NIH funds animal experiments at NC universities

North Carolina Rep. Don Davis, NC-01, along with 12 other members of Congress have requested a government audit to examine federal agencies spending taxpayer dollars on painful dog and cat experiments, something top universities in North Carolina have conducted using federal funds. 

Though some agencies, like the Department of Veterans Affairs, have eliminated testing on cats and dogs, most have not and spend millions annually on animal testing.

In North Carolina specifically, top universities have conducted experiments using dozens of cats and dogs. In 2023 alone, NC State used 32 dogs in painful experiments and 7 in testing without pain. They also had 44 cats in their labs that were not yet used for research. Duke used 6 dogs in painful experiments and 24 in testing without pain. They also had 2 dogs in their labs who were not yet used for research. Wake Forest used 17 cats in painful tests.

An NIH-funded lab at UNC-Chapel Hill intentionally breeds hundreds of puppies to suffer from bleeding disorders for what a White Coat Waste Project (WCW) investigation determined were cruel and deadly experiments. The project currently has a $10M NIH-funded contract (2019-2025). It received another $15.6 M from NIH for 1999-2019. Records indicate between 120-150 dogs are bred each year at the lab, and some dogs are bred to act as a “walking blood bank” for “severe bleeders.”

“According to an April 2021 report submitted to NIH by UNC and obtained by WCW, 114 of these dogs were used in experiments “largely supported by the NIH/NHLBI” in 2020. Sadly, the dogs are killed upon the conclusion of the taxpayer-funded experiments, with UNC noting that “necropsy will be performed on dogs, experimental or control, after completion of the planned experiment.””

The Carolina Journal reached out to the four North Carolina universities about the animal experiments. In response, UNC-Chapel Hill explained that researchers at Carolina’s internationally recognized Francis Owen Blood Research Laboratory are making ground-breaking discoveries that advance the diagnosis and treatment of hemophilia, which is a serious bleeding disorder that can result in chronic joint disease and pain, bleeding in the brain resulting in seizures and paralysis and death. The research done in the lab has reportedly saved thousands of lives and has led to new screening tests and therapeutic innovations used by hospitals around the world.

“Advances in the science and treatment of blood disease and the difference they have made in the quality of life for people suffering from inherited blood disorders would have been impossible to achieve without dogs that have hemophilia,” UNC-Chapel Hill said in a statement. “There is no other naturally occurring case of hemophilia in animals that so faithfully reproduces the human condition, nor would computer simulations allow research to be translated into the tests and therapeutics that now make possible the life-saving standard of care available to hemophilia patients.”

Officials said work at the Francis Owen Lab is subject to UNC-Chapel Hill’s internal oversight and the NIH’s approval process for awarding grant funding and overseeing the proper care of the dogs.

The White Coat Waste Project recently brought Uno, the first of nearly 4,000 beagles rescued from an animal testing facility in 2022, to Capitol Hill for legislators to meet. Members of Congress have asked that the Government Accountability Office review and evaluate policies and practices related to taxpayer-funded research, experimentation, and testing on dogs and cats. In the letter, the legislators say there is a lack of basic transparency about animal use and spending related to research funded by federal agencies like the National Institute of Health. 

“Despite repeated requests from Congress, we still do not know how many dogs and cats are being used in federally-funded research, what they are used for, how much it costs taxpayers, and what our return on investment is,” reads the letter. “This is bad for taxpayers and animals.”

👏 Thank you @RepDonDavis for leading efforts to cut wasteful government spending on animal tests in the US & overseas! Animals & taxpayers have lucky to have you in Washington! pic.twitter.com/Ga5Rtj9VXu

— White Coat Waste Project 🥼🗑️ (@WhiteCoatWaste) December 10, 2024

Anthony Bellotti, president and founder of government watchdog White Coat Waste, noted the issue’s bipartisan nature and applauded Davis for working to defund the wasteful program.

“Taxpayers have a right to know how much of their hard-earned money is being wasted by UNC and other labs to torture puppies and kittens in barbaric and outdated experiments,” said Anthony Bellotti, president and founder of government watchdog White Coat Waste. “A staggering 85 percent of taxpayers—Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike—oppose the government’s painful testing on dogs and cats and we’re grateful to Rep. Don Davis and his colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their outstanding work to investigate and defund these wasteful programs.”

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