VA Department to move ahead with fatal experiments on dogs

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In Washington, D.C., the Department of Veterans Affairs continues to move ahead with performing fatal experiments on dogs as part of the medical research program ranging from spinal cord injuries to breathing problems suffered by veterans.

According to the USA Today, the previously cited experiments on dogs drew outrage from both animal advocates as well as Congress who spurred a push to defund the experiments.

“In just 18 months, White Coat Waste Project’s campaign to end painful taxpayer-funded dog experimentation at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has made historic progress. Congress has twice enacted legislation restricting VA’s dog testing. Virginia enacted the nation’s first state law banning spending on “maximum pain” dog and cat experiments. The VA implemented the federal government’s first lab animal adoption policy. And the bipartisan PUPPERS Act to permanently defund the VA’s most painful dog testing has nearly 100 cosponsors,” posted the White Coast Waste Project, a group opposed to taxpayer funding of VA medical experiments on dogs.

The VA claims the studies could help veterans, but the testing continues to be condemned by animal rights groups. In Milwaukee, researchers remove parts of the dogs’ brains to test neurons that control breathing. The dogs are killed by lethal injections as are dogs in Cleveland, that have electrodes inserted into their spinal cords to measure cough reflexes after their cords are severed.

President Trump signed a law on March 23 requiring that dog experiments be “directly approved” by the VA secretary to receive funding, however it doesn’t state the permission must be in writing. Prior to having been fired, on March 28, former secretary David Shulkin approved the continuation of the experiments and stated “he wasn’t asked, nor did I request a review for an approval” for the dog experiments.

There are nine active experiments at four VA facilities as of this time, and more are planned in the future. Dogs were supposed to have been used in experiments “only when no other species would provide meaningful results and the work is ethically sound.” When the researchers were asked to tell about the most recent research involving dogs in experiments, VA spokesperson, Curt Cashour cited an implantable cardiac pacemaker and experiments that later led to the first successful liver transplant. Those experiments, however dated back to the 1960s.

Bipartisan legislators question the need for experiments using dogs because it is not economically sound, there are more progressive technologies, and people just don’t support cruel experiments on puppies. Followup research indicates mice could be used for the testing instead of dogs. In another research project, pigs were to be used for a study on blood flow. The American Legion and Paralyzed Veterans of America supported using dogs in experiments, however the Paralyzed Veterans of America are now in favor of ending the fatal research on dogs.

The White Coat Waste Project has a campaign to end the experimentation;  stating the dogs should not be part of any experiments until a $1.3 million dollar study supervised by the National Academy of Sciences is done to determine the necessity of those experiments. There is little proof that experimenting on dogs is leading to any medical advances. Many veterans against the experimentation were quick to point out the dogs are an integral part for many veterans – companionship, guide dogs, PTSD dogs and a host of other services our canine companions perform for man with nary a complaint and always a full and devoted heart. Such hypocrisy while these horrible experiments continue.

(Photos via White Coat Waster Project)

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21 COMMENTS

    • That is what the globalist media would be only too happy to have you believe – that Trump is worse for animals than other presidents. The opportunity to insert a negative connotation about Trump into every “news” story or article, is taken advantage of. His “abrasive” personality makes makes it easier to absorb that idea, although he is actually being more honest than the others.

      As a long time activist, I received this alert last August:

      This week, President Donald J. Trump signed the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 5515), which makes advanced human medical simulators the mandatory new gold standard for military trauma-skills training, instead of the horrendous methods involving the shooting, stabbing, dismembering, and killing of animals.

      From 5 years ago, about the previous administration, we have a more forthright assessment:

      Ethika Politika | President Barack Obama for Animal Rights?
      ethikapolitika.org/2013/02/08/president-barack-obama-for…

      And this, from Armory of the Revolution, which is considered to be a “radical” animal rights organization:

      Hillary: Worse for Animals than Donald Trump! | Armory of …
      armoryoftherevolution.wordpress.com/2016/03/25/hillary…

    • Really? Did you read the article? You do know David Schulkin ran the dept of va and approved the funding without obtaining approval mandated by law Mar 13th. He was fired Mar 28th. Oh yes, an Obama appointee.

  1. Omg. How can we stop this? I just want to run out of my job, jump into my car, drive to D.C. and start pounding on doors! I feel sick and helpless. I have a son in the military and I still say this cannot happen. I do not care who it benefits. It is horrific.

  2. How do we get the names of Congress who have voted for this testing? This is total madness and needs to be stopped along with all animal testing

  3. Honestly, I think some organisation has gotten into government buildings around the world and disconnected the airflow to working offices. This could explain the drastic drop of intelligent thought patterns among world leaders and advisers – insufficient oxygen supply to the brain.
    Seriously, I neither know nor care who is truthfully to blame for this decision for the VA Department, but it just has to be stopped permanently.

  4. I agree we with most, that this really needs 2 stop!! What about the poor pups who have 2 deal with this experimenting 2moro or the next day!! My God, these so called scientist, doctors can all go 2 hell!!

  5. With all the alternatives to live animal testing this is unacceptable! We can not as a society allow the government to continue to torture and slaughter animals. I plan on sending an email to the government find your representatives and send emails, call, and let’s let them know we didn’t vote to murder animals

  6. It’s all about money. Well, it’s about public worshipfulness and “scientists'” (scammers’) bloated egos as well. As long as the gravy train, fueled by the public’s belief in animal “sacrifice” for medical “science,” continues delivering the cash, they’ll continue using animals for this sadistic Dark Ages anti-science known as vivisection. No excuses. All participants and faithful believers have a heavy price to pay in this life or the next for animal testing and vivisection.

  7. Old News. This has been going on since I have witnessed the kennels in the mid 90’s and possibly along time before that. I had been a fire alarm technician in the Cleveland VA and the kennels then were full of beagles. I saw a news flash here in Cleveland and had to chime in that it was said to be going on here since 2014 LOL! Good lie VA.
    Glad someone finally caught on.

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