from [email protected]
On the 27th May 2001, an exclusive front page article in
the major national British newspaper, the Sunday Express, entitled, "Pet
Food Cruelty Exposed, Cats And Dogs Suffered In Experiments For Top
Brand", by Lucy Johnston the Health Editor, reveals that during Proctor
and Gambles development of the cat and dog food Iams the paper
"uncovered damning evidence of gruesome tests performed on dogs and cats
during the development of the product".
The article alleges that "hundreds of animals suffered
incredible agony in a series of tests designed to perfect Iams. A huge
dossier of research papers exposes how scientists deliberately induced
kidney failure and other conditions in dogs and cats." Details of the
experiments uncovered by the Sunday Express and Uncaged Campaigns show:
* "24 young dogs had their right kidneys removed and the
left partly damaged to investigate how protein affects dogs with kidney
failure.
* Eight dogs were killed to analyze the kidney tissue.
Dogs which became sick were not treated because it would have undermined
the test results"
* "In another test, the stomachs of 28 cats were exposed
so scientists could analyze the effects of feeding them fibre. The
animals were operated on for at least two hours and then killed"
* "The research team sterilized 24 female cats, which
were overfed until they became obese. They were then starved on a crash
diet and when they had lost at least 30 per cent of their weight their
livers were examined to investigate the link between weight loss and
liver disease"
* "The company also sponsored research in which 14 husky
puppies were repeatedly injected with live virus vaccines and allergy
causing proteins for the first 12 weeks of their lives. They developed
permanent illnesses in the test, which was designed to see how severely
allergic they could become"
* "Twelve huskies, 12 poodles and 12 Labradors were
regularly given chest wounds to see if diet could affect fur regrowth.
This was justified in the study on the grounds that 'dogs are enjoyable
to look at. Dogs with coat problems are simply not handled as much'".
The article says that Dr Dan Cary of Iams justified the
studies saying they would save pets from illnesses, and that their
mission is to enhance the health of dogs and cats. Also that the RSPCA
(Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), which is the
leading recognized animal charity in Britain, has vowed to sever all
ties. And the article quotes one Member of Parliament Norman Baker as
saying "Perhaps they should list their experiments on their labels and
then see how much they sell."
The full article can be found at the following website:
IAMS and animal testing
http://www.uncaged.co.uk/iamsexpress.htm
Go on to Common
Misconceptions About Animal Rights Activists
Return to 3 June 2001 Issue
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