Kinship Circle Letter Campaigns & Animal Rights Activism

Behind every IAMS experiement is a vulnerable being. Caged cats and dogs.

By Brenda Shoss, 1/5/05

Dying For Kibble: IAMS Experiments On Cats And Dogs
Yes, my animals are spoiled. Stanley the Lhasa Apso enjoys monthly acupuncture to treat arthritis. Cleveland, the sensitive Lhasa–Poodle, takes a homeopathic version of Prozac. Rebekkah is our feline princess and Garfield–like Isaiah snoozes atop anything or anyone.

Currently, the fur kids feast on natural vittles free of byproducts, chemicals and dyes. Awhile back, they ate Iams.

Like many consumers, I bought the Iams Company vow of health and longevity. After all, Iams and Eukanuba pet foods undergo extensive research before they hit retail shelves.

But People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) shattered my allegiance to Iams with a “dark and sordid secret.” It turns out the Procter & Gamble subsidiary funds tests on hundreds of cats and dogs—animals just like Stanley, Cleveland, Rebekkah and Isaiah.

For nine months in 2002 and early 2003 a PETA spy worked inside an Iams–sponsored laboratory. At the time, Iams employed over 30 contract labs and university research centers to conduct off–site animal testing. PETA’s findings, available in broadcast video format, generally contradict Iams’ publicized research policy.

Iams Company Research Policy, #4: “We will not fund or participate in any study requiring or resulting in the euthanasia of cats or dogs.” PETA’s investigator found 60 dazed dogs with muscle chunks severed from their thighs heaped on a cold, paint–flecked floor. Two dogs died post–surgery and at least 27 were killed over the course of the experiment.

Iams Research Policy, #5: “Research will be closely monitored at internal and external facilities—with the goal being to eliminate even minor pain or discomfort.” PETA’s agent worked alongside inexperienced vet technicians. They advised her to revive dogs in respiratory failure by beating their chests. A lab tech toting a dead dog in a plastic bag told her the dog “bled out its mouth” before dying in his cage. Another worker recalled a live kitten flushed down a drain. She saw throat–implanted tubes pumping vegetable oil into dogs' bellies.

Iams Research Policy, #3: “We will ensure the humane treatment of cats and dogs, and provide for animal well being, socialization and husbandry." PETA’s observer encountered “stir–crazy” animals restrained in steel cages or cement cells for up to six years. Dogs cried out in pain when their paws splayed over the metal–slat flooring. In one video segment dogs frantically circled empty enclosures as an aloof Iams representative passed by.

Cats occupied a cinderblock room with unstable “resting” boards. One board fatally squashed a cat during the investigation. The lab director did not remove the illegal boards until warned about an impending inspection.

Iams Research Policy, #3: “We will also meet or exceed standards established by the Animal Welfare Act of the US, the US Department of Agriculture and Directive 86/609/EEC of the European Union.” The investigator noted an extreme lack of veterinary care. Dogs with excessive tartar were unable to chew food. One dog limped due to untreated Lyme disease. A cat who hadn’t eaten for days perished without medical attention.

During inspection, an Iams veterinarian ignored a dog who had just delivered puppies in a cement kennel with no bedding. Two dogs died inside the frigid building with 34–degree temperatures.

Iams Research Policy, #1: “The results must help veterinarians and pet owners worldwide nutritionally enhance the well–being of cats and dogs.” Iams promises to not mutilate animals or conduct non–essential research. Yet PETA’s investigator saw lab techs repeatedly draw blood from dogs reserved for non–invasive metabolic studies. The blood was sold to other labs. A lab director ordered techs to cut dogs’ vocal cords because he had grown weary of their attention–seeking yelps. Iams did not halt the unnecessary debarking surgery.

Before PETA’s exposition, the England–based group Uncaged combed science journals for Iams lab records. In 2001, the UK’s Sunday Express ran a front–page story disclosing Iams–funded experiments on cats, dogs and other animals. In response to allegations and bad press, Iams has pledged various reforms. Last fall, they announced arrangements to consolidate off–site testing within their Dayton facility by 2006.

