Pain filled useless dog experiments

Dear Ms. Ray, PCRM recently discovered cruel, federally funded heart failure experiments that have been performed on dogs for more than two decades. In the experiments of Donal O'Leary, Ph.D., at Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich., dogs undergo multiple surgeries, have catheters and medical devices implanted in their bodies, and are forced to run strenuous treadmill tests. These experiments have been going on since 1990, and we need your help to prevent more dogs from suffering. Please e-mail the dean of the Wayne State University School of Medicine and politely ask her to stop these inhumane experiments today. Not only does Dr. O'Leary conduct unnecessary and cruel experiments, he also purchases dogs from a notorious class B “random source” dealer who is currently under investigation by the United States Department of Agriculture. Michigan-based R&R Research obtains dogs who were once companion animals from shelters and has been cited many times for obtaining animals illegally and other serious Animal Welfare Act violations. The veterinary records of Queenie, one of the dogs used in these experiments, are particularly heartbreaking. Queenie was a stray Dalmatian who, instead of going to a new home, ended up at Wayne State University. Veterinary technicians said she was friendly, gentle, and curious. Unfortunately, everything went downhill after her arrival. Queenie was scared of running on the treadmill, but O'Leary and his research team made her run anyway. She went through two survival surgeries and had to wear a shirt, jacket, and Elizabethan collar to prevent her from tearing at the catheters sticking out of her body. Recovery was difficult, and Queenie experienced severe pain and distress. She licked herself until sores appeared, did not want to move from her cage, and became aggressive. When the once sweet Queenie nipped at an experimenter, she was muzzled rather than comforted. She ran on the treadmill dozens of times until experimenters broke one of her medical devices, causing it to retract into her body. At that point, she was killed. There is no excuse for allowing these inhumane experiments, which do not contribute to human health, to continue any longer. Please e-mail the dean of the Wayne State University School of Medicine today and tell her to halt these experiments immediately. Please be polite, and thank you for your support on this urgent matter. Sincerely, John. J. Pippin, M.D., F.A.C.C.