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Dogs used for cardiology research; PETA has heart attack
By Nick Bechtel
A group of demonstrators held a funeral procession last Saturday in memory of The Ohio State University's laboratory animals that died during research. The memorial - part of the national World Laboratory Animal Liberation Week - focused on four supposed research-related injustices, the most recent being George Billman's research involving dogs.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a non-profit known for their extreme animal activism, criticized OSU physiology and cell biology professor Dr. George Billman of abusing dogs during his cardiovascular research.
PETA claimed Billman's experiments involve surgically implanting an adjustable cuff around a dog's artery. According to PETA, while the dog runs on a treadmill, the cuff is tightened as to induce a heart attack.
Consequently, PETA called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Institute of Health's Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare to investigate. PETA said the experiment did not make the effort to minimize pain, provide adequate veterinary care, nor euthanizing animals in "extreme distress," - all if which, PETA stated, are federal regulation violations.
Billman denied PETA's accusations. He said the experiments have been reviewed by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and approved by the University Laboratory Animal Resources.
"The health and well-being of the animals in any study performed at the Ohio State University is closely monitored by board-certified veterinarians," Billman said. "The level of care is comparable to that received by patients in the University Hospitals."
Even so, Dr. Alka Chandna, senior researcher at PETA, said the experiments were redundant.
"You can go to a grade school and look in their textbook and you're going to see that exercise is good for your heart," Chandna said. "And I know, 20 years ago, I was going to nutrition talks where people were talking about omega-3 fatty acids. These pieces of knowledge already exist."
Yet Earle Holland, assistant vice president for research communications at Ohio State, called PETA's claims, "misrepresented and severely discounted."
"This is not an exercise project," Holland clarified. The experiment was aimed at understanding why the omega-3 fatty acids are good for the body at the cellular and biochemical level. While the omega-3 fatty acids have been thought to combat heart disease, the research probed the possibilities of ailing heart abnormalities.
Essentially, as Holland explained, the research "led to widespread clinical use in identifying people who are at the greatest risk of sudden death from certain heart problems."
Yet, central Ohio animal watch group, Protect Our Earth's Treasures, want to see OSU veer away from animal-involved experimentation. Demonstrators were invited to Saturday's memorial service at Wiseman Hall, where many animal surgical models are kept.
Robin Russell, director of POET, found the four violations of the Animal Welfare Act that PETA mentioned in the release.
While Billman was unavailable for comment, Holland said POET's claims are "totally inaccurate."
"The watchdog committees, the IACUC, is mandated by federal law at every institution or otherwise that uses animals in research," Holland said. "All institutions must follow a guide... that governs the use of all laboratory animals in research. It's more or less a Bible that has to be followed. And, of course, we follow religiously."
But POET has kept an eye on other OSU experiments. John Buford was criticized for his research involving restraining primates. Other OSU researchers have been accused of cruelty for giving methamphetamines to cats to test how the drug reacts to FIV, a virus similar virus to HIV. Stroke tests on rats and mice have also raised the brows of the central Ohio animal-rights activists.
Russell identified himself as a realist and acknowledged the unlikelihood that all animal experiments would stop. But the "ultimate goal," he said, "would be that Billman would go find something else to do and he wouldn't be killing dogs."
Both sides seem to be at a standstill for now. Holland referred to the issue as a "non-story," while PETA waits to see if their request for further investigation is requested.
Originally Published: April 29, 2009
