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St. Joseph’s Health Care Defends Canine Heart-Imaging Research As Animal Justice Holds Vigil

Hospital officials emphasize compliance with international 3Rs guidelines under multi-level regulatory oversight.

Dog surgery and imaging records from Lawson Research Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital obtained by the  Investigative Journalism Bureau.
Photos of puppies in cages staff say were taken at Lawson Research Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital in London, Ont. The dogs are induced with heart attacks lasting up to three hours, and then killed.
A photo taken by staff shows one of the dogs post-operation at St. Joseph’s Hospital.
The Lawson Research Institute is located on the sixth floor of St. Joseph’s Hospital in London, Ont. The hospital says the dogs being tested are treated ethically in the service of medical advancement that benefits the public.

Overview

  • Animal Justice is holding a vigil outside St. Joseph’s Hospital in London, Ontario, on August 9 to memorialize dogs killed in post–heart attack imaging research.
  • St. Joseph’s issued a formal statement on August 7 correcting media inaccuracies and defending its regulated protocols under institutional, regional, provincial and national oversight.
  • Whistleblowers and advocacy groups report that dogs undergo three-hour induced heart attacks, exhibit distressing behaviors during recovery and are euthanized for post-mortem heart studies.
  • Researchers argue that canine models are essential to develop non-invasive imaging techniques for diagnosing and treating heart attacks and heart failure.
  • The controversy underscores tensions between scientific advancement and animal welfare within Canada’s research oversight framework and renews calls for greater transparency.