PETA calls plans to centralize over twice as many cats and dogs another example of Iams’ “token gestures.” At a 2004 Pet Food Forum, Iams’ Dan Carey introduced an initiative to reward animals 30 minutes of exercise/socialization on weekdays. This leaves 23–1/2 hours cooped in a cage. Carey feels the half–hour breaks enable dogs and cats to spend their “entire lives” in labs.

Iams claims to now supply toys, behavior training, group play and care. Long–term caging is renamed “Lifetime Destiny” and unadoptable dogs spend their golden years in a “retirement center.” Some animals are reportedly adopted into loving homes.

But Iams will not release files on the number of animals used, years of confinement, authenticity of adoptions, or existence of a retirement center. Moreover, Iams does not take responsibility for its leased animals. PETA asserts hundreds of beagles were left in “the same hideous conditions we found them in. Iams said they belonged to the [contract] laboratory.”

Must some dogs and cats lead bleak lives so other dogs and cats can thrive? The

caged animals.

American Association of Feed Control Officers (AAFCO) does not legally require manufacturers to experiment on animals to earn its seal of approval. To confirm this, PETA attended AAFCO meetings and acquired written verification from the Food and Drug Administration.

Nonetheless, Iams routinely subsidizes tests for palatability, discovery phase, and metabolized energy. Hills Science Diet, Nestlé Purina/Friskies (Alpo, Proplan, Gourmet), Pedigree, Menu Foods (Petsmart Authority, Award, Safeway Select), and other brands also fund animal experiments.

Pet–food producers are only obligated to reveal nutritional content, which can be evaluated through chemical analysis of ingredients as well as harmless in–home trials.

Some companies collaborate with veterinary clinics in voluntary trials that use animals with preexisting conditions. Over 40 companion–animal food makers rely upon a humane testing protocol.

According to PETA, Iams pursues animal experimentation more discreetly nowadays. For example, they may underwrite a chair position at a university with nutritional trial labs or sponsor vivisection–related conferences. The Federal Trade Commission believes Iams’ research policy, published on its website, may mislead consumers and violate “Section 5 of the FTC Act.” In the UK, Iams is under investigation by the Advertising Standards Authority.

Personally, I won’t purchase food from a company until it commits to a no–animal testing policy. For my money, the best companion cuisine is the one without “misery” in its list of ingredients.

WHAT YOU CAN DO
Request sample letters to the Iams Company: info@kinshipcircle.org

Video footage from PETA’s investigation: http:www.iamscruelty.com/iams-video.asp

Companion animal food makers that do not animal test:
http://www.iamscruelty.com/res.asp

PHOTOS:Animals from the Iams contract laboratory PETA investigated (2002–2003).
To read their individual stories, visit: www.iamscruelty.com/iams-photos.asp

Iams laboratory kitten
This is Sally
This is Maxine
Iams refused to fund or compel the laboratory to make changes. In one recorded scene, the lab
director told PETA’s investigator Iams would “pretend to provide socialization and enrichment
until the animal rights people got off its back.”
No–Name (Lab ID: HJBMCN)
Cement–floor kennel at Iams contract laboratory
This is Christmas (Lab ID: MAS)

To reprint this article in your publication, web site or list, please request author permission: info@kinshipcircle.org

Kinship Circle’s column runs bimonthly in The Healthy Planet. Ms. Shoss is also a contributing writer for The Animals Voice, Satya Magazine, VegNews, and other publications. If you would like to reprint this column, please request author permission at info@kinshipcircle.org

PRINTER FRIENDLY

The Iams Company: A Legacy of Animal Testing

Iams markets a superior pet food product, based on seemingly benign nutritional studies. Consumers bypass cheaper brands to give their companions the best cuisine money can buy.

But behind the promise of health and longevity are some less fortunate cats and dogs locked inside sterile laboratories for a lifetime of experimentation. The Iams Company denies allegations of invasive animal testing. Yet data from Iams-funded research on hundreds of animals is recorded in scientific journals:

AUGUST 1991: Kidneys are extracted from dogs who undergo invasive tests and are eventually killed.
University of Georgia and The Iams Company: Effect of dietary protein on functional, morphologic, and histologic changes of the kidney during compensatory renal growth in dogs, Am J Vet Res, Vol 52, No. 8, August 1991: 1357–1365. JV White, DA Hirakawa* (Iams), et al.

