Taxpayer, first, White Coat Waste closed all dog tests at the Dept. of Veterans Affairs—the fed’s most painful dog labs. 

Now, we’re fighting to end them at NIH—the U.S. government’s LARGEST dog lab. 

The NIH’s septic shock lab is its last confirmed beagle lab—we’ve already cut NIH’s in-house tests by 95%! 

So please read our investigation below. Share it. Then, sign our petition. 

Thanks,

Justin Goodman  Senior Vice President White Coat Waste Project

We’ve uncovered a lab that brutalized 2,133 beagles in septic shock tests.

NIH kills the dogs—and stuffs them into a refrigerator.

Taxpayer, this is the last confirmed dog lab at the NIH—and the U.S. government’s largest dog lab.

Put the Final Nail in NIH’s Coffin >>
Want to make history for dogs? Add your name to our petition. Your signature could end it all.

Our full investigation is below. Please forward it to as many taxpayers and pet owners as you can. 

Stop the Money. Stop the Madness!

Anthony Bellotti President & Founder White Coat Waste Project

P.S. Taxpayer, you’re about to read the nation’s most important investigation for dogs in labs. If we win, we won’t just end four decades of barbaric beagle tests. We’ll lay waste to the NIH’s entire in-house dog testing program—and the U.S. government’s top beagle lab. Here’s your secure petition link to make it happen.

WCW Investigation: NIH’s Septic Shock Dog Lab

• Over 40 years, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has killed more than 2,133 beagles in brutal septic shock experiments. White Coat Waste (WCW) first exposed this in-house lab in 2016 and has been leading efforts to shut it down.
• A WCW lawsuit recently uncovered records of 41 beagles killed by this lab from March 2021-March 2022. Our FOIA investigations also secured hundreds more veterinary records, protocols, and receipts for NIH dog purchases. The total cost and death count are unknown, but this U.S. government lab has killed over 2,133 dogs and likely wasted millions of tax dollars.
• The NIH pumps pneumonia-causing bacteria into beagles’ lungs, bleeds them out, and forces dogs into septic shock. After four days of infection, NIH kills the beagles—and stuffs their bodies into a refrigerator.
• Remember the 4,000 freed beagles? WCW uncovered how this NIH lab sourced dogs from Envigo. In April 2024, the NIH bought more beagles from Marshall BioResources.
• We’ve filed fifteen Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and three lawsuits to expose this lab—and started a public awareness and lobbying campaign to end it.
• Since WCW began its campaign in 2016, the NIH’s in-house abuse of dogs has plummeted by 95%.
• This is the last confirmed dog lab at the NIH—and the U.S. government’s largest dog lab.
• WCW is the only animal protection group to close federal dog labs in almost 20 years.

White Coat Waste (WCW) is on a mission to expose and close the U.S. government’s dog testing business. One of our recent victories ended all dog experiments at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Since 2016, we’ve been working to investigate and stop the NIH’s septic shock experiments on beagles.

We first exposed these experiments in our landmark Spending to Death report.  

The Washington Post covered our campaign launch to end the tests.

Our investigation and campaign were featured in the Washington Post.

Purchased from puppy mills. Throats sliced open. Bacteria pumped into their lungs.

An NIH laboratory kills beagles in painful septic shock experiments. 

A WCW lawsuit has uncovered the NIH’s necropsy reports and other records of 41 beagles killed between March 2021 and March 2022. WCW FOIA investigations also secured hundreds more veterinary records, protocols, and receipts for the NIH’s dog purchases.

Our analysis of the NIH septic shock lab’s publications reveals at least 2,133 dead beagles. However, that number is merely the floor, not the ceiling.

These tests—conducted in-house at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD—have been continuously funded since at least 1986.  

Documents WCW obtained from NIH show that variations of these dog experiments were approved no less than twelve different times at taxpayer expense. One of the approved protocols kills 77 beagles per year. And just one of its multi-year grants could cost $279,765 annually.  

While the total cost and death toll is unknown, it’s likely millions of tax dollars and many more dead dogs.

Death in a Government Lab.

After fifteen FOIA requests, three lawsuits, and a deep dive into federal records, WCW has uncovered two decades of shocking details:

• BOY’S CLUB: NIH specifically targets male puppies.
• BORN TO DIE: “Purpose-bred” beagles are purchased from dealers like Marshall and Envigo.
• THROAT SLICED OPEN: Each beagle’s neck is cut. A breathing tube is inserted through his windpipe. This provides direct access to the animal’s lungs.
• INSERT DEADLY BACTERIA: Pneumonia-causing bacteria are pumped into his bloodstream. This fast-tracks septic shock and organ failure. 
• BLEEDING BEAGLES: Some beagles are also slashed open and bled out to cause hemorrhagic shock.

The beagle endures a raging infection for four days. As he battles sepsis, NIH observes his lung function, blood pressure, and organ damage.  

The severity of each beagle’s injuries is quantified as a shock “score.”

After 96 hours, any dog that manages to survive is slaughtered. His body is then stuffed inside a refrigerator.

Following the Science Money.

And where did the NIH get these dogs from?

WCW first exposed how the lab sourced beagles from a disgraced puppy mill called Envigo.

