Undercover investigation exposes the horrors of animal testing—and more than 80 dogs who need our help
By Kitty Block and Sara Amundson
Our undercover investigator worked on studies with more than 6,000 animals—including 250 dogs, 500 primates, 62 “minipigs” and more than 5,100 mice and rats—at Inotiv, a contract testing laboratory in Indiana. The HSUS
Today we are releasing the results of our seven-month undercover investigation at one of America’s largest animal testing laboratories. We’re asking you to join us in changing an outdated industry— animal testing—and, more immediately, in urging the release of more than 80 dogs still suffering at the lab.
Our undercover investigator worked on studies with more than 6,000 animals—including 250 dogs, 500 primates, 62 “minipigs” and more than 5,100 mice and rats—at Inotiv, a contract testing laboratory in Indiana. Inotiv has laboratories and breeding facilities in multiple states, including Colorado, Maryland, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia. What we saw was heartbreaking. Our investigator documented animals being force-fed high doses of drugs via tubes or intravenously, sometimes several times a day. Some animals were unable to move because of the drugs’ toxic effects; others died during procedures. The studies conducted at Inotiv were intended to test drug toxicity and were funded by dozens of pharmaceutical companies.
Most of the animals our investigator came to know didn’t make it out alive, including one beagle we call Riley, because we believe he deserves a name and not just a number. He was used to test a substance so toxic that it brought him near death after only two days of dosing. The investigator captured video showing Riley hypersalivating, trembling, vomiting and moaning on the floor, unable to stand. Our investigator tried to comfort him while he was dying, but Riley was left to suffer overnight because the veterinarian was unavailable on a weekend evening. Riley was euthanized the following day.
Other animals who died horrible deaths during our investigation were two young cynomolgus macaques who were accidentally hanged in their restraint chairs.
We documented numerous potential violations of the Animal Welfare Act, including failure to provide adequate veterinary care, failure to minimize animal pain and distress, and failure to ensure proper staffing. We urgently reached out to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and asked the agency to investigate these findings, but the devastating truth is that this suffering—and Riley’s fate—are simply reflections of the realities of contemporary animal testing.
Pharmaceutical companies and the Food and Drug Administration have a responsibility to ensure drugs are safe for humans, but our continuing reliance on animal testing creates a false sense of security. Nearly 90% of drugs tested in animals ultimately fail in human trials, and a large proportion of these failures is attributable to unexpected toxicity in humans … even after animal tests. In what business model is such a high failure rate acceptable?
We uncovered an example of this failure. A company contracting with Inotiv ended its pursuit of a drug after encountering unexpected liver toxicity in human patients. At the same time the company decided to end the human trials, mice and primates were being dosed with the same drug at Inotiv while our investigator was there. We are hoping these tests have by now come to an end since the pharmaceutical company has stopped pursuit of this compound due to the serious adverse effects in humans.
Today, combinations of modern, non-animal methods based on human biology—such as human organs on chips and next-generation computer modeling—are increasingly providing better real-world predictions of human reactions to drugs and chemicals than some animal tests. For example, a recent study found that organ chips detected toxicity in almost seven out of eight drugs that proved toxic in patients but had cleared animal testing—an 87% success rate. But because animal testing remains the surest path to regulatory approval, it continues.
We ask that you join us in bringing the science of safety testing into the 21st century—bringing the system from low-tech and cruel to high-tech and effective. Even more urgently, we’re asking for your help in securing the release of 82 dogs still alive in the lab today.
Eighty beagle puppies are being dosed every day and may suffer the same fate as Riley if we don’t act quickly. Two additional adult beagles have been used to practice harmful procedures for years. Please join us in urging Inotiv (the testing laboratory) and Crinetics (the pharmaceutical company that hired Inotiv) to immediately end the tests and release these 82 beagles to us so that we can find them loving homes.
With your help, we’ll continue our work toward the day when invasive experiments on dogs and other animals are a thing of the past—and saving these dogs is just the start.
Help us secure the release of the 82 dogs still alive in the lab
Sara Amundson is president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund.
Thank you for exposing the pervasive senselessness of animal testing!
OMG! I can’t believe I watched this to the end. This is disgusting! I couldn’t hardly watch it due to my crying! I wanted to rescue him. I realize the people participating are “just doing their jobs” but I would have to quit. But not before taking them with me if I could get away with it. Tragic! Just tragic! Please stop the drug companies from such horrible testing!!!!