SUMMARY: To induce “rapid onset, severe symptoms” associated with acute renal failure, the right kidneys are removed from 24 young mix–breed dogs. Through two incisions in the abdomen, one kidney is dislodged. Blood flow to the remaining kidney is obstructed to impair 75% kidney function and leave dogs with 1/8 of their normal renal capacity.

When kidneys fail, accumulated waste in the blood leads to poisoning and eventual death. Dogs may experience "depression, loss of appetite, thirst and vomiting. The back may be arched, and there may be stiffness. There is fever, and sometimes ulcers are present in the mouth." (Black's Veterinary Dictionary: 292)

For this study, 22 dogs are analyzed up to 14 months. Four dogs are euthanized due to severe uremia (Oxford Medical Dictionary: “The presence of excessive amounts of... waste products in the blood... occurs in kidney failure and results in nausea, vomiting, lethargy, drowsiness and eventually death.' Black's Veterinary Dictionary: “Death may be preceded by convulsions and unconsciousness.”)

Eight dogs are destroyed after seven months to observe their diseased kidneys. Another 10 dogs are killed seven months later.

From 2001 front–page expose´ in the UK’s Sunday Express: “...24 young dogs had their right kidneys removed and the left partly damaged to investigate how protein affects dogs with kidney failure. Eight dogs were killed to analyse the kidney tissue. Dogs which became sick were not treated because it would have undermined the test results."

*Diane Hirakawa, Senior Vice President of Research and Development, Iams

APRIL 1994: The stomachs of 16 German Shepherds are repetitively cut to excise sections of their intestines.
Texas A&M University and The Iams Company: Characterization of naturally developing small intestinal bacterial overgrowth in 16 German Shepherd Dogs, JAVMA, Vol 204, No. 8, April 15, 1994: 1201–1206. MD Willard, DP Carey* (Iams), GA Reinhart* (Iams) et al.

*Dan Carey, Director of Technical Services, Iams
*Gregory A. Reinhart, Vice President, Strategic Research and Communications
Research and Development Division, Iams

MAY 1994: 6 dogs undergo invasive techniques to evaluate bacterial overgrowth in their small intestines.
Texas A&M University and The Iams Company: Effects of dietary supplementation of fructo–oligosaccharides on small intestinal bacterial overgrowth in dogs, Am J Vet Res, Vol 55, No.5, May 1994: 654–659. MD Willard, G Reinhart (Iams), et al.

SEPTEMBER 1994: Kidneys are extracted from 31 older dogs to stimulate renal damage. Surviving dogs are examined for 48 months, then killed and dissected.
University of Georgia and The Iams Company: Effects of aging and dietary protein intake on uninephrectomized geriatric dogs, Am J vet Res, Vol 55, No.9, September 1994: 1282–1290. Delmar R Finco, Daniel P Carey (Iams), Diane A Hirakawa (Iams) et al.

1996: Stomachs are sliced open and tubes affixed to the intestines of 15 dogs. Every 10 minutes within a 2–hour time block, stomach contents are mechanically purged through the tubes. All dogs are killed at the end of the experiment.
University of Nebraska–Lincoln and The Iams Company: Colonic mucosal tissue energetics and electrolyte transport in dogs fed cellulose, beet pulp or pectin/gum arabic as their primary fiber source, Nutrition Research, Vol 16, No.2: 303–313 (1996). JE Hallman, GA Reinhart (Iams) et al.

1996: Dogs’ intestines are exposed and bonded outside their bodies to study the effects of dietary fibers.
University of Illinois and The Iams Company: Nutrient Digestion by Ileal Cannulated Dogs as Affected by Dietary Fibers with Various Fermentation Characteristics, J. Anim. Sci. 1996. 74: 1641–1648. HE Muir, GA Reinhart (Iams) et al.

JUNE 1996: After the kidneys of 18 healthy beagle puppies are chemically damaged, they are fed trial diets and tubes are implanted into their penises. All puppies are killed when the study ends.
Colorado State University and The Iams Company: Effects of dietary n–3 fatty acid supplementation versus thromboxane synthetase inhibition on gentamicin–induced nephrotoxicosis in healthy male dogs, AJVR, Vol 57, No.6, June 1996: 948–956. Gregory F Grauer, Gregory A Reinhart (Iams) et al.

