Best Friends Betrayed

Iams/Eukanuba has been using dogs and cats in highly invasive experiments that subjected them to major surgeries and implanted them with tubes and other apparatus throughout their bodies. All of the experiments described below have been published in recent journals of veterinary research, most within the past three years.

One cruel experiment to study the effect of extreme weight fluctuations on the liver forced 24 cats to become obese by feeding them a high-calorie diet immediately after being spayed. Once obese, these cats were then starved for 7 to 8 weeks on a diet containing only 25% of the calories needed for maintenance, in order to induce drastic weight loss. The rapid, extreme weight loss forced 3 of the cats to develop hepatic lipidosis, a devastating disease that is difficult to treat and often fatal. No mention is made about the ultimate fate of the surviving cats. (1)

In another study to look at diet and allergies, 14 newborn puppies were manipulated with injections to develop allergens to various food ingredients. When the dogs were later placed on diets containing the allergen, they lost weight, developed moderate to severe diarrhea, hair loss and itching. Twice during the experiment, the dogs had solutions of the allergy- causing ingredient injected into the lining of the stomach while under anesthesia. These dogs will remain allergic for the rest of their lives. (2)

One cruel experiment to study the effect of extreme weight fluctuations on the liver forced cats to become obese by feeding them a high-calorie diet immediately after being spayed. Upon becoming obese, the same cats were then starved for 7 to 8 weeks on a diet containing only 25% of the required calories in order to induce drastic weight loss. The extreme weight fluctuations forced the cats to undergo hepatic lipidosis, a devastating disease that is not easily cured. No mention is made about the ultimate fate of these cats. (3)

A 1998 experiment sponsored by Iams killed 18 young Great Danes to study the effect of diet on bone density. The dogs had been placed on diets with varying amounts of calcium and phosphorus and were later killed so that their bones could be removed and analyzed. (4)

To study fiber in the diet, cats were subjected to surgeries that opened their abdominal cavities and flushed out the contents of the intestines. At the end of the experiment, all 28 cats used in the study had the entire large intestine removed. The study does not state the final fate of these cats. (5)

In fact, most of these experiments do not address what happens to the animals after the experiments. Animals with complex medical problems, missing large sections of their intestines, or forced to develop chronic allergies, are all manipulated to endure a life of disability and suffering.

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