Scientific and Humane Issues in the Use of Random Source Dogs and Cats in Research (2009) / Chapter Skim
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4 Class B Dealers and Animals
4 Class B Dealers and Animals
Pages 71-92
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From page 71... ...
The Committee was unable to determine whether such dogs came from Class B dealers because mongrel dogs are available from various sources, including Class A dealers. The Committee therefore relied on its own expertise, input from scientific organizations, the testimony of individual investigators and an NIH representative, and the biomedical research literature both for evidence of general areas of research and for specific examples of physiological, anatomical, and genetic research in which random source animals have been used and may be desirable.
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From page 72... ...
The USDA was unable to provide corollary data of year-by-year numbers of animals from Class B dealers, or if the increase was due to random source animals, purpose-bred animals, or animals used for NIH-funded research. Ten-year averages show a decrease in the use of dogs from 187,464 between 1978 and 1987 to 109,353 between 1988 and 1997, and 69,223 between 1998 and 2007.
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From page 73... ...
3 CLASS B DEALERS AND ANIMALS TABLE 4-1 Total Numbers of Dogs and Cats Used in Teaching, Research, Experiments, and Tests, 1973–2007 Year # Dogs # Cats 1973 195,157 66,195 1974 199,204 74,259 1975 154,489 51,439 1976 210,330 70,468 1977 176,430 62,311 1978 197,010 65,929 1979 211,104 69,103 1980 188,783 68,482 1981 188,649 58,090 1982 161,396 49,923 1983 174,542 53,344 1984 201,936 56,910 1985 194,905 59,211 1986 176,141 54,125 1987 180,169 50,145 1988 140,471 42,271 1989 156,433 50,812 1990 109,992 33,700 1991 107,908 34,613 1992 124,161 38,592 1993 106,191 33,991 1994 101,090 32,610 1995 89,420 29,569 1996 82,454 26,035 1997 75,429 26,091 1998 76,071 24,712 1999 70,541 23,238 2000 69,516 25,560 2001 70,082 22,755 2002 68,253 24,222 2003 67,875 25,997 2004 64,932 23,640 2005 66,610 22,921 2006 66,314 21,637 2007 72,037 22,687 NOTE: Animals were counted once regardless of the number of protocols in which they were used. Animals used in multiyear studies were counted once each year regardless of when they were acquired.
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From page 74... ...
R01504 Figure 4-1a rraster fixed image Purchasers of Dogs FIGURE 4-1b Disposition of dogs by Class B dealers, November 2007–November 2008. Disposition regulation (9 CFR 2.80)
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From page 75... ...
R01504 Figure 4-1d rraster fixed image
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From page 76... ...
R01504 Figure 4-1f rraster fixed image
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From page 77... ...
Iowa State University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Arizona, Yale University, the University of Texas at Houston, the University of California at Los Angeles, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology are just a few of the growing number of institutions to adopt similar policies.2 THE ROLE OF CLASS B DEALERS IN PROVIDINg RANDOM SOuRCE ANIMALS Changing state and local laws have made it more difficult for research institutions to directly obtain random source dogs and cats, particularly in states that do not allow access to pound and shelter animals. Class B dealers, who obtain animals from other states, pounds, shelters, private breeders, bunchers, and other Class B dealers, provide access to animals that research institutions would otherwise have difficulty obtaining.
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From page 78... ...
TRENDS IN THE NuMBER OF CLASS B DEALERS The declining trends in the use of dogs and cats for NIH-based research are evident in a concomitant and more rapid decline in the number of Class B dealers that sell animals for biomedical research. When demands for random source dogs and cats were highest, in the 1970s and 1980s, approximately 200 Class B dealers sold research dogs and cats.