Yes thank you!!
I can’t stop thinking about and praying for these helpless animals!!
Please please please help stop this abuse!!!
There has to be a better way to research than causing pain to a living God created beautiful animal!! And the way the workers handle them with no love at all means they are truly evil and greedy for the money they get paid!
OMG THIS IS SO DISCUSTING. I JUST CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT THIS IS ALOUD RIGHT IN OUR OWN BACK YARDS. Y CAN’T ANYTHING BE DONE??
The lab workers should know that 90% does not work on human so therefore The CEO should be fired including employees so not to rebuild. The supreme.court is fully responsible for putting all employees and CEO in jail. Also one more thing The pharmaceutical companies should not pay for that kind of abuse or even kill all dogs. If we do nothing. They will continue to repeat cycle of killing dogs .
What’s wrong with these scumbag companies that are so cruel to all these defenseless animals. I’m sometimes asked to donate to these useless labs because they lie and say things like we’re closer then ever to finding a cure for this or that disease. What a bunch of bull. GOD didn’t put these defenseless animals on this earth to be experienced on. Don’t donate to these companies. They hire people that don’t care about the suffering of these poor animals. I’m not paying their paychecks.
I am truely sick reading about our animals being killed in absolutely horrible experiments!!!! These animals should all be given a chance to thrive in kind and loving homes. This is no different than sacrificing humans to pain and torture in useless experiments!!!
This is disgusting, cruel and disgrace to human kind. Please stop these workers from abusing these dogs! STOP!
I can’t believe what I just saw. Horrible. Atrocious.
These dogs need support and to be freed.
This is disgusting & so very wrong on all levels!! You’re experienting & killing innocent, beautiful animals for mere experiements!! This IS WRONG you’re extremely heartless, twisted & demented scumbags!! RELEASE these INNOCENT ANIMALS NOW!! Hear THEIR CRIES & PAIN!! THIS is PATHETIC, DISGUSTING PHYSICAL ABUSIVE THAT MUST NOT BE DONE ON THESE ANIMALS AT ALL!!!!! DISGUSTING & ABUSIVE!!! STOP HORRIFIC PAIN NOW!!! You shove a tubing down a Beagle’s throat to they can no longer do it!!! You’re INSANE & BARBERIC!!! This is BULL & SO DISGUSTING & PAINFUL!!
Tú tienes o no podemos permitir más crueldad y abusos de los seres vivos estos animalitos merecen de nuestro cuidado ya no más violencia esto no es justo los gobiernos tienen que actuar no podemos vivir en un mundo donde reine la violencia hacia los seres vivos y todo quede impune
This is heartbreaking and all animal testing must stop. God didn’t make these creatures to suffer and it says in the Bible that God wants us to save and rescue animals and treat them with respect so we need to do that.
Amen. No animal should have to suffer EVER for ANY REASON!
Please immediately release the 82 Beagles!
Was sind es für Kreaturen die Tiere quellen und ermorden.Wofür und mit welchem Recht.Es muss endlich aufhören und bestraft werden!!!
This breaks my heart so badly!💔 I I cried for Riley and other fur babies..😭 I used to have a beagle and she is missed. She was so special, sweet, an intelligent and knows all the tricks. She understands my sign language for communicating with her. Please stop them that is animal cruelty and release fur babies. They don’t deserve this! Thank you for voicing for them and please save them immediately! Those people needs to go jail, that is heartless and fur babies have names! I am an animal lovers, a passion to help reunited owners that lost their pets and a pet sitter. Please stop the experiment on animals immediately! No More!! Thank you 🙏🐾🐾
Absolutely vile, animals being abused, tortured in the name of science. How any decent human can take part in this cruelty, God only knows.
My sense is that these animals are near death and their release will simply allow the study to gain more information about how they have been mistreated. I pray the most that this will expedite new legislation to protect dogs (and all lab animals) everywhere.
Thank you for your continued work, despite how difficult it must be to perform. I’m surprised that we haven’t taken the route of shaming more selfish CEOs and leaders like Bob Leasure who allow this abuse to happen!
This is horrifying. The level of torture and abuse is heart breaking. What can we do? I feel helpless. I hope these 80 beagles find a life outside of the hell they’ve been subjected to.
I understand experiments are an integral part of science and development but with the technology we have today I don’t understand why any animal would need to be subjected to this.
