Many animal lovers OBJECT to the use of dogs, cats and other animals for drug and consumer products research, citing abusive laboratory practices that cause needless pain and suffering to the animals. Why can't scientists use other research methods to test products for humans, methods that don't sacrifice our furry friends?

In the early stages of product development, scientists generate real and hypothetical products using NON ANIMAL METHODS of testing, such as chemical, mechanical, mathematical or computer simulations. In later stages, in vitro tests, using enzymes or cells and tissues drawn from animals, make it possible for scientists to study the effects of a substance at the single or multi-cell level to determine how that substance affects living cells. In vitro methods were used successfully, for example, to develop a diagnostic test for pregnancy (to replace rabbits).

But when scientists need to know how a substance interacts with complex, living organisms, there is no substitute for animal testing. Animal responses give clear indications about how humans will respond, before taking the next step toward controlled clinical testing on humans. It would be unthinkable to test any medicine or medical procedure on people without first ascertaining its safety in animals.

According to a pamphlet from Connecticut United Research for Excellence, Inc., nearly 90% of the animals used in research are rats, mice and other rodents. Dogs and cats account for less than 1% of the total, as do monkeys and other non human primates. Also there are strict laws and regulations that govern STANDARDS OF TREATMENT for laboratory animals, including feeding, cleanliness, ventilation, veterinary care and use of painkillers and/or anesthesia during potentially painful or invasive procedures. Researchers must maintain optimal conditions for laboratory animals because the reliability and validity of their findings depend on it.

Research on dogs is especially valuable in medical research because their respiratory and cardiovascular systems so closely resemble those of humans. Research studies on dogs have led to the development of:

• the heart-lung machine for sustaining life during surgery
• heart bypass surgery techniques
• angioplasty to unblock arteries
• organ transplant and joint replacement surgeries
• new anesthesia techniques
• bone, cartilage and tendon repair methods
• numerous medications

Literally thousands of medical advances have been made possible through the use of animal research in product development and testing. Solutions to current and future medical mysteries, such as AIDS, MS, diabetes, cancer, paralysis from spinal cord injuries, mental illness, hearing loss and Alzheimer's disease, will also require animal testing in the final stages of product development before human trials can begin.

"Virtually every major medical advance for both humans and animals has been achieved through biomedical research using animal models to study and find a cure for a disease and through animal testing to prove the safety and efficacy of a new treatment."

Lest animal lovers think me callous, think again, because I would never buy a fur coat! We have plenty of adequate substitutes for those.

LINKS:

Objections to animal experimentation (called vivisection) in medical research:
http://www.idausa.org/Calendar/wwailfs.html

Non Animal Methods: Trends in Animal Research
http://www.sciam.com/0297issue/0297trends.html

Standards of Treatment: Commitment to high standards in laboratory animal care
http://quarles.unbc.edu/research/animal.html