“Dogs are the leaders of the planet. If you see two life forms, one of them’s making a poop, the other one’s carrying it for him, who would you assume is in charge.”
The U.S. Department of Justice just announced that Inotiv will pay more than $35 million, including an $11 million fine for violating the Animal Welfare Act, the largest in the Act’s history, because of violations that occurred at a facility that bred dogs for use in animal testing in Cumberland, Virginia. Inotiv is the parent company of Envigo RMS, which owned the breeding facility. As a result of these violations and a federal investigation, during 2022, our team removed more than 4,000 beagles in a monumental effort.
The resolution stems from the investigation the DOJ carried out at the Envigo facility, which included executing a criminal search warrant in May 2022. At that time, our team assisted federal authorities with removing nearly 450 dogs and puppies in “acute distress” from the facility, which had been cited for numerous violations of the Animal Welfare Act. Our shelter and rescue partners stepped up to find loving homes for these dogs in addition to the thousands of beagles who we helped to remove from the facility later that year.
Government inspectors also found that beagles there were being killed instead of receiving veterinary care for easily treated conditions; nursing mother beagles were being denied food; and the food that they did receive contained maggots, mold and feces. Over an eight-week period, 25 beagle puppies died from cold exposure. Several dogs suffered injuries when they were attacked by other dogs in overcrowded conditions. Records examined by the DOJ revealed persistent negligence in providing appropriate veterinary care to animals in need.
Here’s how the $35 million breaks down: In addition to paying the fine for violations of the Animal Welfare Act, Inotiv/Envigo agreed to pay an additional $11 million in fines for violating the Clean Water Act, and $13.5 million in support for animal welfare and environmental projects, law enforcement expenses and facilities improvements; the latter figures includes approximately $1.9 million that Inotiv has agreed to pay to the Humane Society of the United States for our team’s role during the investigation.
We are relieved that another result of the plea agreement is that no Inotiv entities, including Envigo, will breed or sell dogs.
While ensuring the safety and ultimate adoption of the animals in distress at this site was our priority, we also never lost sight of the underlying problems that led to the investigation at Inotiv/Envigo. For dogs born into facilities like Envigo’s, the day they leave is often the beginning of even more suffering in laboratories, as we saw in an undercover investigation that took place over seven months in 2021. An HSUS investigator at one of Inotiv’s contract animal testing laboratories in Indiana documented dogs continuing to be given doses of toxic substances even when they were vomiting, shaking, unable to stand and had high fevers and labored breathing. The 250 dogs at the facility spent their days confined, were subjected to painful injections and multiple blood draws, and were force-fed substances through stomach tubes. Most of them were killed at the end of the experiments, a typical practice for drug testing.
An estimated 45,000 dogs are used in experiments each year in the U.S., and tens of thousands more are held in laboratory breeding facilities. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: The only way to ensure a more humane future for dogs and other animals used in testing labs is to replace animal testing with advanced technological alternatives. We continue to urge Inotiv and the others in the testing industry to implement humane replacements.
The case also shows how, when federal agencies work together, animals can benefit. Historically, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been designated to enforce the Animal Welfare Act; however, the DOJ also has authority to issue injunctions. Recently, responding to increasing public demand for accountability and oversight, the DOJ has intervened in several significant cases, including complaints it brought against big cat exhibitors Jeffrey and Lauren Lowe and a licensed dog breeder in Iowa with at least 100 violations in just six months.
We have been working to secure passage of the Better Collaboration, Accountability, and Regulatory Enforcement (CARE) for Animals Act, which would strengthen the DOJ’s enforcement powers under the Animal Welfare Act, giving the agency more enforcement tools, such as the ability to pursue license revocations, civil penalties and, where appropriate, the use of seizure/forfeiture in cases in which animals are suffering because of evident animal welfare violations. (It would have been natural for the House Agriculture Committee to incorporate the Better CARE for Animals Act into its Farm Bill package, which traditionally has included such measures, but it didn’t, so we’ll keep advocating for its passage in the Congress where it already enjoys substantial support.)
