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Beagle dogs have become the popular animal 'tool' in laboratories, mainly because of their manageable size and passive reaction to handling. The UK Government does not collate figures of those dogs killed for their blood products or body parts, nor for those bred for research. |
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In the UK, dogs are most commonly used in toxicity tests, to assess 'how poisonous' a product is. This includes testing agricultural, pharmaceutical, industrial, household and food additive products and accounts for 87% of the total tests. Poisoning tests can be particularly cruel as they can last many weeks, making it impractical to keep the dogs anaesthetised. Anaesthetic can also interfere with test results.
Dogs are used in a variety of ways including research into conditions such as heart disease and migraines. Recently, BUAV exposed the use of beagles as part of research into the drug, Viagra. The experiments involved mutilating the dogs' genitalia - and were described as just part of an on-going study into how the drug worked. At the time, the drug was already undergoing human trials. |
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 These tiny puppies were sold to Covance Laboratories at just six weeks old |
