London hospital ending controversial research studies on dogs following outcry

Days after it emerged that heart studies had been performed on dogs for years at a London hospital, St. Joseph's Health Care London said Monday that it would "immediately cease" research studies involving the animal.

In a brief statement, the organization said the decision came "following consultations with the province."

"We acknowledge that this will have a significant impact on the ground-breaking research that has resulted in major strides in cardiac care and treatment, and on the dedicated teams involved in this work," the statement said, which was also sent to staff and volunteers.

CBC News had contacted the province for comment. Officials with St. Joseph's refused an interview request on Monday.

"The animal research conducted at Lawson Research Institute, St. Joseph's Health Care London (St. Joseph's) adheres to the highest standards of, and is in compliance with, all scientific and ethics protocols," the statement issued Monday read.

"The Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) and the Western Animal Care Committee provide valued third-party oversight and ensure our commitment to ethical research at every stage of the discovery and innovation process."

An article published last week by the Investigative Journalism Bureau at the University of Toronto's Dala Lama School of Public Health revealed that dogs had been used for years in a heart study at St. Joseph's Hospital.

According to the article, published in partnership with Postmedia, researchers from Lawson Research Institute were secretly inducing three-hour heart attacks in dogs and puppies before euthanizing them and removing their hearts for further study.

The research had been kept under wraps, with the animals wheeled into the hospital in blanket-covered crates, as loud music played to drown out their barking, according to the report.

In a post on social media on Monday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he was "deeply disturbed" by "reports of inhumane medical research taking place on dogs," at the hospital, and reached out to raise his concerns.

"I'm pleased that St. Joseph's has agreed to immediately stop this research. Our government will always act to ensure that any medical research is carried out in an ethical and humane manner," Ford wrote.

In a statement to CBC News last week, St. Joseph's said the report contained "several inaccuracies of fact," but would not say what the inaccuracies were.

A spokesperson added that the research was conducted to "learn more about how to accurately image post-heart attack injury and healing that we cannot yet decipher using other models."

"Other effective models don't yet exist for this specific line of inquiry that connects the metabolic and cellular mechanisms that can lead to, or prevent, a heart attack or heart failure with non-invasive imaging techniques."

They also confirmed that dogs, rodents, fruit flies and other large mammals were used in research, but did not return a subsequent inquiry seeking more clarity on what "other large mammals" meant.

Monday's announcement specifically referred to the immediate cessation of "research studies involving dogs."

A vigil was held outside of St. Joseph's Hospital on Saturday for the dogs who died as part of the study.