In July 2021, Envigo was cited for widespread animal welfare violations in its Cumberland, VA, facility. During a seven-month period, over 300 puppies died.   

Beagles suffered from fight wounds, others were severely diseased. Nursing mothers were deprived of food for nearly two full days.

Between 2019 and 2022, the NIH purchased eight dozen “specimens” from Envigo—some as young as one year old.  

Your tax bill? Between $1,000 and $1,500 per beagle.

We also secured records proving the lab purchased from another pet profiteer: Marshall BioResources. 

In January 2024, the NIH bought four beagles from Marshall: tri-color hounds with black, white, and tan markings.

This is a screenshot from USAspending, our government’s public database of federal expenditures. Note how it does not mention dogs.

Transparency failures and secretive spending have long been a problem in federal labs. But our investigators followed the money.

We triangulated these records—obtained via a FOIA lawsuit—and traced the order directly to the septic shock lab’s principal experimenter.

This is Marshall’s corresponding invoice. Note the identical purchase number from USAspending It proves the NIH acquired the beagles for septic shock experiments.

This is Marshall’s sale record from January 2024. It confirms the NIH spent $12,420 for four dogs—beagles with black, white, and tan markings.

One month later, in February 2024, the NIH paid Marshall $25,906 for eight more beagles.

In April 2024, the NIH issued yet another contract to Marshall.

These Stories Matter.

WCW submitted FOIA request after FOIA request to unearth the victims’ records.  

But the NIH refused to hand over receipts, purchase orders, protocols, veterinary records, and other government documents—a flagrant violation of federal law. 

So, we filed lawsuit after lawsuit—and forced the NIH to disclose thousands of pages.  

This is likely the first time NIH has released medical records of dogs to the public. And, for the first time, we’re telling their stories.

This is Cletus’ actual lab record. Photo for illustrative purposes. WCW obtained this document via FOIA.

Cletus (Govt ID #6797) was a brown and white hound.

Cletus was delivered to the NIH’s septic shock lab when he was only five months old.  

Due to a malfunctioning electric blanket, Cletus suffered intense burns. Records show that the burns on Cletus’ side, back, and hip were “painful to the touch.” His wounds became infected and leaked yellow pus.  

As a result, the NIH reported the incident as an animal welfare violation.

Govt ID #CLCCAA was a tri-color beagle.

He was born on March 1, 2020, at Envigo. On August 23 of the following year, CLCCAA was shipped to the NIH’s septic shock lab.

This is CLCCAA’s actual purchase record. Photo for illustrative purposes. WCW obtained this document via FOIA.

At NIH, CLCCAA got into a fight with his two pen-mates. From that moment, the NIH locked him in solitary confinement.

CLCCAA received 20 minutes of daily human interaction until his death.

On September 27, 2021, the NIH performed a tracheotomy on CLCCAA. They pumped him full of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria.

One day later, the NIH ended his life.

CLCCAA was only 18 months old.

Govt ID #4242752 was a tri-color beagle.

He was born on December 6, 2019, at Marshall. On February 7, 2022, #4242752 was shipped to the NIH’s septic shock lab.

This is 4242752’s actual purchase record. Photo for illustrative purposes. WCW obtained this document via FOIA.

Both of #4242752’s pen-mates were sent for “terminal procedures” on the same day. So, he was housed all alone on death row.

For the next two weeks, as #4242752 waited for his turn on the operating table, he received only 45 minutes of socialization.

On February 28, the NIH cut a hole in #4242752’s neck. They poisoned his blood with pneumonia-causing bacteria.

At necropsy, the lead experimenter described his lungs as “rubbery.”

#4242752 was barely two years old.

Records analyzed by WCW show that NIH killed most of these young hounds shortly after arrival.  

None of the experimental beagles survived more than four weeks.

This Campaign Matters More Than You Think. Here’s Why. 

We’re pressing the NIH for more details on these puppies and purchases. 

We’re also pressing to ensure not one more dog—or one more dime—is shipped to NIH’s septic shock lab. 

In early 2024, we rallied 23 Republican and Democratic members of Congress led by Reps. Greg Steube (R-FL) and Dina Titus (D-NV) to put NIH’s beagle lab in the hot seat.  

Their letter specifically cites our septic shock investigation.

We’re also leading the campaign to pass Rep. Nancy Mace’s (R-SC) PAAW Act to cut all painful NIH-funded dog tests. And, in 2023 and 2024, we worked with Reps. Greg Steube (R-FL) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) on a bipartisan amendment to defund NIH’s in-house dog labs.

This language is specifically aimed at NIH’s septic shock tests.

It’s working! The NIH’s 2025 Congressional budget (see page 17) reflects our campaign’s impact:

Since WCW’s campaign began in 2016, NIH’s in-house dog experiments have dropped by 95%.

This is the NIH’s last confirmed facility conducting painful experiments on dogs. 

The stakes couldn’t be higher. If we win, we won’t just end four decades of barbaric beagle tests…  

We will lay waste to the NIH’s in-house dog testing program—and the U.S. government’s largest dog lab. 

Let’s send NIH’s wasteful spending to the trash heap of history!

Put the Final Nail in NIH’s Coffin >>
Want to make history for dogs? Add your name to our petition. Your signature could end it all.