LONDON, January 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
Cruelty Free International is calling on the Japanese Minister of Education, Mr Hirokazu Matsuno, to implement a policy to end the fatal and harmful use of dogs in veterinary training. The call follows an investigation carried out by Cruelty Free International that has revealed the cruel and wasteful use of dogs for student training by universities and veterinary medical schools in Japan.
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Every year, hundreds of dogs bought from commercial dog suppliers are used in teaching physiology, anatomy and the development and practice of clinical and surgical skills. The universities using dogs as part of their curriculum include Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Kitasato University, Nihon University, The University of Tokyo, Gifu University and Azabu University.
Treated as disposable learning tools for students to practise on, many of the dogs (under anaesthetic) are subjected to, amongst other procedures, multiple unnecessary surgeries over a period of many hours - repeatedly cut open and stitched up by students. When no longer needed, they are usually killed. At Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University dogs were kept in appalling conditions. Confined individually in small, metal, two tier cages, some dogs displayed stereotypic behaviour, repeatedly circling inside their small cages.
Cruelty Free International argues that using live dogs in this way is both unethical and archaic. It is a practice that has been abandoned by many leading universities and veterinary medical schools throughout the world, including in the USA and UK. There are numerous alternatives to using and killing dogs in teaching. These programmes successfully employ a combination of highly effective inanimate alternatives, including simulations and models, along with animal patients in a clinical setting who can benefit directly from surgical or other treatment.
Michelle Thew, CEO of Cruelty Free International, says: "The fatal and harmful use of dogs in veterinary training is a cruel, unethical and outdated practice. Many leading veterinary medical schools no longer deliberately cause suffering or kill dogs to train veterinarians. There are credible and effective alternatives that can be used. We urge Japan to follow this example and end the cruel practice of using and killing live dogs for clinical and surgery practice."
For images, please visit: http://www.crueltyfreeinternational.org/japanphotos
For more information please contact the Cruelty Free International media office
Email: media@crueltyfreeinternational.org
Phone: +44-(0)-7850-510-955
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