Is Loyola's Medical School a House of Horrors?

By Kevin Robinson in News on Jul 22, 2008 3:30PM

According to USDA inspections at Loyola University's Stritch School of Medicine, violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act resulted in the deaths of rabbits and dogs. According to the Tribune:

Three inspection reports of Loyola's biomedical research from 2006 and 2007 obtained by an animal rights group under the Freedom of Information Act revealed poor veterinary care, inadequately trained personnel and sloppy record keeping. Rabbits died from bacterial infections, and dogs died after they were not sufficiently monitored after surgery, the agency found.

In an October procedure, a rabbit suffered a fracture during a bone marrow transplant and died the following day, according to the reports. In another case, a rabbit was observed as not doing well on Oct. 3, but laboratory records failed to indicate it was given any treatment or considered for euthanasia before it died Oct. 9.

At least five other rabbits also died from bacterial infections or "significant lesions" after medical procedures, according to a November inspection report.

Michael Budkie, of the Ohio-based group Stop Animal Exploitation Now, says the school's medical lab was cited for 22 violations during the three inspections from March 2006 through November 2007. "We would call them the worst laboratory in the state of Illinois and possibly one of the worst in the nation," claimed Budkie.

Loyola responded to the charges in a statement, saying that "treating research animals in a humane fashion is a top priority," and that research studies "in which animal health or welfare was at risk" have been discontinued. The USDA noted that in their most recent inspection of the lab there were no violations. "Any time an animal is in an uncomfortable position or dies, we take that very seriously," USDA spokeswoman Karen Eggert said. "They have corrected their issues."