The transfer of those thousands of beagles from Envigo was already a historic moment in our collective fight against animal cruelty. This settlement is historic in its own distinctive way as it underscores that there is a tremendous cost for animal cruelty and our society is increasingly becoming one that will not tolerate the mistreatment of animals. That is certainly something to celebrate.
Artist Ken Bailey specialises in vintage advertising style art that features dogs and cats – making his artwork ideal for the pet lover’s home.
A graduate of the University of Utah, Bailey held jobs in copywriting and advertising and even owned his own gallery before deciding to focus solely on his art. He offers limited editions and commissions, sells on Ebay and also has his own Cafepress store.
Bailey ships to most countries, which is ideal for people residing outside of the United States.
By ordering direct from Ken, you ensure that you are supporting the artist and not a knock-off which violates Ken’s intellectual property.
I was also taken by Ken’s dedication on his website:
In memory of the sweet furry souls who’ve made life wonderful and inspire me with their love and humor; Baggy Cat, Annie Cat, Cindy, Boo, Sis, Charlie Cat, Chow, Slimer, Rio, Genny Girl, Robby Dog and Cleo. Now I work with my buddy, Jax dog at my side.
Kathleen Crisley, Fear-Free certified professional and specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and canine fitness, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand.
When his girlfriend Misty came to stay, I took Sox and Misty to Christchurch’s red zone for off-lead time.
In this video, the dogs run and play. Greyhounds love to run. In this video, both dogs are free to stop, change direction, dodge and weave as they see fit, and stop when they are ready. This greatly reduces the risk of injury and supports enrichment. It allows them to make choices, something that behaviourists call ‘agency.’
The definition of “to run” is “to move along, faster than walking.” The dogs choose to do this and for how often.
The definition of “to race” is “a competition between runners, horses, vehicles, etc. to see which is the fastest in covering a set course.”
Most dogs love to have a run and play, such as I explain in my post There’s a technical term for almost anything – the zoomie. To truly love to race, a sentient being, be it human or animal, must be able to opt into competition of their own free will, accept the risks associated with the race, and take pleasure in it.
Kathleen Crisley, Fear-Free certified professional and specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and canine fitness, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand.
A study by researchers at Texas A&M University and the Dog Aging Project has found that purebred and mixed-breed dogs are mostly equal when it comes to overall frequency of health condition diagnoses. Jacob Svetz/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing and Communications
The study, published in the journal Frontiers In Veterinary Science, found that while certain dog breeds are prone to specific diseases, purebred and mixed-breed dogs are mostly equal when it comes to overall frequency of health condition diagnoses.
“There are several well-known diseases that frequently occur in specific dog breeds,” said Dr. Kate Creevy, chief veterinary officer of the Dog Aging Project and a professor in the VMBS’ Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences. “This has helped perpetuate the misconception that all purebred dogs are more prone to disease, but that is not the case.”
The study — which surveyed the owners of more than 27,000 companion dogs — also found that some of the most common diagnoses, like ear infections or osteoarthritis, occur in both purebreds and mixed-breed dogs.
Breaking Down The Data
According to the study, 25 breeds make up about 60% of the purebred dog population within the Dog Aging Project. In order of popularity, those breeds are:
Labrador retriever
Golden retriever
German shepherd
Poodle
Australian shepherd
Dachshund
Border collie
Chihuahua
Beagle
Pembroke Welsh corgi
Boxer
Shi Tzu
Miniature schnauzer
Pug
Havanese
Cavalier King Charles spaniel
Yorkshire terrier
Great Dane
Greyhound
Boston terrier
Siberian husky
Shetland sheepdog
English springer spaniel
Australian cattle dog
Doberman pinscher
Within these 25 breeds, a total of 53 unique medical conditions make up the top owner-reported medical conditions.
“The medical conditions reported by owners of purebred dogs varied considerably,” Creevy said. “However, some conditions appeared frequently in the top 10 reported health conditions by breed.”
Across the 25 most popular breeds, those 10 conditions were:
Dental calculus (hardened plaque)
Dog bites
Extracted teeth
Giardia (a parasite)
Osteoarthritis
Seasonal allergies
Ear infection
Heart murmur
Fractured teeth
Cataracts
For mixed-breed dogs, the most common reported conditions were highly similar, with cataracts and heart murmur being replaced by torn/broken toenail and chocolate toxicity.