1997: Portions of large intestines are surgically cut out of 28 dogs to review the influence of dietary fiber.
University of Missouri and The Iams Company: Dietary fiber sources alter colonic blood flow and epithelial cell proliferation of dogs, J. Anim. Sci. 1997. 74(Suppl. 1). MD Howard, GD Sunvold* (Iams), GA Reinhart (Iams) et al.

*Gregory Sunvold, Director of Clinical Research and Intellectual Properties, Iams

1998: Bones from the front and hind legs of 18 dogs are surgically exposed and irritated until they fracture.
University of Wisconsin and The Iams Company: Nutritional Effects on Bone Strength in the Growing Canine, Proceedings of the 1998 Iams Nutrition Symposium: 29–40. Thomas D Crenshaw, Allan J Lepine* (Iams) et al.

*A.J. Lepine, Research and Development Division, Iams

1998: 28 cats are surgically manipulated into kidney failure. Those who do not die are later killed to gauge the repercussions of protein on diseased kidneys.
University of Georgia and The Iams Company: Influence of Protein and Energy in Cats with Renal Failure, In: Reinhart GA, Carey DP, eds. Recent Advances in Canine and Feline Nutrition, Volume II: 1998 Iams Nutrition Symposium Proceedings. D. Sunvold (Iams) et al.

1998: Intestinal pieces are removed through the sliced open bellies of 16 dogs.
University of Alberta and The Iams Company: Fermentable Dietary Fiber Increases GLP–1 Secretion and Improves Glucose Homeostasis Despite Increased Glucose Transport Capacity in Healthy Dogs, Journal of the American Society for Nutritional Sciences: 1786–1793 (1998). Stefan P Massimino, Michael G Hayek (Iams), Gregory D Sunvold (Iams) et al.

1998: Intestinal sections are removed and immune systems are agitated in 16 dogs to explore the effects of fiber.
University of Alberta and The Iams Company: Interaction of Fiber Fermentation and Immunology of the Gastrointestinal Tract, Proceedings of the 1998 Iams Nutrition Symposium: 523–530. Catherine J Field, Michael G Hayek (Iams), Gregory D Sunvold (Iams) et al.

1998: Tissue samples from large and small intestines are extracted from 5 dogs to assess intestinal tract requirements.
University of Illinois and The Iams Company: Energetic Substrates for Intestinal Cells, Proceedings of the 1998 Iams Nutrition Symposium: 463–472. James K Drackley, Gregory D Sunvold (Iams) et al.

JULY 1998: To evaluate wound recovery during the inflammatory stage, 30 dogs are purposefully injured. Skin patches containing the wounds are cut from their bodies.
Auburn University and The Iams Company: Evaluation of the effects of omega–3 fatty acid–containing diets on the inflammatory stage of wound–healing in dogs, AJVR, Vol 59, No. 7, July 1998: 859–863. Mark A Mooney, Gregory A Reinhart (Iams) et al.

DECEMBER 1998: After killing six healthy Great Dane puppies, experimenters “mince, lyophilize, fat extract with light petrol, dry and grind” the 6–month–old dogs to wage a “total body analysis.”
Ludwig–Maximilians University (Munich) and The Iams Company: Body composition of puppies and young dogs, J Nut 1998 Dec; 128(12):2680S–3S. Kienzle E., Zentek J.* (Iams), Meyer H.

*Jürgen Zentek, Iams Chair in Clinical Nutrition, University of Vienna, Austria

1999: Tubes grafted into the intestines of 6 dogs regularly drain fluids in an experimental attempt to weigh the efficacy of high–starch flours in canine diets.
University of Illinois and The Iams Company: Evaluation of Selected High–Starch Flours as Ingredients in Canine Diets, J. Anim. Sci. 1999. 77:2180–2186. SM Murray, GD Sunvold (Iams), GA Reinhart (Iams) et al.

MARCH 1999: 10 dogs are destroyed to analyze how dietary fiber impacts canines.
Mississippi State University and The Iams Company: Influence of fermentable fiber on small intestinal dimensions and transport of glucose and proline in dogs, AJVR, Vol 60, No.3, March 1999: 354–358. Randal K Buddington, Greg D Sunvold (Iams) et al.

