Major Chemical Company Busted for Force-Feeding Pesticides to Dozens of Beagles in Controversial Experiment (with Video)

Photo via the National Humane Society/Screen capture

As far as massive chemical and GMO food giants go, the Midland, Michigan based Dow Chemical company is far from well known in comparison with the two most disliked corporations in recent history, Bayer and Monsanto.

But the company is now drawing the ire of a wide spectrum of activists after an investigation discovered a harsh, potentially lethal experiment being contacted on dozens of dogs in a laboratory setting, prompting a public outcry, and a recent change of policy.

For those who are squeamish about animal testing and people causing harm to animals, this one may be hard to swallow, but the good news is that a large-scale petition, and a timely endeavor from the National Humane Society, has helped put a stop to these tests just in the nick of time.

Thirty-six Beagles Force-Fed Pesticides by Dow Chemical Subsidiary

As reported on in this article from the website Ecowatch.com, a controversial pesticide test that would have resulted in the deaths of 36 beagles has been stopped, the Human Society of the United States and the company linked to the test announced last week.

The announcement came less than a week after the Society released the results of its investigation into animal testing at Charles River Laboratories in Michigan.

The company involved in administering the tests is Corteva Agriscience, the agriculture division of the newly merged DowDupont company.

“We have immediately ended the study that was the subject of attention last week and will make every effort to re-home the animals that were part of the study,” the company said in a statement.

“The company added that it has been working to ‘refine, reduce & replace’ animal tests for years. Today we’re pleased to announce our efforts resulted in a waiver & we can stop the study.

“We’ll make every effort to re-home the animals,” the company’s statement said.

If not for pressure from the Humane Society, which gathered more than 300,000 signatures for a petition to DowDupont urging them to stop the tests, the beagles may not have made it out alive.

The organization also worked with an agricultural body in Brazil to waive a testing requirement for the company, which allowed the beagles to ultimately be saved.

“Today’s victory would also not be possible without you, our followers,” HSUS said in a statement.

“Thousands of you shared the blog and other HSUS communications on the investigation, and took action calling on Dow to release the beagles. Join us today as we celebrate this important win, for the beagles and for our global battle against animal testing.”

Details of Potentially Lethal Tests on Beagles Emerge

The chemical in question is called Adavelt®, which was being force-fed to the beagles in gelatin capsules for a year.

“We applaud Dow AgroSciences (Corteva AgriScience) for making the right decision by ending the one-year pesticide test on 36 beagles at Charles River Laboratories in Michigan,” HSUS President and CEO Kitty Block told the Detroit Free Press. “This is a significant step that is critical to the welfare of the dogs.”

The beagle test had been carried out between April and August 2018 at the Michigan lab. In addition, tests were documented by at least 25 different companies, including one by Paredox Therapeutics in which beagles were used to test the effects of drugs poured into their chest cavities.

Another similar test was undertaken in order to test a surgical implantation device to pump drugs from the spinal canal.

Dow Chemical Company is known for its large-scale production of pesticides, along with its new partner corporation DuPont. Both companies also have divisions that are well known for producing geneticall engineered (also known as genetically modified) crops.

According to the Humane Society in the disturbing video below, over 60,000 dogs are used in laboratory tests each year. See more about the investigation below, and be sure to share this article with anyone you know who cares about the well being of dogs and other animals being used in these tests nationwide.