How Do Animals Benefit from Animal Research? The same methods that have been developed to prevent and treat diseases in humans have improved the lives of countless animals. 20, 21 Vaccines, antibiotics, anesthetics, surgical procedures, and other approaches developed in animals for human use are now commonly employed throughout veterinary medicine. Pets, livestock, and animals in zoos live longer, more comfortable, and healthier lives as a result of animal research.
What animal should I research?
Wildlife research
- Field studies. Many wildlife studies focus on conservation and management, with the aim of learning about the ecology of a population in the field.
- Captive studies. In general, wild-caught animals should be kept in captive conditions that conform as closely as possible to their natural habitat (e.g. ...
- The 3Rs. ...
- Legal controls. ...
- References. ...
Should animals be used for research purposes?
whether the practice of animals research should be used. Many people believe animals are needed for research, while others think it is not fair for animals to be sacrificed and treated poorly during research. Animals used for research has bettered many human lives by new discoveries and advantages.
What is your opinion about using animals for research?
Theories on Animals and Ethics
- Indirect Theories. Indirect theories state that animals do not warrant our moral concern on their own, but they may warrant concern only as they relate to human beings.
- Religious Theories/Worldview Theories. ...
- Kantian Theories. ...
- Cartesian Theories. ...
- Direct but Unequal Theories. ...
- Direct and Equal Theories
- Utilitarian. ...
- Animal Rights. ...
- References. ...
Is it ethical to use animals in medical research?
The use of animals in the medical research and laboratory experiments is a significant ethical issue. The matter needs to be discussed from the perspective of deontologists who refer to the idea of the moral duty as imperative to influence human actions.
How have animals themselves benefit from animal research?
Animal research has also been integral to the preservation of many endangered species. The ability to eliminate parasitism, treat illnesses, use anesthetic devices, and promote breeding has improved the health and survival of many species.
How does animal research affect animals?
Animals endure chemicals being dripped into their eyes, injected into their bodies, forced up their nostrils or forced down their throats. They are addicted to drugs, forced to inhale/ingest toxic substances, subjected to maternal deprivation, deafened, blinded, burned, stapled, and infected with disease viruses.
Why is research on animals good?
Animals are good research subjects for a variety of reasons. They are biologically similar to humans and susceptible to many of the same health problems. Also, they have short life-cycles so they can easily be studied throughout their whole life-span or across several generations.
What are the pros and cons of animal testing?
Pros & Cons of Animal TestingPro: Life-Saving Medications and Vaccines. The landscape of modern medicine would unquestionably be vastly different without animal testing in the mix. ... Con: Inhumane Treatment in Animal Experimentation. ... Pro: Similarity to Humans. ... Con: Lack of Applicability. ... Alternatives to Animal Testing.
What imaging is used to diagnose brain tumors in dogs?
X-Rays, CAT (Computer Axial Tomography) Scans, MRIs (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and Ultrasound imaging technologies that are used to diagnose humans are being adapted by veterinarians to help animals. Brain tumors, often found in dogs over five years of age, are diagnosed by MRI. MEDICAL DEVICES.
What is the new treatment for a dog after surgery?
LIFESTYLE. In addition to the use of analgesic medications, many new approaches to pain management, including hydrotherapy, massage, and acupuncture are being evaluated for veterinary patients. Animal rehabilitation is becoming established in veterinary medicine to help cats and dogs recover after surgery.
Can laser surgery help dogs?
Laser surgery has become practical for treating dogs and cats for chronic ear infections, eye surgery, and tumor removal. For working dogs, in service as seeing-eye companions, police dogs or search and rescue operatives, cataracts can mean the end of a productive career.
Can a dog have brain tumors?
Brain tumors, often found in dogs over five years of age, are diagnosed by MRI. MEDICAL DEVICES. Abnormal cardiac rhythms in cats and dogs can result in weakness, poor stamina or even loss of consciousness.
Why is animal research important?
The use of animals in some forms of biomedical research remains essential to the discovery of the causes, diagnoses, and treatment of disease and suffering in humans and in animals.
Why are animals important for biomedical research?
There are several reasons why the use of animals is critical for biomedical research: • Animals are biologically very similar to humans. In fact, mice share more than 98% DNA with us! • Animals are susceptible to many of the same health problems as humans – cancer, diabetes, heart disease, etc.
Why are animals important to scientists?
Until such a discovery, animals must continue to play a critical role in helping researchers test potential new drugs and medical treatments for effectiveness and safety, and in identifying any undesired or dangerous side effects, such as infertility, birth defects, liver damage, toxicity, or cancer-causing potential.
What percentage of animals are used in biomedical research?
It is important to stress that 95% of all animals necessary for biomedical research in the United States are rodents – rats and mice especially bred for laboratory use – and that animals are only one part of the larger process of biomedical research.
What is the ethics of animal experimentation?
