Wisconsin puppy mill beagles suffer for human drug research
Wisconsin puppy mill beagles suffer for human drug research
More than 4,000 beagle puppies are born every year on a remote Wisconsin farm about 30 minutes west of Madison. Some of them never leave.
Life in a Cage
What we know:
BLUE MOUNDS, Wis. - More than 4,000 beagle puppies are born every year on a remote Wisconsin farm about 30 minutes west of Madison. Some of them never leave. Records provided to FOX6 Investigators by a Ridglan Farms whistleblower show nearly 7% of the puppies born each year (275 beagles) die while still at Ridglan.
In 2020, an outbreak of parvovirus caused a dramatic spike in deaths – 522 in all (12.9% of births). More than 300 of those deaths were attributed to "enteritus," an inflammation of the small intestine caused by the virus. Experts say parvo spreads between infected dogs and by ingesting contaminated food or water.
An attorney for Ridglan Farms said the outbreak was "contained."
"These dogs are being tortured from the moment they're born," said Justin Goodman, Vice President of the White Coat Waste Project, a non-profit that opposes government funding of animal research. "They're born to die."
The ones that get out
Dig deeper:
Even for the dogs that make it out of Ridglan Farms, Goodman said the future is bleak.
"People need to know they're footing the bill for this," Goodman said.
Public records obtained by his organization show the National Institutes of Health paid for the University of Missouri to buy 40 dogs from Ridglan Farms in 2023. Researchers at Mizzou used the dogs to test the safety and efficacy of a vaccine for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever - a tick-borne disease that can be fatal to both dogs and humans.
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According to the study protocols, researchers shaved the beagles' fur to allow tick containment chambers to be glued directly to their skin. Those chambers were then filled with disease-ridden ticks that were allowed to "acquisition feed" on the dogs for several days.
If the beagles tried to remove the chambers, researchers would stop them by placing an Elizabethan collar (commonly referred to as a ‘cone of shame’) around the neck.
Some of the dogs at Mizzou received experimental vaccines to manage disease symptoms, but others in a control group were intentionally denied any form of treatment.
Maximum pain without relief
Why you should care:
The USDA categorizes experiments by the level of pain experienced by the animals involved.
Category A means no experiment was done. Category B involves no pain. Categories C and D involve increasing levels of pain or discomfort. And Category E involves tests that cause the most pain or distress and do not allow for any form of pain relief or symptom treatment.
Six of the Ridglan dogs at Mizzou were classified in Category E.
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"So Ridglan is providing puppies for some of the most painful experimentation happening in this country," Goodman said.
Dogs in the control group developed severe disease symptoms, but they weren't the only ones who suffered. In the end, 22 of the 40 dogs were sick enough that researchers decided the most "humane" thing to do was to have them euthanized.
Dogs of science; Wisconsin puppy mill could face criminal charges
A factory farm west of Madison that breeds beagle puppies for use in scientific experiments is facing both criminal and disciplinary investigations for mistreatment of animals.
"This is torture," Goodman said. "And it should be prohibited whether it's happening in a laboratory or happening in someone's basement."
Heroes or victims?
What they're saying:
One University of Missouri spokesperson tells FOX6 "this research has important human and animal benefits."
Another was quoted by the Columbia Daily Tribune lauding the "heroism" of the dogs who were tested and killed.
"These dogs are not heroes," Goodman said. "They are victims."
A pair of experiments (toxicity study; dosage study) at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago subjected 38 Ridglan beagles to forced inhalation of an experimental COVID-19 drug. The tests were intended to determine the maximum dose the dogs could withstand. After 15 days, all 38 dogs were euthanized.
The principal investigator, David McCormick, said his research is intended to save human lives, and he called animal rights groups like the White Coat Waste Project "terrorists."
"There's no terrorism happening here. It's documentation. It's a lot of research and investigating and reading and spreadsheets," said Rebekah Robinson, President of Dane4Dogs, an animal rights group fighting against research on beagles in Dane County, Wisconsin.
Dead dogs or dead humans
Big picture view:
McCormick had agreed to do an on camera interview with FOX6 for this story, but declined after seeing Robinson appear on an episode of the FOX6 podcast, Open Record.
"What would she prefer?" McCormick asked in an email. "Some dogs dying… or perhaps her mother or her sister or her daughter… from toxicity induced by an untested drug?"
"That's such a false choice," Robinson said. "We don't have to choose between dogs and humans. There's modern technology out there that is readily available for use that should be used instead of dogs."
McCormick said animal testing alternatives are not ready to replace the current system and won't be for another 10 to 20 years.
"Maybe that's because we're still wasting 20 billion dollars a year on animal experimentation instead of investing that money in modern alternatives," Robinson said.
Goodman is urging the Trump administration to cut funding for animal research and reinvest it in non-animal alternatives.
In the meantime, Robinson is focused on trying to end the breeding of beagles at Ridglan Farms.
"It is a tough fight," she said, "but the momentum is there. The general public does not want this to happen. They don't want dogs experimented on."
Investigations continue
What's next:
A special prosecutor appointed by a Dane County judge is still considering whether to file criminal charges against Ridglan Farms. LaCrosse County DA Tim Gruenke said he is reviewing existing records and cannot put a timeline on his decision.
Meanwhile, investigations by the Wisconsin Veterinary Examining Board and the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection are ongoing.
Complete email statement submitted by:
- Ridglan Farms - Attorney on behalf of Ridglan
- University of Missouri (#1) - Travis Zimpfer
- University of Missouri (#2) - Travis Zimpfer
- Illinois Institute of Technology - Dr. David McCormick