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Undercover Investigation Documents Laboratory Misery for Dogs, Cats and Rabbits

Investigation Victory: Just one week after PETA US released the results of its shocking undercover investigation of North Carolina–based contract animal testing facility Professional Laboratory and Research Services, Inc. (PLRS) and filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), PLRS is surrendering nearly 200 dogs and dozens of cats and shutting its doors for good. This is a monumental victory and the first time that a laboratory has been forced to surrender animals and close under pressure on the heels of a PETA US investigation and while facing a formal USDA investigation.

A nine-month PETA US undercover investigation found that hundreds of dogs, cats and rabbits were subjected to neglect, miserable living conditions and vicious and abusive handling at Professional Laboratory and Research Services, Inc (PLRS) – a North Carolina–based contract laboratory that tests animal-companion products, such as flea and tick sprays and spot treatments for some of the biggest names in veterinary medicine. Industry giants –  including Bayer, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Novartis, Schering-Plough and Merial, the makers of Frontline flea and tick products – are among the companies that have paid PLRS to force-feed dogs and cats and smear chemicals onto the animals’ skin.

PETA US’s investigation revealed that dogs, cats and rabbits used by PLRS suffered from untreated illnesses, injuries and burns and that many animals were covered in sores that were likely caused by stress, boredom and the facility’s perpetually wet living conditions. Some animals were left in cages as the enclosures were cleaned; as a result, the animals were sprayed –sometimes directly and on purpose – by a high-pressure stream of water that was mixed with bleach and other harsh chemicals. In some runs with poor drainage, urine pooled, leaving animals with no escape from their own waste. PETA’s investigator also documented PLRS employees kicking, throwing, grabbing, dropping and dragging dogs; roughly grabbing and lifting rabbits by their ears; violently throwing and slamming cats into cages; and viciously cursing at animals, calling them names such as "asshole," "bitch" and "motherfucker."

Animals at PLRS were used in cruel and painful tests. In one experiment, a test chemical was applied to the necks of 57 cats. The cats exhibited severe, adverse reactions that day, suffering seizures and bleeding from the nose and mouth. In spite of the extreme and obvious reactions, the cats were exposed to the chemical for a second time that very same day. Rabbits at PLRS were intentionally and repeatedly forced to "wear" a tightly wrapped capsule containing thousands of ticks and then killed.

Please be a voice for the animals who are suffering at PLRS. Take a minute of your time today and urge the pharmaceutical companies that are conducting business with PLRS to permanently sever their ties with this testing laboratory.

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