Dear John,
When I read the government’s reports of animal abuse at Dr. Mehmet Oz’s animal-testing lab at Columbia University, it made me ill. It also made me think of my beagle — the dog of choice for invasive experiments on animals.
How could someone hurt such vulnerable and sweet animals? But, as I’ve learned, that’s precisely why the laboratory researchers use them — because they are so gentle and submissive. A researcher can do anything to them without so much as a snarl.
Dr. Oz’s laboratory was beagle hell.
As numerous news outlets have reported, and Animal Wellness Action’s own review of published findings and federal enforcement actions have found, Dr. Oz and his research team experimented on and killed more than 1,000 animals in his laboratory.
Nearly 330 of the victims were beagles.
I asked our board chairwoman, herself an M.D., what she thought of the tests. Dr. Deborah Wilson, M.D., wrote this to me: “In hindsight, these violations are even more glaring because we now understand that the invasive procedures and killings yielded no treatments or new surgical procedures. It was a waste of taxpayer dollars that needlessly destroyed the lives of beagles and other animals.”
We know so much about the mistreatment in that lab because a veterinarian on the inside blew the whistle on the cruelty. She witnessed the inhumane treatment of dogs in lab experiments investigating aspects of heart function over which Oz served as principal investigator, including leaving dogs in excruciating pain and in a state of paralysis, languishing for weeks.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, whose animal-care personnel have responsibility for enforcing the Animal Welfare Act, cited and fined Columbia University for inhumane treatment of the animals:
- “improper administration of an injectable euthanasia agent”
- “did not reflect adequate details on search for alternative to painful procedures”
- “euthanized with outdated euthanasia solution”
That’s why today Animal Wellness Action launched a $250,000 advertising campaign to alert Pennsylvania voters to Dr. Oz’s laboratory experiments and to shine a spotlight on this needless animal testing and abuse. If these experiments reflect his attitude toward animals, we don’t want Oz in the Senate.
Our campaign has nothing to do with partisanship. We back lawmakers regardless of party when they favor animal welfare. We oppose them, without any concern for party, when they are hostile to mainstream animal welfare policies.
Dr. Oz’s labs were a horror show for dogs. If he’s got a new attitude, and is an animal advocate now, he should say it aloud. Now.
But so far, just silence.
We cannot have an apologist for cruelty and outdated animal tests in the U.S. Senate, especially when we are making such progress to reduce needless animal testing. Just last month, we passed the
FDA Modernization Act 2.0 in the Senate, with Republican Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Democrat Cory Book, D-N.J., leading the way.
Will you help us complete the job and make sure that this kind of animal mistreatment is not rewarded with a seat in the U.S. Senate? This is an expensive campaign. But it’s a vital one.
You want us to be a watchdog for the animals, and that includes when elections roll around.
Thank you for caring.
For the beagles,
Wayne Pacelle