The ethics of animal experimentation. Nothing so far has been discovered that can be a substitute for the complex functions of a living, breathing, whole-organ system with pulmonary and circulatory structures like those in humans.
Can animals be used as a substitute for humans?
Nothing so far has been discovered that can be a substitute for the complex functions of a living, breathing, whole-organ system with pulmonary and circulatory structures like those in humans. Until such a discovery, animals must continue to play a critical role in helping researchers test potential new drugs and medical treatments for effectiveness and safety, and in identifying any undesired or dangerous side effects, such as infertility, birth defects, liver damage, toxicity, or cancer-causing potential.
Do researchers support animal welfare?
Our researchers are strong supporters of animal welfare and view their work with animals in biomedical research as a privilege.
Why do we do animal research?
Most research on domestic farm animals is undertaken to increase the productivity and quality of animal products. Research is also undertaken to reduce the suffering and increase the overall well-being of animals , particularly companion animals. Examples include current research on Potomac fever in horses, the development of ivermectin to eradicate parasitic diseases in a variety of animals, and the development of vaccines for feline leukemia virus and canine parvovirus.
Why are animal studies important?
Animal studies have been an essential component of every field of medical research and have been crucial for the acquisition of basic knowledge in biology. In this chapter a few of the contributions of such studies in biomedical and behavioral research will be chronicled. These descriptions should be viewed within the context of the vast improvements in human health and understanding that have occurred in the past 150 years. For example, since 1900 the average life expectancy in the United States has increased by 25 years (U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, 1988). This remarkable increase cannot be attributed solely to animal research, as much of it is the result of improved hygiene and nutrition, but animal research has clearly been an important contributor to improved human health.
How did rhesus monkeys help with polio?
The use of rhesus monkeys for the study of polio began when Landsteiner and Popper (1909) showed that injection of spinal cord material from patients dying of polio caused paralysis in the animals. Flexner and Lewis (1909) promptly confirmed this result. To learn how to immunize monkeys to protect them against infection, researchers first used live virus, then formalin-inactivated virus from infected brain suspensions, and eventually modified live virus. A major breakthrough occurred when Enders, Weller, and Robbins (1949) showed that the virus could be propagated in cultured cells of non-neural origin. That set the stage for mass production of viruses that could be made into formalin-inactivated Salk vaccine or the modified live-virus Sabin vaccine (Salk, 1983).
What were the benefits of artificial kidneys?
Those people benefited from the invention of "artificial kidneys," which periodically washed blood and removed poisonous substances from it. The recipients of the benefit, however, had to undergo frequent, laborious, and uncomfortable procedures and had to rely on hospitals and mechanical devices.
Why are dogs used in studies?
Dogs have traditionally been used in cardiovascular-renal studies because of their relatively large size, which facilitates experimental procedures. For example, an early model of hypertension was produced by partially occluding the renal artery in dogs. Studies of renal function that use clearance techniques in unanesthetized animals are most often done in dogs. In the last two decades, however, some mutant rats have proved exceedingly valuable as animal models of human disease. The Brattleboro rat is an excellent example. It has diabetes insipidus and must drink 70 percent of its body weight in water each day. It cannot produce vasopressin, a hormone that plays an essential role in the kidneys' ability to regulate water excretion and blood pressure. Research on the Brattleboro rat has greatly increased our understanding of vasopressin's role in kidney and cardiovascular function, and that understanding might lead to the development of better drugs (and drugs with fewer side effects) for the treatment of clinical disorders (Sokol and Valtin, 1982).
What is the National Research Council?
National Research Council (US) and Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on the Use of Laboratory Animals in Biomedical and Behavioral Research.
Can animals be used to study human disease?
Despite the many advances and the projected results that will come through the use of animals, some individuals question the value of using animal models to study human disease, contending that the knowledge thus gained is insufficiently applicable to humans. Although experiments performed on humans would provide the most relevant information (and are used in clinical research conducted on humans when appropriate), it is not possible by commonly accepted ethical and moral standards or by law to perform most experiments on humans initially. It is true that not every experiment using animals yields immediate and practical results, but the advances that will be described in this chapter provide evidence that this means of research has contributed enormously to the well-being of humankind.
What is the leading cause of death in adult dogs?
Neoplasia, or uncontrolled cell growth like in cancer, is the leading cause of death in adult dogs, according to a paper published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. Cancer is less common in cats, though they, too, can develop tumors and blood disorders. Many of the cancers in cats and dogs are similar to the cancers affecting people.
What is the best medicine for dogs?
