PETITION TARGET: Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz
Uranus, a gentle beagle, was “donated” to a lab at Michigan State University at just 7 months old. A day after his second birthday, researchers killed him and cut out his eyes as part of cruel glaucoma experiments. Log notes state that he was bright, active, and responsive five days before his death.
For years, the university has been killing beagles – many of whom have been bred to have glaucoma, a painful disease that damages the eye’s optic nerve and can cause blindness – and dissecting their eyes, according to documents obtained by Lady Freethinker.
Uranus – along with up to 202 beagles like him – was part of these horrific tests, which have failed to produce any new treatment or cure for humans or dogs to date.
(Courtesy of Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine; Emphasis: LFT)
Twelve “young normal beagle-dogs” in one group were repeatedly subjected to stressful procedures and then killed so that their eyes could be collected.
Many dogs have been used as breeders — including through forcible artificial insemination — before being subjected to the experiments themselves.
Still another group of dogs has been forced to walk on a canine treadmill for 30-minute sessions for up to 12 months before they are killed.
The experiments also involve many of the beagles being anesthetized, temporarily paralyzed, and having their eyes held open with speculums and sutures while experimenters conduct eye surgeries or inject drugs or gene therapies into their eyes.
(Courtesy of Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine; Emphasis: LFT)
The experimenters note that the procedures will involve pain and distress for the animals. They also include a long list of possible side effects for the dogs, including; inflammation, infections, eye twitching, excessive tearing, lethargy, loss of appetite, low blood pressure, severe allergic reactions, heart issues, hemorrhage, and loss of central vision.
These horrific and fatal experiments – which have also consumed at least $1.3 million of taxpayer-supported dollars since 2022 – are being conducted on defenseless dogs even though there are already medications and surgeries known to successfully treat glaucoma.
Enough is enough. It’s time for Michigan State University to stop testing on beagles at once and ban all experiments on animals for good.
Please sign our petition urging Michigan State Officials to immediately end these cruel, outdated experiments in favor of ethical, human-biology based approaches, secure adoptive homes for the surviving dogs, and commit to never testing on animals again.
