Dental News - University of Gothenburg euthanises dogs after dental implant experiments

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University of Gothenburg euthanises dogs after dental implant experiments

Animal rights activists are optimistic that government bodies will ultimately ban all experiments on animals. (Photograph: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock)

Wed. 27. March 2019

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GOTHENBURG, Sweden: Despite the worldwide protests against ongoing dental implant experiments on animals at the University of Gothenburg, six dogs have been euthanised to conduct further analyses of their tissue and blood. Nevertheless, animal rights activists are still hopeful and see this as an opportunity to debate the ethical standards of animal testing and the importance of seeking alternative methods.

In January, Djurrättsalliansen, a Swedish animal rights organisation, drew attention to experiments on dogs being carried out at the University of Gothenburg. The revelation spread rapidly and received a great deal of public attention. In just a week after the disclosure of information on the experiments, 84,222 people signed the petition in the hope of saving the dogs. It was then handed over to representatives of the university at a protest outside of the university building where the dogs were being held. The experiment has also been reported to the police and county administrative board.

Although the animal rights organisation insisted that the university should interrupt the experiment and release the dogs in order to rehabilitate and rehome them, as well repeatedly tried to arrange a meeting with the university, the university representatives were reluctant to accept the invitation and address the issue both privately and publicly.

Regardless of the devastating outcome for the dogs, the special focus by the media has led to more people questioning animal experiments from an ethical perspective. Animal rights activists see this as an opportunity to continue fighting for a change in the law to guarantee the implementation of animal-free tests by both government agencies and corporations, and the enormous attention the experiments on the dogs have received is an essential step in this direction, according to Djurrättsalliansen.

The EU has already banned the testing in the EU of cosmetic ingredients and cosmetic products, as well as banned the sale in the EU of cosmetics tested on animals after 11 March 2013 anywhere in the world. It established the EU Reference Laboratory for alternatives to animal testing and the EU Network of Laboratories for the Validation of Alternative Methods to assist the laboratory in EU-wide validation of non-animal testing methods.

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