What goes on behind the label: animal testing

As we all know, animal testing is a very common and popular practice across the globe. Although this should not be the case as there are plenty of alternatives to animal testing which does not result in thousands of helpless, innocent creatures being subjected to excruciating amounts of pain before they are killed.

There are many different types of animal testing and they range across many different animal species, which include cats and dogs. The animals used for testing are either caught in the wild, bred for the purpose of being tested, or are supplied by dealers who obtain them through auctions, animal pounds, newspaper ads or even sometimes through stealing, and this is often the case with cats and dogs. Although it is hard to say exactly how many animals are used each year it is estimated that around 50-100 million animals are killed annually through animal testing and they die either from the experiment they are put through or they are euthanised after it.

One of the tests is the Draize Eye Irritancy Test which is used to judge the affect a substance can cause to the eye. This test is usually performed on rabbits and is carried out with the rabbits, while conscious, being strapped down so that they can't move at all and because rabbits don’t have tear ducts like humans, the substance isn't washed away and there are clips on their eyelids so they can’t blink it off. As a result of these tests the rabbits often scream in the process and sometimes break their necks and backs trying to escape from the pain. The reactions caused by these tests include swollen eyelids, bleeding and blindness. Once the results are recorded the rabbits are either killed or put into another test. 

Another test is the Lethal Dose test which is a poisonous test that determines the amount of a substance that would kill an animal. The animals subjected to this test are forced to ingest substances through stomach tubes, inhalation, injection or applied directly onto their skin. Some of the results of these tests include convulsions, paralysis and bleeding from the nose, eyes and mouth. The worst part about this test is that it doesn't happen over a couple of days. Sub-acute tests last for 28-90 days and chronic tests can last for up to 2 years. 

Those are only two tests on a long list of tests that are performed. Others include oral toxicity tests, acute inhalation toxicity tests, dermal toxicity tests, carcinogenicity tests, neurotoxicity tests and plenty more.

Animal testing is completely unnecessary when there are plenty of non-animal methods that could be used instead which take less time to complete, are only a fraction of the cost of animal testing and are not affected by species differences which have no relevance to humans and therefore makes applying the results to us sometimes impossible.

So my question is, why do we test on animals? If you would like to read about how you can help, check out my article Animal Testing: a beacon of hope.