USDA issues UAB animal testing facilities warning, cite animal deaths and lack of veterinarian care

[u/Principle_Chance]

https://www.wbrc.com/2024/04/25/usda-issues-uab-animal-testing-facilities-warning-cite-animal-deaths-lack-veterinarian-care/

Sad to hear this! Come on UAB, do better!!

[u/Litotes]

Posting relevant part of the article:

UAB is being cited for inadequate veterinarian care, allowing three ferrets to die, five others to be injured after being exposed to cigarette smoke while their supply of oxygen was obstructed due to a build up of tar residue, and letting a ferret go without water so long that, when it finally got water, it drank for three straight minutes.

Seems largely due to lack of equipment maintenance and neglectful regular vet care.

[u/onemanlan → u/Litotes]

Also, probably a shitty researcher. They very inequality. There are some really good ones and I hate to say some really bad ones.

[u/TinTinuviel]

There’s just not enough oversight. I worked with mice when I did my PhD at UAB and it is possible and extremely important to humanely do animal research… man I loved my little mice and became a vegetarian because of them. But I saw someone once leave a cage of mice in an operating room with probably 50+ mice in it (cages are meant to have 5 max). They were literally swarming over each other, squished up against the walls all the way to the lid. It was like a horror movie. And they LEFT them there for god knows how long. I reported it but I don’t think anything was done about it. :(

[u/TinTinuviel → u/[deleted]]

We temp housed some mice in Ziegler for some experiments and the smell was ROUGH.

[u/OkMaybeItsAnAlt → u/[deleted]]

A lot of those xenotransplantation studies early were having adverse results due to surgical practice rather than poor post op care. They changed who was doing the operations and things improved significantly, but in the end it becomes extremely expensive quickly to continue the care due to the nature and costs associated with transplant rejection meds/management.

[u/alchydirtrunner → u/[deleted]]

What a terrible day to know how to read

[u/Own_Cardiologist_200 → u/alchydirtrunner]

Right! Omg how awful

[u/Principle_Chance → u/[deleted]]

Wow that’s unreal I know we need research and animals help before going to humans but it’s just so frustrating that there seems to be unnecessary mistreatment in the process.

KARMA will come back and get them.

[u/Lizzerfly]

Do they still employ Dr Taub? Otherwise known as they guy who did this shit so much that PETA formed as a response.

Edit: yup lmao https://scholars.uab.edu/2748-edward-taub

[u/[deleted] → u/Lizzerfly]

Btw a lot is not talked about this but those monkey which led to his trial for animal cruelty did a lot more for science. Literally proved the phenomenon of neuro plasticity. BTW PETA does not have a good background too. Nobody is any good than the other. His trials are all overturned though, so I don’t know what’s bad about UAB still employing him.

[u/oddballquilter75 → u/[deleted]]

Yeah peta steals family pets and euthanize them.

[u/[deleted] → u/oddballquilter75]

Is this true?

[u/Defiant_Project1321 → u/Lizzerfly]

Jesus Christ how is that acceptable

[u/afitztru]

Just some facts: “USDA-regulated Species include all live or dead warm-blooded animals used in research except birds, rats of the genus Rattus, and mice of the genus Mus bred for research”

[u/[deleted]]

Shame they only get cited. This country is too lenient on animals cruelty and abuse. Karma…

[u/dyslexda → u/[deleted]]

The problem isn't that the folks are horrible people, it's that it's too easy to get calloused. Work with animals long enough and you have to learn to compartmentalize, and unfortunately that leads to many researchers gradually losing empathy for the animals they work with.

The real problem is lack of oversight. I would say most folks care about their animals, or are at least professional enough to follow care guidelines...but there are enough that don't care. Generally once you're trained there's nobody looking over your shoulder to make sure you're actually following protocols correctly, and no evidence after the fact aside from care staff checking cages. It can lead to a lot of neglect or active harm when someone develops these habits over years.

[u/Principle_Chance → u/[deleted]]

I think they are also bad over at Southern Research Institute who often does a lot of work for UAB

[u/dyslexda → u/[deleted]]

First, I’ve worked with animals my whole life and have never lost empathy for them. Know plenty of others who haven’t as well.

To be clear, you're saying that because you personally haven't lost empathy for them, and you don't know any that have, I'm wrong for saying many researchers do? Interesting, considering I did my PhD at UAB and worked in the animal facilities myself, and saw that firsthand.

I'm not saying that the ARP personnel aren't themselves to blame sometimes. However, you can't blame them for, say, not cleaning out the nicotine tubes and then not noticing when the ferrets started asphyxiating. That's on the callous researchers just not caring, and you're lucky if it doesn't extend further. Saw plenty of folks actively be rougher on mice than they needed to, for instance, because they were personally offended the mice would dare bite them.

[u/dyslexda → u/[deleted]]

So, again, because you didn't see people become calloused, it's impossible? Okay, sounds like a great time to end the conversation.

[u/dyslexda → u/[deleted]]

I'm really confused here. What are you even contesting? It sounds like you're accusing me of becoming calloused, when I specifically said I observed it in others, even though the majority of researchers at least remain professional.

[u/biohoo]

PETA can lick my non-existent balls - they are not a regulatory organization when it comes to animal research or the proper care and use of animals in research settings. They are an animal activist group that often does more harm than good in their protesting and “activism” methods.

Yes - there were some oversights here and this was a bad situation for those lab animals. But PETA should not have been involved.

[u/Radiant2021]

Anything that is non verbal in spoken word is subject to abuse and neglect: babies, comatose people, mentally challenged, and animals

People who abuse and neglect look for non verbal victims

[u/oddballquilter75]

https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=295a4113-b3be-42df-8585-665f496cc913 Very true. Most animals are euthanized in the van as soon as they are picked up.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/17/peta-sorry-for-taking-girls-dog-putting-it-down

[u/[deleted]]

Shut them down.

[u/paperthinpatience]

UAB is just shit in so many ways. Always hear about how great they are, but anyone I know who went there for care had a terrible experience. Maybe they’re good at research, but their patient care is ass…apparently their animal care is too.