So horrible. I got sick just watching. What is being done right now? Their actions are disgusting.
Animal testing is from the dark ages because they had nothing else to use at the time but now we have modern technology that is far better than animal use and more reliable stop the NIH for wasting millions of tax dollars on worthless animal experiments!!
Having gone through chemo with being so weak all I could move was a hand or foot for several days, vomiting until I was sure part of my stomach would come up, shaking so violently my 6’3″ husband would lay next to me to hold me still…@ least I had the hope of a cure. What do these animals have. Please stop this barbaric treatment of these animals. God put us in charge of the animals to take care of them not to torture them.
Hi. This is just inhumane!!!! Must be Stopped Immediately!!!!!
These people needs to stop the testing for these dogs. It has to stop
This is horrible and I humane.
Need to stop this cruelty. Can’t believe this crap going on. Enough.
THIS HAS GOT TO STOP !!
We need access to list of Big Pharma companies who are using these animals & list of the offending labs.
What you do with those poor animals is a crime, give them a good home. All these experiments are animal abuse. After the abuse you kil those dogs, they have a terrible life. STOP THIS NONSES
I am sobbing on behalf of these animals. Humans can be so incredibly despicable! Nobody has the right to use animals for experimentation! I despise people who are cruel to animals. There will be a day of reckoning when they are going to have to give an account of their actions to Almighty God. Please do not support these companies.
Det är skamligt att plåga djur. Dom som gör detta måste vara totalt känslolösa
Thank you for helping animals!!! This is why I give to my local Humane Society!!
How can people carry out these vile acts on these poor defenseless animals They must have no conscience or bad dreams about these procedures. Perhaps they are less than human
Right up until he died he was wagging his tail! This Has To End NOW! It’s unacceptable! Shame on these people and these companies and corporations that do this to defenseless animals! All for money. The breeding facilities need to be shut down and all animals put into adoption agencies.
it is appalling that these researchers and universities have the whereabouts to use animals like this. I can’t say how much this saddens me. It is inhumane and wrong. Todays economy allows for technology to b do research.Do Not b use our fur babies in such a mindlessbdeprecating b way.
Wendy
This is a total waste of tax payers money because there are presently much more ACCURATE COMPUTER MODELS.. These barbaric labs/scientists are enabled to do this because they get government grants.. that is our tax payer money. FEDERAL Legislation needs to be proposed nationally that would deny all government funding using ALL TYPES OF LAB ANIMALS.
These people who do this to these helpless, captive animals are immoral…
Heartbreaking. What is wrong with them? How can they live with themselves knowing the pain and suffering they are causing and for no good reason. I pray every day for all the animals but especially the ones being experimented on.
We need to stop these monsters, they probably learned their so called trade on terrible attacks on Gods little angels. This is total abuse and torture that they can continue after their training is done, and they just love the pain and agony. What’s next our children!!! They probably can’t wait for that. Release those sweat animals NOW!!!!!!!!
They need to leave our Dogs alone, they are our family not an experment. They need our love and companionship forever.
WHERE CAN I VOLUNTEER!!! CRUELTY TO ANIMALS HAS GOT TO STOP!!! I had to stop watching as it was getting me sick to my stomach and my heart is breaking to know some lads are still using animals to test on. Humans are NOT above animals, they have feelings, they are intelligent, it’s not like they don’t know what is happening to them, they just can not stop it themselves it is up to us to stand up and say ENOUGH STOP THE CRUELTY!!!
Sorry, I meant to write LABS not LADS in my post.
It makes me feel sick to read about this tourture of innocent animals. We humans need to protect extra animals because they are depending on us and do not have a voice. God created the animal first and I am so ashamed what we do with his animals.
Stop testing this is a cruel for this beautiful dogs … help the dogs … stop the testing please ….
something needs to be done this is a vile and disgusting abuse of animals PERIOD!!!
I believe they all should be shut down immediately and all those workers dismissed and NEVER work again for a living after this cruel treatments they have done !!!!
This is horrible and inhumane treatments that needs to stop asap!
Stop poisoning these animals!
Please release the 82 dogs that are still in that facility!
stop the testing it is not needed on dogs for humans they are not humans unless it is to save another beagle which it is not give the dogs up for adoption to forever homes ,stop breeding them we have enough that need a home ,,,all these intelligent people have NO smarts !
