Mizzou defends failed experiment that led to dogs’ deaths
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The University of Missouri is defending its research practices after a pet-adoption group publicly decried an experiment that led to six female beagles being euthanized.
The California-based Beagle Freedom Project said it learned of the dogs’ deaths after happening upon a published study about treatment for damaged corneas.
The study said roughly 1-year-old beagles had their left eyes intentionally damaged while they were anesthetized. Half of the dogs then were given a topical acid treatment to determine if that healed the eye damage; it didn’t, and the dogs were put to death.
The BFP calls the experiment “cruel,” citing the sensitivity of eyes.
The university said the beagles were treated humanely, and that such research “improves the quality of life for both animals and humans.”
The rescue organization is suing the researchers, CBS St. Louis reported.
The deaths of the dogs came to light after the Beagle Freedom Project, a non-profit that finds homes for animals who survive medical research, sued the university for attempting to charge the group an estimated $82,000 to make copies of its current research projects.
While waiting on the suit, Kevin Chase, Beagle Freedom Project’s vice president, said they looked through the universities published animal research. One particularly “disturbing” study published in the 2016 Journal of Veterinary Ophthalmology caught their attention.
“[The university researchers] killed these six beagles after purposefully damaging their corneas pouring an experimental acid into them and then killing them when they’re done because the experiment failed,” Chase said.
Chase said the research industry primarily uses beagles for the same reason they make good family pets: “They’re docile, easy to handle, people pleasing and forgiving.”
There are 65,000 dogs in U.S. labs right now, and over 90 percent are beagles, he said, adding that there are specialty breeders who sell beagles exclusively for lab experiments.
Chase said Beagle Freedom is trying to find common ground between those who feel animal research is a tragic necessity, and those who think it’s a moral outrage.
“That common ground is finding homes for dogs and cats who make it through the experiments,” he said.
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Here is the statement released by the university, in its entirety:
“Without animal research, we would not be able to answer some of the most important medical questions.
Researchers at the University of Missouri are working to develop painless or non-invasive treatments for corneal injuries to the eyes of people and dogs, including search and rescue dogs and other service animals. Common injuries to the cornea can include force trauma, chronic defects and surgical procedures, and can lead to blindness. Since dogs share similar eye characteristics with people, they are ideal candidates for corneal studies, and veterinarians have provided vital information to physicians and veterinarians treating corneal injuries – which ultimately benefit other dogs, animals and humans, including many of our U.S. veterans who have sustained corneal injuries while defending our country.
All studies were performed in accordance with the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Statement for the Use of Animals in Ophthalmic and Vision Research (as seen here) and were approved by the MU Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. The animals were treated humanely and every effort was made to ensure dogs were as comfortable as possible during the tests to study the effectiveness of the new drug treatment.
Animal research is only done when scientists believe there is no other way to study the problem, and our researchers respect their research animals greatly and provide the utmost care.
Research in vision and ophthalmology improves the quality of life for both animals and humans.”