Welch's and animal testing - Paw Talk

SwC · #1 05-30-2006, 07:57 AM

http://www.caringconsumer.com/products_welchs.asp
Thought this was interesting as I never had any idea a few of these companies used live animal testing for products. Was surprising as I use alot of them including the Noni Juice to include giving to some of my babies when they are ill. Guess I'll be rethinking some of those products now. Have to give Welch's congrats for rethinking thier animal testing polices though!!

moonchild · #2 06-11-2006, 01:52 AM

I question claims when organizations like PETA are involved. Although they do a lot of good, extremest animal rights groups sometimes exagerate the facts. Not all animal testing is bad and unnessary. I would like to know more about this problem from an unbias sourse.

Medical products are often tested on animals first, and the one company I checked into, there are strick guidelines as to how the animals are treated. Medical products can't be put into humans without being tested first. Some companies donate products such as pace makers to animal hospitals, when the products have sat on the shelf too long. You wouldn't want a pace maker in you if it had only 8 years of life left, but that is plenty good for a 7 year old dog.

Fubie · #3 06-12-2006, 11:41 PM

Don't be fooled by "humane" animal testing, do you realize that rodents and birds aren't considered animals? This means they can do whatever they want, the draize test..vivesections. Do you know what a vivsection is? Cutting open a live animal. A common practice.
I have a picture of a rabbit tied down and about to be cut open, would you like to see that?
and ALL medicines are tested on animals.
Now, don't think that all the suffering countless animals have to endure is made up by a few left overs.
Yeah, PETA may go over board, but I certainly wouldn't believe the people actually experimenting on the animals that they're humane,of course they're going to say that.

moonchild · #4 06-13-2006, 02:56 AM

I just know that the companies around where I live that use animals in the labs have to go by standards set out by the Board of Veterinarians Medicine. It may be different in your area.

What bothers me more is the way animals are raised on some "factory farms." I don't even want to discribe it.

millie121 · #5 06-14-2006, 01:37 PM

This is a hot button issue, but I'll give my 2 cents. Animal research is highly regulated, and even though there are species not covered under the animal welfare act, reputable organizations follow the "Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals" and are AAALAC certified (Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International). These guidelines are very strict, include rodents and birds, and require unannounced inspections. Pain and distress would ruin the results obtained during a study, so even if anyone thinks animal researchers are heartless (which they aren't) it doesn't make financial sense to have anything but healthy happy animals.

Do I wish that there was no need for animal research? Yes. But, these are required by regulatory agencies for approval of drugs, regristration or re-registration of pesticdes, etc., and at this time, the best method for having a reasonable measure of safety is animal testing. Just think of Thalidomide; better animal tests could have prevented thousands of fetal malformations in Europe and Canada. The FDA refused to approve this drug for use in the United States because of the poor design and conduct of animal studies.

This is one of the major reasons studies are subject to various good laboratory practices...to ensure good conduct and proper interpretation.

Anyhow, I could go on and on about this. I'm actually a convert from believing animal research was wrong for any reason to believing well planned, meaningful animal research makes us safer. I guess as I grew up and got more perspective on the world I don't see things as cut and dry as I did when younger.

moonchild · #6 06-15-2006, 02:34 AM

My guess is that if there is some abuse of animals going on in labs, but research isn't the reason, it's the excuse. I'm sure some labs have unknowingly hired animal abusers, just as some schools have unknowingly hired child molesters. Abusers should be thrown in jail, but it would be crazy to shut down all labs and schools because there are abusers out there!