I pity the karma of the people who are involved in carrying out these procedures. No amount of money should make anyone chose to commit such a heinous act. Who does Inotiv test for? We need to boycott every single one of those products.
Why can’t President Biden be told about the horrors of animal testing and abuse.?
This makes me sick, theses animals need to be realeased immediately.
It is nice you are trying to save the lives of the 82 beagles. More important is the role you could be playing in ending animal testing. Please come up with some significant strategy to change this abuse of animals. There are millions of animal lovers like myself who would support a real social change movement against animal testing. HSUS is a national organization capable of coordinating such a movement. Thank you for doing your investigation and hope it can be built into something that will prevent animals from being tortured in this way.
Please release those dear pups!!!!
This needs involvement through legislation. Harvard and other medical schools are also lab testing on animals. They are actually harming them to find out what the negative side effects are.
Está crueldad e inhumanidad ya no la podemos permitir esto tiene que acabar ya esta gente que experimenta con la vida de animalitos que sufren y sienten son unos inhumanos crueles y asesinos esto tiene que acabar ya alcemos la voz por los que no tienen voz
I feel the same as the other people who have posted. God gave us animals to love and care for. These animals are being cruelly treated and abused. It is our responsibility to do all possible to stop this and find loving homes for all animals.
It is time to end these useless tests that cause so much pain and suffering for the animals.
It’s absolutely horrifying , disgusting and cruel !!!
White Coat Waste Project is trying to get all animal testing at taxpayer’s expense ended. Check them out, they are doing a good job of ending this animal abuse.
The rest of the Beagles at this lab need to be released to a rescue group.
no need four this
I am truely sick reading about our animals being killed in absolutely horrible experiments!!!! These animals should all be given a chance to thrive in kind and loving homes. Is a disguting!
I cannot understand the need to perform these tests on animals. They know their products are toxic. And no animal should be subjected to these studies. Their living conditions are inhumane, which means that they are already set up to die even faster. Stop the madness!
This inhumane cruel testing has got to stop. How can anyone call themselves a decent human being when they participate in such behavior. God help us all. This needs to end, and now!!
This is horrible the testing on small animals has been proven time & again that they are not helpful in drugs for humans. These tests need to be stopped. Congress & senate have stopped many animal testings in government labs & now they need to stop testing on animals in private labs.
President Trump passed a law making it illegal to deliberately injure or kill animals so why are labs still allowed to do it?
Animals & humans can not tolerate the same thing the same way, to begin with. Grapes for instance can kill a dog or send them into kidney failure, while they are perfectly safe for humans. It make no sense to torture animals to test the affect on humans. For the most intelligent creature (humans)they lack the common sense God gave them. However thei cruel evil nature of mankind is quite evident! How can you toture animals & tack a label on it calling it “for the greater good of humanity” please stop torturing animals for a new drug or other for profit.I can’t even comprehend how those who work in these labs can fall asleep at night or live with themselves. It’s evil practice to the core.
In this day and age of Protesting and demanding actions from our elected officials the rights of these poor animals have been left on the wayside. These are trusting animals. We can and should do better. Are Petitions the only way to free these animals. I couldn’t even watch your video. It is heartbreaking and sickening that the employees could repeatedly do this to the animal knowing what will happen. Isn’t there another way to stop this?
I AM ASHAMED TO BE HUMAN! WHAT IS DONE TO THESE LAB ANIMALS IS THE WORST OF ANY KIND OF LIFE. HEARTBREAKING….. THEY WILL NEVER KNOW A LIFE OF LOVE AND FREEDOM. I DO NOT BELIEVE ANY ANIMAL TESTING HELPS IN ANY WAY, BUT TO KILL THE VICTUM. THIS NEEDS TO STOP! ESPECIALLY THE NIH GOVERNMENT CONDONED FUNDED TORTURE AND TESTING ON ANIMALS. ALL TESTING FACILITIES ARE RUN BY THE “SCUM” OF THE EARTH AND SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN. FIND FOREVER HOMES FOR ALL AND EVERY ANIMAL VICTUM.
Dow is a company that does this . I cannot view video. I know if horrors. I wonder about them individuals who do it. Where are here reads at? Sick. Stop the abuse. I do not know why still going on. Kitty you have my support. I send funds to many society’s. How much more can it do. Heartbreaking. I am tired of these emails. I Turned vegan . was clueless about our farm animals. Another . horrible God Bless us All
Thank you for all that you do. Takes a lot of heart.