Many medicines developed for human patients happily prove to be effective in dogs and/or cats. Dogs with anxiety respond well to fluoxetine hydrochloride, more commonly known as Prozac. Prozac was developed with the help of mice, rats and dogs. Rapamycin, a common anti-rejection drug given to organ recipients after transplantation, is being given to companion dogs to improve their heart health and extend their lives. Rapamycin was studied in rodents, pigs and primates and has proven to be a lifesaving medicine for both people and pets. Cats with hyperthyroid disease are treated with radioiodine – a common treatment for human thyroid disease. It is also used to treat prostate cancer, intraocular (eye) melanoma, and carcinoid tumors in people. This is just a small sample of medicines that help both people and pets, as the disease-fighting properties and therapeutic benefits of medications often do not discriminate between species.
What is the best medicine for dogs after transplant?
Rapamycin, a common anti-rejection drug given to organ recipients after transplantation, is being given to companion dogs to improve their heart health and extend their lives. Rapamycin was studied in rodents, pigs and primates and has proven to be a lifesaving medicine for both people and pets.
Can dogs and cats be used for cancer?
Clinical trials with dogs and cats can offer a more accurate look at a drug’s effectiveness in both our pets and ourselves. And the number of cancer trials with pets is on the rise, giving hope that both pets and people with cancer will see ever-improving treatment outcomes.
What are some of the best things about animals?
Animals are our allies in the war against cancer and other deadly diseases. Laboratory research with dogs and fish gave us insulin to treat diabetes. The polio vaccine was developed following research with mice and monkeys. Clams and rats helped researchers illuminate the power of the MRI. The HPV vaccine was developed with rabbits. People with Parkinson’s are benefiting from deep brain stimulation that was perfected with monkeys. Ferrets have been crucial in the development of the bird flu vaccine. Most recently, scientists discovered spinal cord regeneration techniques because of rodent models. That means some day in the foreseeable future, some paralyzed people may be able to get out of their wheelchairs.
How do scientists discover cures?
Discoveries and cures happen when scientists study diseases in living systems — first in animals and then in people. Scientists cannot simply plug a formula for cancer into a computer and test drugs’ effectiveness with computer modeling. Instead, the only way scientists can work toward real treatments is to examine how each genetically unique cancer behaves in a living animal system. This enables them to see which cancer treatments will work best for both people and animals, the latter of which get many of the same types of cancer as people.
Why is animal research important?
From preventing polio to finding cures for cancer patients, animal research has saved countless lives. Using animals in research is a concern to some; however, the benefits derived from the ethical, humane use of laboratory animals for biomedical research are huge.
What percentage of research animals are dogs?
Research animals are protected by a host of state, federal, and international laws. It is estimated that less than half-a-percent of research animals are dogs, cats, and primates. According to AMP, more than 95 percent of research animals are rats and mice bred for research studies.
How many animals would die without animal research?
Without animal research, millions of dogs, cats, birds, and farm animals would be dead from more than 200 diseases, including anthrax, distemper, rabies, feline leukemia, and canine parvo virus, according to Americans for Medical Progress (AMP), a nonprofit group that supports the responsible and humane use of animals in biomedical research.
What Are The Benefits of Animal Testing?
Research on animal models has advanced the understanding and development of clinical and medical sciences. Correspondingly, it has directed the discovery of practically every single sort of treatment, such as drugs and surgery. For example, guinea pigs and frogs were heroes in the process of inventing asthma inhalers. Meningitis C cases are now rare, going down to 700 cases per year through the last decade, thanks to the animal models that were used during the research process. Today, 8 out of 10 pediatric cases of acute lymphocytic leukemia will have an average 5-year survival rate, compared to 25 years ago, when 70% of kids who had the disease died within 5 years. Likewise, kidney, heart, and other organ transplants advances, and immunosuppressant therapies, were all developed using animal models.
What are the 3Rs of animal research?
Animal research does bring up the topic of ethical research. This concern can be related to the experiments themselves or the housing conditions of the animal. Due to this ethical concern, more researchers and regulatory bodies are moving towards the 3Rs Principle. The 3Rs of animal research are Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement. These statements are devoted to greatly reducing the amount of animals used for testing and animal distress. It is considered a systematic approach to animal testing.
What is the book Animal Testing?
Animal Testing: Issues and Ethics (Stephanie Watson) is a book aimed at students which looks over some of the scientific and philosophical arguments for and against animal research.#N# - Watson, S., 2009. Animal Testing: Issues and Ethics. New York: Rosen Publishing Group.
What is SCT in animal research?
Animal Experimentation – Indispensable or Indefensible? (SCT) is a lengthy debate on animal research between Michelle Thew (against), director of the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection, and Tom Holder, founder of Speaking of Research (for). It covers issues of both science and ethics.
Can medical research be continued without animals?
Firstly, that medical development can be continued without the use of animals – using alternative, non-animal methods. Secondly, they claim that the differences between humans and other animals mean that scientists cannot meaningfully translate the research from one species to another.
Is animal research a merit?
The philosophy of animal research has not been the only area of contention – there is some debate on the scientific merit of research. Scientists who carry out research explain that they cannot attain their results any other way – they also point to the huge number of medical treatments available thanks to animal research.