2000: In a two–hour operation, the stomachs of 28 cats are laid open to allow experimenters to watch reactions to fiber ingestion.
University of Nebraska–Lincoln and The Iams Company: Feline colonic microbes and fatty acid transport: effects of feeding cellulose, beet pulp and pectin/gum arabic fibers, Nutrition Research, Vol 20, No.9, pp. 1319–1328 (2000). AR Bueno, GD Sunvold (Iams), GA Reinhart (Iams) et al.

SUMMARY: Short–hair female cats, ages 2–5, are divided into sets of two or three, caged indoors, and fed various diets for 2–3 weeks. One cat is discarded for “a unthrifty appearance.”

Animals anesthetized for the “colonic perfusion study” are positioned on their sides, their abdomens are split open, and a catheter is installed in their colons. A tube is also forced inside each animal’s rectum. After their bowels are flushed, a test solution is pumped through the empty bowels and collected every ten minutes over two hours.

During the next phase of the study, sections of the caecum and colon are extracted. The paper does not indicate whether cats are killed before, during or after this phase.

From UK’s Sunday Express report on Iams cat/dog experimentation: “In another experiment, the stomachs of 28 cats were exposed so scientists could analyse the effects of feeding them fibre. The animals were operated on for at least two hours and then killed."

MAY 2000: 24 female cats are sterilized and over–fed until clinically obese, followed by drastic food–reduction to imitate “rapid weight loss in cats.” Three liver biopsies are performed on the cats during testing.
University of Kentucky and The Iams Company: Effect of dietary protein quality and fatty acid composition on plasma lipoprotein concentrations and hepatic triglyceride fatty acid synthesis in obese cats undergoing rapid weight loss, AJVR, Vol 61, No.5, May 2000: 566–572. Wissam H Ibrahim, Gregory D Sunvold (Iams) et al.

SUMMARY: The paper details 24 female cats, ages 2–5, purchased from a commercial dealer and confined separately. Each cat is "ovariohysterectomized" and then fed a "high quality energy dense diet" (The Iams Company’s Eukanuba) until all are clinically obese (at least 30% over normal body weight) by the eighty day point.

The experimenters comment: “Obese cats are reported to be at greater risk for development of certain diseases, such as osteoarthritis, ligament injuries, perineal dermatitis (inflammation of the skin around the genitals), diabetes mellitus, lower urinary tract disease, and cardiomyopathy (heart disease). Mortality risk is also increased."

Following the obesity phase of the study, the cats undergo a 7–8 week crash diet, consuming 25% of their “energy requirements” until they lose “30 to 40% of their obese body weight.” During this stage, designed to emulate “rapid weight loss in cats,” two cats are unable to ingest even a quarter of their nutritional requirements.

The experimenters admit: “Safe, rapid weight loss in cats can be difficult, because cats have special dietary requirements that appear to make them more susceptible than other species to HL."

HL, or hepatic lipidosis, is a form of liver disease that leads to impaired liver function. The paper describes three cats who progress to HL as a result of the accelerated “weight loss period.” All of the cats endure three invasive liver biopsies during the study.

From UK’s Express report on Iams cat/dog experimentation: “The research team sterilised 24 female cats, which were over–fed until they become obese. They were then starved on a crash diet and when they had lost a third of their weight their livers were examined to investigate the link between weight loss and liver disease."

2000: New–born husky puppies are injected with live virus vaccines and allergens to elicit chronic allergic response.
University of Calgary and The Iams Company: Hypersensitivity Reactions to Dietary Antigens in Atopic Dogs, Proceedings of the 2000 Iams Nutrition Symposium: 69– 77. Merle E Olson, Michael G Hayek (Iams) et al.

SUMMARY: This paper imparts data about 11 “Crossbred sled” new born puppies injected with a cocktail of attenuated live virus vaccines—Distemper, hepatitis and parvovirus—10 times over the first 85 days of life. Food antigens are also administered subcutaneously. Three more non–sensitised dogs undergo the same procedures as the rest of the test group.

To determine if the animals have been “successfully sensitised,” skin tests are conducted at six and 10 months of age, with no reference to use of local or genera anesthetic. Food allergens (soy, casein, chicken liver) are injected “intradermally” at four potency levels. Low–strength doses generally provoke a skin reaction. Highmagnitude injections are 100,000 times stronger than lowest concentration injections (0.02 micrograms vs 2000 micrograms). Some high–concentration injections trigger welts similar to large hives in appearance.

