ACTION ALERT:
Contact:
Dr. Robert Gibbens
Director, Western Region USDA/APHIS/AC
2150 Center Ave. Building B, Mailstop 3W11
Fort Collins, CO 80526-8117
(970) 494-7478
[email protected]
SAMPLE MESSAGE:
Please LEVY a MAXIMUM FINE against Washington University for their blatant
disregard of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) when their negligence allowed a
dog, a monkey and a rabbit to die. This behavior must NOT be tolerated and
MUST be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
Death of dog in animal research lab
leads to citation for Washington University
From Blythe Bernhard,
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 8, 2018
Federal health inspectors have cited Washington University for
inappropriate care of a dog that died in June during a medical research
project.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which regulates animal
research, the dog had undergone surgery and developed complications from
anesthesia. Lab workers failed to contact a veterinarian on-call as required
by school and USDA policy and the dog died.
Inspectors with the USDA found that the veterinarian would have made
different recommendations for the dog's care. The university corrected the
issues raised by the inspectors.
"The respectful care and treatment of animals in research studies is
paramount to Washington University," a university spokeswoman said in a
statement. "The research technicians involved in monitoring the dog were
suspended from all activities involving animals while the university
conducted an investigation of the incident. Washington University is working
proactively to prevent future incidents. This includes increasing oversight
and retraining laboratory personnel about the criteria and responsibility
for contacting the veterinary staff when complications occur."
The citation was the third critical violation of animal research protocol at
Washington U. medical school in the last two years. The USDA has found no
other critical violations in animal research in Missouri this year.
In September 2016, a rabbit died of hypothermia after surgery when a heating
pad malfunctioned. The rabbit's temperature was not monitored adequately as
required, USDA inspectors found.
A monkey died in June 2017 after undergoing an MRI. The monkey's vital signs
were not monitored under anesthesia as required, according to the USDA. Both
violations were resolved with adjustments in policy and training to meet
federal rules.
St. Louis University had one serious animal care violation over the same
time period. In September 2016, SLU staff accidentally attached a feeding
tube instead of IV fluids into a pig's vein, causing the pig's death. The
university held additional training and hired a new research assistant to
oversee animals.
In 2016, Washington U. stopped using cats to train new doctors on inserting
breathing tubes after years of pressure from animal rights groups. The USDA
recorded no violations in the care of the cats.
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