EMBARGOED UNTIL
11:00 AM
October 29, 2009
Contact: Alice Ra'anan
Office: (31) 634-7105
araanan@the-aps.org
Donna Krupa
Office: (301) 634-7209
dkrupa@the-aps.org
American Physiological
Society (APS) Endorses Report on Random Source Dogs and Cats
Immediate action needed to
ensure no disruption of research
BETHESDA, Md.—The American Physiological Society (APS;
www.the-aps.org) announced today that it has endorsed the recommendation
of a National Academy of Sciences* (NAS) report calling for the
identification of new suppliers to replace Class B dealers as providers of
random source dogs and cats for medical research.
“Class B” is a broad category of licensure required by the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA) that applies to individuals who buy and
sell animals that they do not breed and raise themselves. There are
currently about a dozen Class B dealers who provide dogs and cats for
medical and veterinary research and training and the development of
veterinary drugs. The APS says that “immediate actions” are needed to
identify or develop new suppliers of random source dogs and cats so that
these activities may continue without disruption. A
statement adopted by the APS Council on October 26, 2009 underscores the
importance of dogs and cats as research subjects: “These animals remain
critical for health research to alleviate serious and life-threatening
conditions that afflict humans and animals,” the statement said.
Background
Most of the dogs and cats needed for research are specifically bred for
that purpose, but some non-purpose bred or “random source” animals are also
needed because these animals exhibit traits that are difficult to replicate
in purpose-bred animals. Very old animals or ones with pre-existing health
conditions, and exposure to viruses, allergens, or parasites may be needed
to study age-related conditions or diseases that cannot be artificially
induced. At one time local animal control facilities were willing to make
such animals available for research, but nearly two dozen states and many
municipalities—including many where the affected research is being done—now
have laws prohibiting that practice.
The APS statement points out that the NAS report, Scientific and
Humane Issues in the Use of Random Source Dogs and Cats in Research,
“found strong evidence of an ongoing need for random source dogs and cats in
several important areas of biomedical research.” At the same time, the NAS
report also found evidence that a small number of USDA-licensed Class B dog
and cat dealers had a history of recurrent Animal Welfare Act violations.
The NAS panel, which was charged with examining the use of random source
dogs and cats in research funded by the National Institutes of Health,
recommended that NIH-funded researchers obtain random source dogs and cats
from other suppliers. It offered as alternatives purchasing animals from
commercial breeders (licensed by USDA as “Class A” dealers), animal control
facilities, and hobby breeders. It also suggested that researchers obtain
animals from individuals willing to donate them for research. However, the
panel recognized that in some cases these alternate suppliers may be unable
to provide the animals needed so it also suggested that “additional effort”
by the NIH was needed to identify and/or develop new mechanisms to replace
the animals currently supplied by Class B dealers.
Other needs for random source dogs and cats
The APS noted that the NAS panel had only focused on NIH-funded
biomedical research and “did not address other needs for random source dogs
and cats, such as the development and testing of animal health products and
medical devices, medical research funded by entities other than the NIH, and
medical and veterinary training.” Consequently, the APS recommends that, “in
addition to whatever steps NIH may take to meet the needs of its funded
investigators, other provisions must be made to ensure that needs for random
source dogs and cats in other fields can also be met.”
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*NRC (National Research Council) Scientific and Humane Issues in the Use
of Random Source Dogs and Cats in Research. Washington, DC: National
Academies Press, 2009.
URL:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12641
NOTE TO EDITORS: For further information contact Alice Ra’anan,
Director of Government Relations and Science Policy, American Physiological
Society, at araanan@the-aps.org or 301.634.7105 or Donna Krupa, Director of
Communications, at
dkrupa@the-aps.org or 301.634.7209.
Physiology is the study of how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function
to create health or disease. The American Physiological Society has been an
integral part of this discovery process since it was established in 1887.
Key words: Class B dealers; animal welfare; American Physiological
Society
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