Allergens are also injected into each puppy’s stomach lining to probe gastroscopic food sensitivity. The higher strength inoculations prompt expansion of blood capillaries (erythema & oedema), resulting in moderate to severe inflammation with fluid–filled bulges and redness.

Skin and stomach test results are monitored for a month, while the puppies consume allergic diets. The experimenters record: “[All 11 puppies] develop moderate to severe diarrhea and lose weight. Furthermore 8 of the 11 sensitised dogs demonstrate dermatological reactions that include hair loss and pruritis [eczema–like itching]... Clinical signs develop within the first week of feeding the sensitising diet and persist as long as the diet is provided... Moderate to severe pruritis, with and without lesions, is also observed in sensitised dogs receiving diets containing the allergens.”

From the UK’s Express 2001 report: “The company also sponsored research in which 14 husky puppies were repeatedly injected with live vaccines and allergy causing proteins for the first 12 weeks of their lives. They developed permanent illnesses in the test, which was designed to see how severely allergic they would become."

2000: For a study predicated on the rationale that dogs with drab coats “are not handled as much,” chest wounds are repeatedly inflicted upon 36 dogs to establish the role of diet in fur regrowth.
Texas A&M and The Iams Company: The Role of Nutrition on the Canine Hair Follicle: A Preliminary Report, Proceedings of the 2000 Iams Nutrition Symposium: 37–53. Kelly M Credille, GA Reinhart (Iams), GM Davenport (Iams) et al.

SUMMARY: Under local anesthetic, two 6mm portions of skin are biopsied from each of 12 Siberian Huskies, 12 Miniature Poodles, and 12 Labrador Retrievers (puppies and older dogs) every three weeks for 18 weeks. By the end of the experiment, each dog sustains 12 body wounds. The experimenters acknowledge: “Overall, there is little to distinguish the dogs fed the high– and low–quality diets.”

The final experiment referred to in the UK’s Express story: "Twelve huskies, 12 poodles and 12 labradors were regularly given chest wounds to see if diet could affect fur regrowth. This was justified in the study on the grounds that 'dogs are enjoyable to touch and look at. Dogs with coat problems are simply not handled as much.' "

2000: Bone and cartilage is surgically extracted from healthy puppies, chicks and rats to observe bone and joint regeneration.
Purdue University and The Iams Company: Relationships of Fat Quality and Antioxidants in Bone and Cartilage, Proceedings of the 2000 Iams Nutrition Symposium: 505–514. Bruce A Watkins, Allan J Lepine (Iams), C. Gregory Aldrich (Iams), Michael G Hayek (Iams), et al.

2000: The ovaries and uteruses of 56 dogs are removed to contemplate how beta carotene impacts “reproductive performance.”
Washington State University and The Iams Company: Beta–Carotene uptake and changes in ovarian steroids and uterine proteins during the estrous cycle in the canine, J. Anim. Sci. 2000. 78:1284–1290. BC Weng, AJ Lepine (Iams), et al.

2000: Tubes are implanted through the chests of 8 healthy dogs to examine fat absorption.
The Ohio State University and The Iams Company: Transport Pathways of Enterally Administered Medium–Chain Triglycerides in Dogs, Proceedings of the 2000 Iams Nutrition Symposium: 143–152. Jennifer D Newton, GA Reinhart (Iams), et al.

2003: Shortly before joining the Iams research team, Patrick Gavin leads study to determine the safety and precision of “intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)” in 15 young adult dogs.
Spatial accuracy of fractionated IMRT delivery studies in canine paraspinal irradiation, Vet Radiol & Ultrasound 2003;44(3):360–66. Patrick R. Gavin* (Washington State University), et al.

SUMMARY: Dogs are exposed to high–level radiation that causes pathological weakening of the spinal cord (myelomalacia). All dogs are killed upon conclusion of the study. Gavin’s published research paper states: “[W]e wanted to deliver a [radi ation] dose likely to cause severe damage to the spinal cord… The six dogs in Group A developed severe neurologic dysfunction... [T]he dogs were unable to support weight or walk.”

*Patrick R. Gavin, Chief Scientific Officer at the Iams Pet Imaging Center Vienna, Virginia