afterward, he recovered his strength quickly and felt good.

Two weeks later, we did an abdominal exploratory, opening his abdomen, checking his organ inventory, and closing him again.

This was the first major surgery for any of us, and, with inadequate supervision, we did not close him properly. By the next morning, his incision had opened and he was sitting on his small intestine. Hastily, we sewed him up again, and he survived. But it was a week or more before he could resume walks he had come to eagerly anticipated.

He would still wag his tail when we arrived and greet us with as much enthusiasm as he could muster.

The following week, again when he was under anesthesia, we broke his leg and repaired it with a steel pin. After this, Rodney seemed in almost constant pain, his temperature rose, and he didn't rebound as he had in the past. His resiliency gone, despite antibiotic treatment, he never recovered completely.

He could no longer manage his walks, and our visits generated only a weak thump of his tail. The shine was gone from his brown eyes. His operated leg remained stiff and swollen.

The quarter was ending, and Rodney's days were numbered. One afternoon we put him to sleep. As the life drained from his body and his eyes lost their focus, my attitude toward animal research began to change.

I am a scientist weaned on the scientific method. ... But after 15 years in the veterinary profession, I now believe there are moral and ethical considerations that outweigh benefits.

Because we happen to be the most powerful species on Earth, we humans have the ability - but not the right - to abuse the so-called lower animals. The ends do not justify the means."

Now that really breaks my heart. I would have refused to participate in anything like that. I'm so proud of those future vets. I just don't see how, when you know you're going into a profession to help animals, you could ever justify the cruelty/mistreatment of them. As I said before, it sickens me and makes me realize how dogs are much better than a lot the the humans that walk this earth.

Latest Update on Tufts Students Trying to Save Dogs:

Tufts Students Announce Death of Dogs (January 2, 2004)

Regrettably, we have been informed that, despite the efforts of students and the New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS), as well as the enormous outpouring of public opposition, the five remaining dogs in the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine's osteotomy/bone-breaking study have been killed. Dean Philip Kosch made the announcement in a campus-wide email at 1:00 PM today.

Despite the sad end to this unjustifiable experiment, we are hopeful that the plight of the six dogs will serve to inform us all that more thorough review of all future research protocols must be undertaken at Tufts and at other schools and laboratories across the country. We trust that because of this campaign, the public has become more aware of the inhumane nature of some experimentation and the need for reform to ensure that all research is conducted with the highest level of dignity and respect for the animals involved. Our collective efforts on the dogs' behalf and their death must inspire scientists to actively search for alternatives, including the use of clinical patients, rather than using experimental animal models that cause suffering and death. In addition, we hope that other students and faculty everywhere will come forward and address their administrations when they find ethically questionable activities. Change can only occur if concerns are brought forward and we work together to set a higher standard for the ethical treatment of animals.

The students, NEAVS and many concerned citizens will continue to work with the administration and faculty at Tufts to improve ethical standards of scientific experimentation. We hope that the dialogue inspired by this controversy will motivate those at Tufts to return the veterinary school to its roots as a leader in humane veterinary practice, education and research. We hope that this issue will unite our campus in pursuing this goal.

Thank you to the public for your enormous support. Our courage in making this matter public was upheld by your calls and letters and the well wishes you gave us. We ask that you continue to demand a higher ethical standard for animal experimentation at Tufts and all other research universities and institutions. Finally, we wish to express our sincere gratitude to NEAVS whose work for these dogs and animals in labs everywhere is an inspiration to us and all compassionate people.

Sincerely,
Tara Turner, student co-ordinator
Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine
Animals and Public Policy Program

:( :( :( RIP sweet pups.