Street dogs are being used in student veterinary classes
Our investigation team has made the shocking discovery that a Thai university is using street dogs for student surgery training.
The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Khon Kaen University in Thailand lets veterinary students practice their surgery skills on live healthy dogs.
WARNING video contains footage that some viewers may find upsetting
Here’s what our investigation revealed:
Street dogs are used by students to learn about the animal’s anatomy and to develop their surgical skills.
Unnecessary surgery is carried out on live, healthy dogs who do not need it. This includes 'survival surgery', the cruel act where animals are subjected to one or more surgeries but allowed to recover between each one.
Some dogs are kept chained up inside cages.
Dr Katy Taylor, Director of Science and Regulatory Affairs at Cruelty Free International said: ‘’It is shocking that live dogs are used as tools for students to develop and practice their surgical skills. There are alternatives available and many progressive vet schools around the world are no longer deliberately causing suffering or killing dogs to train future vets.”
This cruel and unnecessary practice has been abandoned by many universities and veterinary medical schools throughout the world, including UK, Canada and the USA. There are many humane alternatives to train veterinarians, including simulations, models and real animal patients in a clinical setting.
Warning! Contains graphic images that some viewers may find upsetting.
We have written to the Veterinary Council of Thailand but have not had a satisfactory response.
Investigations like this are providing us with the evidence to call for an end to the use of street dogs AND the use of dogs in education.