Some conditions, like dental calculus and osteoarthritis, appeared with roughly the same frequency in both purebred and mixed-breed dogs. Other conditions were more common in one than the other; extracted teeth and dog bites were more common in purebreds, versus ear infections in mixed-breed dogs.
“Out of the 53 medical conditions that owners reported, 26 did not differ significantly between mixed-breed and purebred dogs,” Creevy said.
Implications For Dog Owners
Ultimately, one of the most important findings from the study is that dog breed is only one aspect of pet health to consider when creating a pet’s care plan or researching what kind of dog to adopt.
“People should consider many factors when choosing a dog, including environment, lifestyle, social interactions and physical activity that will be available to the dog,” Creevy said. “Planning for both preventive veterinary care and medical care as the dog ages is also prudent. Dog owners should also talk with their primary care veterinarians about the kinds of medical problems to which their new dog might be particularly prone based on breed, size, sex, etc.”
As the study also showed, some of the most common reasons owners take their dogs to the vet have little or nothing to do with breed.
“Dental disease, allergies and osteoarthritis are among the most common conditions for all dogs,” Creevy said. “Owners should work with their primary care veterinarians on a plan to manage dental health. Regular exercise and maintaining lean body weight may help delay, prevent or lessen the impact of osteoarthritis.”
Expanding Dog Health Understanding
Though the study is already one of the largest cross-sectional studies of canine health, researchers at the Dog Aging Project are far from done examining its findings.
“We were surprised by the number of owners who reported that their dogs had experienced a bite from another dog,” Creevy said. “More investigation is needed to determine what this means and what particular factors might put an individual dog at risk.”
The DAP is a collaborative, community scientist-driven data-gathering research project that enrolls companion dogs from all backgrounds to study the effects of aging and gain a better understanding of what contributes to a long and healthy life for a dog.
The DAP continues to accept dogs of all breeds into the project. To date, more than 50,000 dogs have been enrolled.
Many of their research projects have led to translational studies that inform not only dog health, but also human health. To enroll your dog, or learn more, visit dogagingproject.org.
Twenty-five dog breeds account for 60% of the purebred dogs enrolled in the Dog Aging Project. Aubree Herrold/School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
The dogs of my life have brought me great joy, endless love, and moments of intense heartache.
Our dogs can also be the source of great surprise, which was the case yesterday evening when Sox decided to eat a couple of screws.
Screws. You heard right. Small, about 1 cm, screws that I had removed from a massage table that I was repairing. They looked a little like this:
Sox has never shown any interest in eating inedible things. In fact, with his inflammatory bowel disease, it is often more of a struggle to get him to eat consistently. But last night Sox was super hungry. He finally finished his breakfast in the very late afternoon and wanted more food, so I fed him his dinner and filled up his snacking dish. A short time later as I was cooking my dinner, I heard a crunching sound like he was eating biscuits. I looked up just in time to a screw lapped up off the floor, briefly chewed, and swallowed.
Oh my God. I counted the screws, two were missing. Time to turn off the stove and get to the After Hours Vet. Luckily, he had just eaten a lot of food and so there was a buffer in his system because the best way to get the screws out of his body was for them to go out the way they came in. After dosing Sox with an emetic, the vet staff watched as he threw everything up (turkey, kibble, pumpkin, rolled oats and two screws). The screws were cleaned up and brought out to me in the waiting room in a biohazard bag – in perfect, reusable, condition.
I was able to take Sox home; he had a rough night because he was still nauseous and wanted outside to eat grass. Of course, we had the inevitable flare of his IBD.
This incident is a good reminder and lesson:
Accidents happen, even to pet professionals
Our dogs are full of surprises
Thank heavens for accessible, after-hours, veterinary care
Keep small items out of reach of your dog; they are a little like babies and toddlers and explore with their mouths
Always have money in a savings account or available balance on a credit card because payment is expected at the time the services are rendered
Pet insurance buffers the blow of unexpected healthcare costs; Sox’s visit came to just under $400 (I’ll pay a $175 excess). I filed my claim first thing this morning.
