Spring 2006• Volume XV, Number 2

ACTION ALERT:
Help the Medical College of Wisconsin Implement Alternatives to Dog Labs

The Medical College of Wisconsin is the latest school to enter the debate on the use of animals in teaching. Twenty years ago, live dogs were commonly used in physiology, pharmacology, and surgery classes at medical schools. A standard laboratory exercise involved anesthetizing dogs, followed by injecting pharmaceuticals or practicing surgical techniques. After the class, the animals were killed.

Today, the Medical College of Wisconsin is one of a handful of medical schools that still use dogs in these inhumane and unnecessary exercises. Many people, including medical students, would like to replace the laboratory with alternative teaching methods, as the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently reported. Most schools have eliminated live animal labs altogether, thanks to innovations in medical simulation technology and increased awareness of ethical concerns.

Please contact the Medical College of Wisconsin and politely ask the school to implement alternatives to the use of live dogs in this physiology course.

If you have any questions, please contact Ryan Merkley at 202-686-2210, ext. 336, or rmerkley@pcrm.org.

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