The lab was getting dogs from a nearby shelter, did invasive procedures and then killed them...
In October 2019 we launched a public campaign in an effort to end the
deadly use of dogs at the Tuskegee University College of Veterinary
Medicine. At that time, we filed a federal complaint against the school,
which was obtaining dogs from a nearby shelter, performing invasive
procedures on them, and then killing the previously healthy animals in a
veterinary training course.
We also placed billboards and other ads in the area, and local residents ran
a grassroots campaign. Then our members kept up the pressure by sending tens
of thousands of petitions to university officials, urging them to modernize
their training methods. And your work paid off! We just learned that
Tuskegee University has ended its deadly surgery labs!
Alabama supporters of the Physicians Committee brought the practice to our
attention in 2018, and it was later confirmed by an anonymous Tuskegee
veterinary graduate. At the time, healthy dogs from the Russell
County-Phenix City Animal Shelter were used to practice eye removal, limb
amputations, foreign body removal, and other surgical procedures. At the
conclusion of the training labs, the dogs were killed.
Now Tuskegee joins other veterinary schools that have replaced what are
known as “terminal” surgery labs with humane training methods, including
Tufts University and Western University of Health Sciences. Those training
programs now offer hands-on training while providing beneficial care to
animals in need, such as spay/neuter programs, feral cat clinics, extensive
clinical rotations with practicing vets, mobile veterinary units, and
willed-body programs.
We could not have achieved this momentous victory without your help and the
work of so many Alabama advocates! Thank you for all you do to support our
efforts.
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