I have a subdued Sox today. I’d love to say he was ashamed at his behaviour, but of course we know that dogs live in the moment and rarely make a connection between cause and effect. It’s my job to be extra diligent to avoid any future cases of ‘ingestion of a foreign body.’
Kathleen Crisley, Fear-Free certified professional and specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and canine fitness, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
Box plot displaying the frequency of times owners brought their dog physically to the veterinary surgeon in the past 12 months and age in years of the dogs. Number of dogs = 503. The frequency of vet visits was categorized into five groups: once, twice, 3–5 times, 6–10 times, >10 times, and remote consult only. The median age in years of the dogs in each frequency category was compared using a Kruskal Wallis test, df = 5, N = 503, p = 0.001. Categories that differed significantly are denoted with *p < 0.050; significance values have been adjusted by the Bonferroni correction for multiple tests. Credit: Frontiers in Veterinary Science (2024). DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1358480
New research from the University of Liverpool shows that dog owners think many important changes in their older pets are “just old age,” when actually they are signs of serious health problems.
The researchers surveyed more than 600 dog owners and more than 300 veterinary professionals across the UK. Dog owners were asked if they had noticed any of a list of 48 different clinical signs in their older dogs and how urgently they thought they should seek veterinary advice when they noticed them.
The research team identified that dog owners regularly attributed potentially serious changes in older dogs to normal aging, and thus may not take them to see a vet.
How often should an aging dog see a vet?
The majority of owners believed a “healthy” senior dog (seven years plus) should go to the vet once a year, whereas veterinary professionals most commonly advised every six months.
A minority (14%) of owners would take the dog only “if they got sick,” but almost all (98%) of veterinary professionals would not advise this strategy. Sixteen percent of owners of dogs of all ages had not had any contact with their veterinary practice in the previous year.
To vaccinate or not to vaccinate?
Health checks often occur during vaccination appointments, and 92% of veterinary professionals believed that senior dogs should receive yearly vaccinations; however, 28% of owners’ dogs of all ages had not been vaccinated in the previous year. In fact, a third of these owners did not believe that older dogs need vaccinations.
Urgency to seek care
Dog owners who stated that their dog had experienced a clinical sign typically reported less urgency to seek veterinary care than owners whose dog had never experienced it and responded to a hypothetical question asking what they would do if they noticed this sign in their dog.
The majority of veterinary professionals (85–100%) thought that it was moderately to extremely important for owners of senior dogs to seek veterinary advice for all 15 of the most common clinical signs. The three most common clinical signs reported by owners in their older dogs were slowing down on walks (57%), dental tartar (53%), and being stiff on rising (50%).
However, fewer than 70% of owners would seek veterinary care for their dog within a week for dental issues (bad breath and tartar) or musculoskeletal issues (problems with stairs/jumping, slowing down on walks, and stiff on rising).
Dog owners attribute clinical signs to ‘just old age’
Veterinary professionals reported that they believed owners commonly associated sleeping all the time, slowing down on walks, being stiff on rising, and the presence of dental tartar with old age rather than potential illness. Owners’ opinions were broadly in line with veterinary professionals’ perceptions of them. For example, 78% of owners believed slowing down on walks was a normal part of the aging process and would not take their dog to the vet for and, and 77% for sleeping all the time.
Study co-author Professor Carri Westgarth said, “Perceptions of dog owners and veterinary professionals can influence the preventive health care and treatment provided to dogs, especially at the senior life stage, when chronic diseases become more common. The differences in opinion highlighted by our survey suggest that new educational initiatives and more effective communication are required.”
Findings from this study have been used to support the design of a new resource that can facilitate communication between owners and veterinary professionals. A checklist of common missed clinical signs for use pre-veterinary appointments would be supported by both owners and veterinary professionals surveyed in the current study.
The BSAVA PetSavers Aging Canine Toolkit (ACT) leaflet and poster are currently in use in first-opinion practice, and feedback is being collected to measure the toolkit’s impact on owners, veterinary professionals, and senior dogs.
Dr. Sarah Williams from BSAVA PetSavers said, “Screening tools and toolkits have the potential to increase owner understanding and engagement with veterinary care, and through repeated application over time and implementation of necessary interventions, improve patient welfare and health span.”
The work is published in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
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