Can the dog that has completed the experiment be happy if it is adopted?

Recently, a celebrity couple adopted a beagle and named it "Pearl". When the dog was first found, it had numbers on its ears, a missing spleen, and was unusually cooperative during the examination , which indicated that it might have been a laboratory dog .

The beagle picked up by Huo Siyan and Du Jiang is suspected to be an experimental dog｜@Huo Siyan/weibo

The appearance of "Zhenzhu" touched everyone's heart and triggered a wave of adopting experimental dogs . The experimental beagle public welfare rescue organization "Beagle Commune" said that after Du Jiang and Huo Siyan's adoption of a beagle became a hot topic, the number of people applying for adoption certification surged to 3,000, and is still increasing.

Adopting a lab dog is considered a story of "redemption". Behind these tear-jerking stories, what kind of life do the lab dogs actually lead? How are they selected? What kind of experiments are they subjected to? What fate do "retired" lab dogs face? Can they find happiness after being adopted?

"Ring the bell and you'll drool"

The most famous experiment in the world involving experimental dogs is the conditioned reflex experiment designed by Pavlov : before each feeding, the dog would be given a reminder by "ringing a bell". After repeating this for a period of time, the dog would start drooling (wanting to eat) just by hearing the sound of the bell.

Pavlov's conditioned reflex experiment

However, the stories of experimental dogs are not all so interesting and beautiful - in fact, many experiments will cause dogs to suffer varying degrees of physical or psychological harm, or even sacrifice their lives .

Before the "conditioned reflex" experiment, Pavlov had conducted an experiment that caused trauma to dogs: in order to study the conditions for gastric juice secretion, he let a dog with its esophagus cut off eat in a hungry state. Although the food did not enter the stomach, gastric juice could still be observed to flow out. After that, Pavlov confirmed that the impulse of the vagus nerve could cause gastric juice secretion.

Today, a large number of dogs are still used as experimental animals, the most common of which are beagles .

Beagles are the most commonly used experimental dogs | Mary Altaffer

Why beagles? The biggest advantage of beagles as experimental animals is two words: stability .

1. Stable genetic performance : For some experiments that need to be repeated or that require different individuals to control variables for comparison, the individual differences of the experimental subjects should be as small as possible. Beagles not only have little difference in body size, but also have no obvious genetic defects and relatively few genetic diseases .

2. Stable personality: Beagles are gentle to people, less aggressive, and have good obedience.

3. Stable physique: Strong adaptability to the environment and immunity, not prone to illness.

4. Stable output: sexual maturity is early, about 8 to 12 months, and the number of offspring is large.

Beagles meet almost all the requirements for experimental animals and have no obvious shortcomings. They are recognized as ideal domestic dogs for experiments and have become the most standard dog breed for current experimental research .

What experiments are dogs used for?

Before conducting an experiment, the experimental dogs must be screened. The screening criteria for experimental dogs vary depending on the purpose of the experiment.

Ordinary laboratory dogs usually include the following pathogens and bacteria detection items:

Salmonella

Skin pathogenic fungi

Brucella

Leptospira

Rabies virus

Canine Parvovirus

Canine distemper virus

Infectious canine hepatitis virus

In simple terms, experimental dogs cannot carry zoonotic diseases or canine infectious diseases. This is the minimum requirement . When conducting some advanced biological experiments, more pathogenic microorganisms must be excluded.

At present, there are many laboratory dog ​​breeding institutions operating commercially at home and abroad, which can breed and sell laboratory dogs. The growth environment of these laboratory dogs has the most basic biosafety guarantee , and the laboratory dogs they sell are relatively more stable and safer. Of course, some pet hospitals or veterinary schools will conduct physical examinations after rescuing and adopting stray animals, and use some stray animals in good condition as experimental animals.

Experimental dogs have been widely used in basic medical research such as biochemistry, microbiology, pathology, virology, pharmacology, and oncology (such as the etiology and treatment of cancer).

The dog's nervous system and blood circulatory system are very developed , making it a good animal model for studying hemorrhagic shock, disseminated intravascular coagulation, animal atherosclerosis, and especially for studying the deposition of lipids in arterial walls.

