Trying to move on

The veterinary school is struggling to restore a sense of calm and unity to the campus one month after a canine experiment ended in the euthanasia of six dogs.

The controversy swept through the school and into the media after four students in the Masters of Science in Animals and Public Policy program complained about the school's research on bone healing. The animal subjects' bones were purposefully broken and then allowed to heal using different treatments. All six dogs were subsequently euthanized to study the effects of the treatment.

There is no ongoing research on dogs but Vet School Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Angeline Warner said this was not related to the recent debate.

Doctorate students said they were offended at allegations of animal cruelty, saying the Vet School prides itself on high ethical standards. "If research is going to happen, Tufts is a place that is so ethical that is so concerned about animal welfare and animals not being in harm's way," second year class co-president Alisha Weissman said. "I couldn't believe they were taking this approach," and went to the press.

"When we first returned to campus, the general feeling was that of anger," at the Masters students, Weissman explained. While this feeling has since calmed, Weissman said a sense of disharmony and betrayal amongst the students has emerged from the events.

Weissman also added she is concerned that the opinion of four master students who originally protested the experiments is taken to be that of the entire student body. The masters program has ten students, while there are approximately 240 doctoral students. 201 of these students signed a letter supporting the actions of the researchers which ran in TheBoston Herald.

"We have no conflict in support of our school, its staff, or our love for animals," they wrote in the letter. "Tufts continues to be a leader in veterinary ethics in part because it is receptive to students' ideas."

Masters student Tara Turner said she and three of her peers took action after hearing the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee's (IACUC) decision. The IACUC is a federally mandated body reviews and approves all research at the school.

The graduate students then sent out notices to the media. The Boston Herald, Associated Press and other major news outlets ran stories about the research. Vet School officials said they then received complaints from animal rights activists and several Grafton town residents. A demonstration against the testing was held was on school grounds.

Despite the complaints, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Animal Rescue League found no evidence of animal cruelty following an inspection of the veterinary school.

Turner bristled at the suggestion that she and her fellow masters students had acted irresponsibly by talking to the media. She said that the students only contacted the press after several attempts to resolve the matter internally.

This view is supported by Carter Loup, Vice President of Animal Protection at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. But Loup said that although the Vet School's experiment was appropriate, the experience had been traumatic for the community.

"I think there's a lot of hurt and pain within the [Vet School] family, if you will, right now," Loup said.

According to Dr. Theodora Capaldo, President and Executive Director of New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS), a group of first-year veterinary students also had concerns about the canine study, but did not favor going to the press. NEAVS is an organization that tries to develop alternatives to animal research.

The Vet School allowed the students to review a copy of research guidelines inside the school for a short period. They were then given a weekend to make a proposal for alternative guidelines.

Ultimately, Warner said the proposals "were among those the investigator already considered in his federally-mandated search for alternatives." she said. Warner said non-lethal alternatives would not have provided results that would pass scrutiny in the academic community.

"If the results are not made available to practicing veterinarians through publication, the benefits of treating fractures with this new method would never be made available to dogs, and the scientific contribution made by the dogs in the study would have been lost," Warner said.

Any student can bring concerns about research before the Animal Welfare Committee, which has students, staff and administrators on it. "If the [animal welfare committee] felt there was a problem they would rely their concerns to the IACUC," Warner said.

Turner is preparing a proposal for new IUCAC guidelines for research, which will include an emphasis on non-lethal alternatives in research. She hopes to submit them by the end of the month. Capaldo said the NEAVS will be also be sending a letter with proposed changes.

The researchers from the canine experiment declined to comment for this article, and instead referred questions to Warner. She said although the school had not been charged with any violations, the school would enter a period of evaluation.

"We're entering an honest and open dialogue within the campus community about research and research ethics," she said. "We hope it is a productive dialogue that doesn't just end with people reaching polarized conclusions."

Loup said that though he believed the Vet School had taken the questions raised by the Masters students seriously, the ensuing discussion is still valid. "I think that all institutions need to review periodically how they view research that involves euthanasia and any kind of suffering," he said. "I think that's a good thing."

A new lecture series on research ethics has been launched exclusively for veterinary students on the Grafton campus.

The first talk was given by University Chaplain David O'Leary called "Seven Ethical Habits for DVMs [Doctors of Veterinary Medicine]." Leary, who has a doctorate in medical ethics, said the discussion was "very civil" and the audience engaged in a productive question and answer session at the end. Discussions will be scheduled throughout the semester.

Warner said the disruptions of the past month also forced the school to increase security. All faculty and students must now wear identification badges, which are checked prior to admittance into buildings.

"We're used to being out in the country and not having to worry too much about security and we have to change that now," Warner said.

Weissman said she would like the graduate students to volunteer in the ICU unit, to understand the kind of care the school provides. She had a mixed assessment of the graduate student's actions.

"I commend them for beginning the process and trying to present alternative methods to the research, even though they were scientifically inappropriate," she said. "I don't think they were getting the answers they wanted to hear."

"They started out on the right track on how to voice their opinion, it would have been better if they had spoken to the second, third and fourth year vet students," Weissman said.