Mehmet Oz, known as Dr. Oz, oversaw the deaths of at least 329 dogs during his time as a “principal investigator” at Columbia University.
As initially reported by Jezebel, Oz and his team at the Institute of Comparative Medicine conducted 75 studies between 1989 and 2010, 34 of which resulted in dog deaths. Although conducting biomedical experiments on dogs is not illegal, Oz and his team violated the Animal Welfare Act in their poor treatment of the animals.
Whistleblower Comes Forward
In the early 2000s, whistleblower and veterinarian Catherine Dell’Orto testified that Oz’s treatment violated federal law. She claimed that Oz’s research inflicted extensive suffering on his team’s canine test subjects.
According to Newsday, Dell’Orto previously complained twice to Columbia’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee regarding treatments of baboons used for research. After this fell on deaf ears, she then contacted the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which ensures compliance with the federal Animal Welfare Act. She also told her story both to PETA and The Humane Society of the United States. Dell’Orto testified about one dog in particular who experienced lethargy, vomiting, paralysis, and kidney failure. Still, this dog wasn’t euthanized for a full two days.
Dell’Orto told CBS News that Oz used dogs to model human cardiac failure. He did so by speeding up their heart rates and then applying experimental treatments, including surgery. “[Oz] was the principal investigator on these experiments. … [The dogs] suffered quite a bit prior to death, and a lot of them were just found dead in the cages,” Dell’Orto said.
Columbia’s website notes that a principal investigator “has overall responsibility for safety and compliance in his or her laboratory.” It also notes that many of the lab’s responsibilities can be delegated to “competent designee(s).”
Investigation and Fine
A 2004 letter from PETA urged the USDA to “reopen its investigation into Columbia University and formally charge the university for its failure to humanely treat dogs… used in experiments conducted by Mehmet Oz.”
The letter details Dell’Orto’s damning testimony. It also suggests that the USDA “should require that Columbia University suspend all further use of animals by Dr. Mehmet Oz.”
In the same year, the USDA determined that Oz’s experiments violated the Animal Welfare Act. They required that Columbia pay a $2000 fine. The Daily Beast reported that Columbia has seemingly cut all ties with Oz since his departure, stripping his personal pages from the medical center’s website.
The Controversy of Animal Testing for Biomedical Research
In the 2020 AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals, the American Veterinary Medical Association states that it doesn’t “take the death of nonhuman animals lightly and attempts to provide guidance for its members on both the morality and practical necessity of the intentional killing of animals.”
The AVMA calls euthanasia carried out in biomedical research “a practical necessity” that is “unpleasant and morally challenging.”
The AVMA also states that this euthanasia must “adhere to strict policies, guidelines, and applicable regulations.”
While the AVMA deems biomedical research on animals a necessity, animal rights groups and animal advocates disagree. As a result of this opposition, legislation like the Animal Welfare Act came to be. The law requires researchers and breeders to use pain-relieving drugs or euthanasia on testing animals. Additionally, researchers may not use paralytics without anesthesia nor experiment multiple times on the same animal.
Because of the shift in public opinion, it’s possible that animal testing will soon meet its end.