The experimental dog "No. 33" had his pancreas removed and contributed to the discovery of insulin. After his death, he was later named Marjorie｜Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto

In the training of small animal clinical veterinarians, experimental dogs are also often used for teaching , such as practicing surgical operations (anesthesia, hemostasis, suturing) and imaging (such as X-ray positioning and B-ultrasound) experimental operations.

What kind of fate do “retired” experimental dogs face?

Before answering this question, I need to emphasize again that not every experimental dog can live to retire. Some studies, depending on the purpose of the experiment, may need to kill animals to obtain some samples , so these experimental dogs will die during the experiment. Although some experimental dogs have assisted humans in completing the experiment, their physiological functions have been damaged , so they may be euthanized after completing the experiment .

For some experimental dogs, the research content does not require obtaining samples, or they are only used for training and teaching. In this case, they can be retired after the experiment and seek adoption from the public.

Unfortunately, even if a laboratory dog ​​who is lucky enough to survive until retirement meets an angelic owner, the rest of his life may be bumpy .

Pearl slowly adapts to family life｜@杜江探记/weibo

The beagle rescued by Huo Siyan and her husband had its spleen removed. So how will it spend the rest of its life after retirement?

The spleen is an important peripheral lymphoid organ that can produce a variety of immune active cytokines. It is also the main organ for blood storage, hematopoiesis, blood filtration, and blood destruction. It has important immune regulation, anti-infection, anti-tumor, endocrine, and production of properdin and phagocytic peptide. If an organ that can support both the blood circulation system and the immune system is damaged, the body's immunity will decline, and it will be more difficult to recover when the body is in a state of stress such as exercise, blood loss, and hypoxia.

Even physically intact lab dogs may have behavioral or psychological problems.

Many experimental dogs have been caged since childhood and have not been socialized . They have not been trained for some very routine things, including going out for activities, going out or defecating at designated places. Therefore, they may take a long time to learn, or may not be able to learn. Some experimental dogs will develop psychological problems during growth or the experiment process, and may be afraid of socializing with other people or dogs for a long time after being adopted.

Unavoidable animal testing

Experimental animals are not willing to sacrifice for humans. For the development of science and technology, we will inevitably use experimental animals. This must at least follow the 3R principle of animal welfare , use experimental animals scientifically, reasonably and humanely, and reduce unnecessary pain and sacrifice of experimental animals.

Objectively speaking, all scientific researchers who use experimental animals will face animal welfare ethical reviews. Failure to follow welfare principles and using experimental animals in violation of regulations will render their scientific research results invalid and all their efforts will be wasted.

"3R" (reduction, substitution, optimization) principle:

Reduction: If experimental animals must be used in a research plan and there are no feasible alternatives, the number of animals used should be reduced to the minimum required to achieve the scientific research objectives .

Replacement: refers to the use of lower-level animals instead of higher-level animals, or the use of other methods to achieve the same purpose as animal experiments instead of using living vertebrates for experiments.

Refinement: It means improving animal facilities, feeding management and experimental conditions, selecting experimental animals, technical routes and experimental methods, optimizing experimental operation techniques, minimizing the damage to the animal body during the experiment, reducing the pain and stress response suffered by animals , and achieving scientific results in animal experiments.

On the other hand, many researchers or veterinarians in the biological and medical fields also suffer tremendous psychological pressure when conducting animal experiments. Some kind-hearted and empathetic people may even experience " compassion fatigue " and show the following symptoms: emotional depression and frequent complaints; indifference to some things; neglect of their own health and persistent physical health problems; the urge to save animals in need, etc.

For people who work with experimental animals, facing the death of an animal or euthanasia can trigger these emotions. This can happen at any stage in a career, but newer and younger people are more susceptible .

As ordinary people, we have all more or less accepted the gift of medical development brought by experimental animals. We should face up to the contributions that experimental animals have made to mankind and be grateful for their efforts. If you plan to adopt a laboratory dog, the owner should also be fully prepared to welcome a life that is physically or mentally injured.

Author:SamKaKeru

Edited by: Yellowtail Pollock

This article comes from GuokrNature (ID: GuokrNature)