St. Joseph’s Health Care London has announced it will immediately stop using dogs in medical research after public backlash.
The move comes just days after a report from the Investigative Journalism Bureau claimed researchers inside St. Joseph’s Hospital’s Lawson Research Institute were secretly using and killing puppies for human heart research.
The report prompted public outcry over the use and treatment of the dogs, leading to the hospital to defend its actions, writing in a statement that all of their research “adheres to the highest standards of, and is in compliance with, all scientific and ethics protocols.”
“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’s statement, issued on Tuesday, reads.
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The Investigative Journalism Bureau’s probe also claimed that through two current staff members, photos, and documents, they learned that researchers induced up to three-hour-long heart attacks in the animals before killing them and removing their hearts.
In written statement last week, hospital officials said that the story contains several inaccuracies.
When asked to clarify what the inaccuracies were, the hospital did not respond.
Global News also asked the hospital to confirm what studies dogs were used for at Lawson, and if dogs killed or euthanized as a result of the experiments. The hospital did not respond to those questions either.
“St. Joseph’s values of respect, excellence and compassion are foundational to our ethical care and treatment of animals in research,” the statement reads. “We are also regulated and guided by rigorous policies and procedures for high-quality animal care – policies and procedures that are directed, legislated, monitored and/or enforced by institutional, regional, provincial and national bodies.”
The Investigative Journalism Bureau’s report went into detail of how the dogs, which are between the ages of 10 months to two years, are discreetly brought into the building and taken to the sixth floor research win. It said that one whistleblower reported they used loud music to drown out the barking and the animals were left alone for the majority of the day.
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