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From page 79... ...
contract pounds or private shelters, but because the latter rely on donations and public support they may have ceased providing animals for research. Pound seizure became common after World War II when biomedical research experienced an upsurge and shelters and pounds were seen as a readily available source of surplus animals (Zawistowski 2008)
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From page 80... ...
mandate it, 9 states allow it,4 and the rest leave the decision to the municipality.5 These data may continue to change as states revisit these laws due to changing public attitudes and diminishing access to random source animals from pounds for research. In one instance, the state of California allows the release of unclaimed animals for research, but the individual counties have all enacted bans, in large part because of California Civil Code 1834.7, which requires any pound or shelter that provides living or dead animals to a biological supply company or research facility to post a publicly visible sign stating that "Animals turned in to this shelter may be used for research purposes or to supply blood, tissue, or other biological products." Given a choice, the public chooses not to allow the resale of pound or shelter animals to research.
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From page 81... ...
However, oftentimes dogs and cats from Class B dealers are not free of disease and may require prolonged quarantine, socialization, treatment, or removal from the study altogether to avoid potential health threats to other animals or to people in the research facility. The hidden costs to address these conditions may substantially increase the actual final cost by hundreds of dollars per animal.
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From page 82... ...
W Ron DeHaven discussed with the Committee regulatory changes proposed while he served as a USDA Regional Director for Animal Care and Use, including a possible 2-year phase-out of Class B dealers discussed at a Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R)
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From page 83... ...
Whereas the regulations mandate annual inspections for research facilities and Class A dealers, Class B dealers now must undergo quarterly inspections with a major focus of these inspections on the acquisition of random and non-random source animals. This increased oversight is also now more feasible with the greatly reduced number of dealers.
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From page 84... ...
Thus, although there is no evidence that auction houses are currently used to sell animals to research institutions or Class B dealers, auction sales could serve as a mechanism to legitimize the sale of illegally acquired animals. There is little evidence to prove that pets are stolen for research (HBO 2006)
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From page 85... ...
Regarding the humane issues this Committee was also charged to examine, there is a strong concern that animals can only be removed if they are in need of immediate veterinary care, leaving the potential for animals that are severely stressed or in need of less intensive care to be left unattended indefinitely. The Committee considered the question of whether animals are still being stolen for research, but was not able to answer conclusively based on the evidence provided.
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From page 86... ...
Furthermore, there is no requirement to maintain medical records unless an animal is receiving veterinary care. There is also concern that the inspection reports may not always reveal the true conditions at the facility, as the Baird facility also passed its inspections despite its numerous violations (Box 4-1)
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From page 87... ...
And as sources of random source animals decline, the animals sold by Class B dealers are becoming increasingly similar in characteristics to those of Class A animals, except that they are of inferior quality to Class A animals for the reasons discussed in this report. Class A Dealers One mechanism that has been proposed to ensure continued access to genetically diverse, aged, or large breed dogs (attributes that are desirable in random source dogs)
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From page 88... ...
. In contrast to random source animals, which typically are of unknown age, defined-age purpose-bred dogs are also ideal for longitudinal studies and for studies evaluating the effects of long-term dietary variables or environmental enrichment.
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From page 89... ...
The aged and genetically diverse dog population is prone to many types of cancers that mimic the human disease -- including non-Hodgkin lymphoma, osteosarcoma, melanoma, prostate carcinoma, pulmonary carcinoma, mammary carcinoma, soft tissue sarcomas, mast cell tumors, and others -- and the rate of occurrence is sufficient to power preclinical trials. The NCI program, established in 2003, includes a multicenter collaborative network of 18 veterinary teaching hospitals6 (the Comparative Oncology Trials Consortium; Figure 4-2)
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From page 90... ...
The first rraster fixed image is the perception of pet theft or displacement of lost pets by dealers who may profit through the sale of such animals to research. The second is the deplorable husbandry conditions that have been documented at some Class B dealers (AWI 2007)
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From page 91... ...
It is of great concern to the Committee that animals can be removed from Class B dealer sites only if they are in need of immediate veterinary care, leaving the possibility that severely stressed animals or those in need of less intensive care may be left unattended. These serious unresolved Class B compliance issues and humane concerns were major factors in the deliberations that led to the Committee's final recommendations (Chapter 5)
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From page 92... ...
2008. Region specific neuron loss in the aged canine hippocampus is reduced by enrichment.
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