Stop torturing these defenseless dogs. It’s absolutely disgusting the way these companies and laboratories treat such a loving and kind animal. I will do everything I can to put these types of companies on blast for the atrocities they engage in against these beautiful, amazing and defenseless animals. No one should be okay with this. Shut these labs and companies down immediately.
Release the innocent dogs NO MORE TESTING ON ANIMALS
Release the innocent animals NO MORE TESTING ON THEM
This is senseless and not necessary and should be stopped!
I think that the animal testing should be stopped because it it is cruel; we need to have compassion for these animals( I am using the term animals in a general sense to describe all types of animals). Also, if animal testing is not profitable, I would think individual companies would want to stop using this practice.
Horrific, no need to watch I get a lot of info from Cruelty Free International.
How do these people sleep at night.
It has been proven time and time again that there is no link between human and animal anatomy. New technology has established models to use other than animals for experimentation. It is time to move on and leave all animals alone.
This is heartbreaking and all animal testing must stop. God didn’t make these creatures to suffer and it says in the Bible that God wants us to save and rescue animals and treat them with respect so we need to do that.
I live with a beautiful sweet beagle. It breaks my heart to see what is being done to the puppies. What a waste of life and what a horrific act. What are these companies hoping to accomplish? If they pump poison into a living creature, what do they think will happen? Duh?
How can these people give them this poison and then pet the dog and it doesn’t seem to bother them. I would never work in a place like that. They should test it on themselves or their families.
This has got to stop. I hate it. How can anyone hurt a dog, so loving and loyal and forgiving. My heart aches, it is so broken.
Rest In Peace Riley.
I’m very upset and very concerned about the horrible treatment of these vulnerable adorable babies.
Release then now! Stop this gross injustice immediately!
I won’t feel any peace of mind until you release these beloved 82 beagles Now!
This makes no sense! Do you have a soul?
Sending Prayers !
Thank you for all that you do. Where are they getting the puppies? That needs to be stopped as well. This is horrible and should be illegal.
Porque tienen que abusar de los animalitos tienen que vivir en estas situaciones no es posible que creen estas empresas y las personas no pueden dañar a mas animalitos esto tiene que acabar esto se tiene que saber y hacerlo viral
Is there a way to know the companies that use this testing and not support their products? Horrific!
As a pharmaceutical rep, I am ashamed. There has to be a way to test life- savings drugs, but this is NOT the culture I know and respect. I am sorry on their behalf.
What part of the ANIMAL WELFARE ACT allows this AT ALL??? It’s okay for drug companies to abuse animals, then give them veterinary treatment for the abuse? No. I thought animal abuse was a Federal offense? I don’t know how some people can live with themselves for doing this to another being, job or not, I would quit because it’s the right thing to do. This HAS to stop. It’s completely heinous.
The only thing that will stop disgusting companies from doing things like this for profit is to TAKE AWAY THEIR PROFIT! Don’t buy from these companies! Prescription drugs are the worst thing to happen to humans, and animals. I hope these people don’t have animals at home, they have zero love in their heart if they can do this.
Suzette J. Mucha
I am rather shocked that this inotive place is getting away with this. This should be against the law. Cruelty to animals. This inotive should be shut down. Every single day, is one day to long. These people who work there
are pure evil,and discuss me. They call themselfs Vetenarians, what a joke.
GOOD NEWS!!: Inotiv is closing the Virginia facility! In addition, last I checked, their stock was down 25% after this was all reported on DailyMail. Too late for the poor beagles — but it’s a step in the right direction! Thank you for bringing this to everyone’s attention. PUBLIC PRESSURE WORKS!
Stop die grauenvollen Tests an Tieren … danke für ihre Hilfe … was sind das für brutale Menschen, die Tiere zu Tode quälen … haben die kein Herz ♥️… das muss verboten werden … es ist so schrecklich … Hilfe für die Armen Tiere ..
Cómo es posible que este tipo de actos sigan sucediendo no es justo que animalitos que sienten y sufren estén viviendo este tipo de errores por favor tenemos que actuar por ellos nos necesita
Das ist so grauenvoll … haben die Menschen kein Herz … wir müssen weiter dagegen kämpfen … es gibt Alternativen … danke für ihre Hilfe … es bricht mir mein ♥️ …