HumaneWatch interview with 2nd yr vet student

[Chapelle]

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As a student using dog cadavers for class, I would prefer that they came from shelter dogs that were already being euthanized than having dogs bred specifically for my learning. I would prefer even more that they came from a donation program because I understand the issues with community trust and corruption that can potentially occur with shelter sourcing. But having a dog live and die just so I can cut it up does not seem ethical when there are other options.

FWIW Penn's anatomy dogs are shelter dogs that were already going to be euthanized (not a shelter from around here, though). My group's dog had obvious serious trauma (multiple broken bones and abdominal bleeding) so we thought she was probably euthanized so she would not suffer.

Yea, that's a separate thing. AHA wants to ban the seizure of live dogs, not the use of shelter-sourced cadavers.

 

[Angelus9]

"The same poll found that 59 percent of Americans think HSUS gives “most of its money” to pet shelters. But real humane societies and other local hands-on pet shelters only share in about 1 percent of its $120 million budget — at least if you believe HSUS’s own tax returns."

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2010/12/27/f...but-michael-vick-can-excuse-me/#ixzz19K66nyHH​

 

[Cautionary Tail]

As a student using dog cadavers for class, I would prefer that they came from shelter dogs that were already being euthanized than having dogs bred specifically for my learning. I would prefer even more that they came from a donation program because I understand the issues with community trust and corruption that can potentially occur with shelter sourcing. But having a dog live and die just so I can cut it up does not seem ethical when there are other options.

FWIW Penn's anatomy dogs are shelter dogs that were already going to be euthanized (not a shelter from around here, though). My group's dog had obvious serious trauma (multiple broken bones and abdominal bleeding) so we thought she was probably euthanized so she would not suffer.

Not in vet school yet, but when I visited Tufts last fall, the cadavers used in their anatomy lab were all donated by owners whose pets had been euthanized or had otherwise passed away at their clinic.

I suspect the cats that we dissected in undergrad were shelter euths, as our group got stuck with a very young (and adorable 🙁) kitten covered in flea dirt (possible feral?), no obvious anomalies... I couldn't see him having been purposefully bred for dissection.

Are there schools out there that are actually doing otherwise when there are so many options that don't involve breeding and killing for the purpose? I guess I'd naively assumed that everybody else was sourcing in similar ways...

Regarding HSUS, I don't fear everything they do, but I do fear the way they seem to be capable of mainstreaming themselves in ways that more blatantly AR groups like PeTA can't get away with. Some of the shoddy legislation they support is fear-worthy, IMO, because once it passes and people come to the realization that 'hey, maybe this wasn't such a great idea'... good luck trying to get it off the books. I'm not a fan, and they won't be receiving any support (monetary or otherwise) from me. No love for Pacelle, either.

 

[Dsmoody23]

I suspect the cats that we dissected in undergrad were shelter euths, as our group got stuck with a very young (and adorable 🙁) kitten covered in flea dirt (possible feral?), no obvious anomalies... I couldn't see him having been purposefully bred for dissection.

A large portion of the dissection cats in American schools seem to come from Mexico. All of the cats in the comparative anat. courses I took were labeled from Mexico, and all were covered in flea gunk and bites as well as numerous scars and old injuries. Most had parasites.

But it is a sad fact that a lot of the learning we do in anatomy undergrad and high school courses is done at the expense of strays and shelter cats from poorer nations.

And no, I'm not setting up a joke about immigrant cats taking jobs American cats don't want...

 

[Cautionary Tail]

Ugh. I didn't see where the cats were shipped from, so this is entirely possible. All the others were older, of a healthy weight, and appeared to be in good condition with no obvious wounds or parasites. They've since switched to rabbits, which I suspect probably are purpose-bred. I don't know if the switch was because the cats were too pricey (they had us working 4-5 per animal) or the source was disreputable or what.

Dissecting the kitten was not fun. Partly because he was a baby and a carbon copy of my first (hand-reared) kitten, and partly because it's darn near impossible to differentiate between all those different muscles before they've had a chance to develop.

Either way, I'd feel much more comfortable working with animals I know were cared for properly and donated to the cause.