Abstract
Dogs are sometimes referred to as "man's best friend" and with the increase in urbanization and lifestyle changes, dogs are seen by their owners as family members. Society expresses specific concerns about the experimental use of dogs, as they are sometimes perceived to have a special status for humans. This may appear somewhat conflicting with the idea that the intrinsic value of all animals is the same, and that also several other animal species are used in biomedical research and toxicology. This aspect and many others are discussed in an introductory chapter dealing with ethical considerations on the use of dogs as laboratory animals. The report gives an overview on the use of dogs in biomedical research, safety assessment and the drug developmental process and reflects the discussion on the use of dogs as second (non-rodent)species in toxicity testing. Approximately 20,000 dogs are used in scientific procedures in Europe every year, and their distinct genetic, physiological and behavioral characteristics may support their use as models for e.g. behavioral analysis and genetic research. Advances in the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement of experiments using dogs) are described, potential opportunities are discussed and recommendations for further progress in this area are made.
Highlights
The workshop on “Critical Evaluation of the Use of Dogs in Biomedical Research and Testing” hosted by the Centre for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT-Europe) and the transatlantic think tank for toxicology (t 4) took place on June 21-23, 2011 in Budapest, Hungary, and was sponsored by the DoerenkampZbinden Foundation (DZF)
Participants from industry, animal welfare organizations, the regulatory arena and academia came together to discuss the current use of dogs, the regulatory background, ethical issues, and opportunities to replace, reduce and refine the use of dogs in biomedical research and testing
Retrospective analyses of the additional value of dog studies over rodent studies have been published in the area of pesticide testing, where extensive information is available in several national registers (Gerbracht and Spielmann, 1998; 2001; Box and Spielmann, 2005; Kobel et al, 2010)
Summary
Dogs are sometimes referred to as “man’s best friend” and with the increase in urbanization and lifestyle changes, dogs are seen by their owners as family members. Society expresses specific concerns about the experimental use of dogs, as they are sometimes perceived to have a special status for humans. This may appear somewhat conflicting with the idea that the intrinsic value of all animals is the same, and that several other animal species are used in biomedical research and toxicology. This aspect and many others are discussed in an introductory chapter dealing with ethical considerations on the use of dogs as laboratory animals. Advances in the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement of experiments using dogs) are described, potential opportunities are discussed and recommendations for further progress in this area are made
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