Fw: anyone use Iams? Read this...

[Guest guest]

-

" hellhexx " <hellhexx

Wednesday, 06 June, 2001 00:53

anyone use Iams? Read this...

Hi everyone,

 

Here is some info on Iams......it's bad enough that they are owned by

Proctor and Gamble.......but read this article and then decide for

yourself if you want to feed this to your loved ones after what Iams

does to ensure its " safety " .............Astrid

=====

http://www.uncaged.co.uk/iamsexpress.htm

 

IAMS - Pet Food Cruelty Exposed

This article appeared in the Sunday Express, 27 May 2001.

 

Exclusive By Lucy Johnston, Health Editor.

 

A major sponsor of Crufts dog show has carried out horrific experiments

on animals, it can be revealed today.

 

Thousands of weekend holiday visitors to the famous show at the NEC in

Birmingham will be shocked to learn the truth about IAMS, a pet food

made by Procter and Gamble.

 

The Sunday Express has uncovered damning evidence of gruesome tests

performed on dogs and cats during the development of the product, which

is being heavily promoted at the event. IAMS has also been backed by the

RSPCA - but after being told of our findings the animal welfare charity

said it would sever all ties.

 

Last night Crufts organisers launched their own investigation and were

considering removing a stand sponsored by Procter and Gamble. In

supermarkets and pet shops across Britain, IAMS is being marketed as a

breakthrough in animal health care and nutrition.

 

But our investigation as revealed that hundreds of animals suffered

incredible agony in experiments designed to perfect IAMS. A huge dossier

of research papers exposes how scientists deliberately induced kidney

failure and other conditions in dogs and cats. Some experiments involved

performing operations on healthy animals which were later killed.

 

Last night animal activists and MPs condemned the research.

 

Campaigner and comedy writer Carla Lane said:

 

" It is horrifying to think people are buying pet food that involves so

much experimentation. You don't have to harm animals to find out what's

good for them to eat. "

 

And Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker said:

 

" It's ironic to say the least that a company which purports to care for

animal is conducting abhorrent animal experiments behind closed doors.

Perhaps they should list their experiments on their labels and then see

how much they sell. "

 

Animal rights organisation Uncaged Campaigns is to stage a protest at

Crufts, distributing leaflets and waving banners highlighting " the

suffering behind the science " and urging a boycott.

Dan Lyons said:

 

" Even the people representing IAMS at the show are unlikely to know they

are promoting a company that inflicts pain and death on animals. Once

they see the evidence they will be as appalled as anyone else. "

 

The protest is likely to embarrass the show's organisers who boast a

star studded guest list, including Coronation Street's Roy Barraclough

(Alec Gilroy), actress Susan George and Eastenders Martin Kemp (Steve

Owen) and Pam St Clements (Pat Butcher).

 

Details of the experiments are buried in obscure scientific papers

uncovered by the Sunday Express and Uncaged Campaigns.

 

In one experiment, 24 young dogs had their right kidneys removed and the

left partly damaged to investigate how protein affects dogs with kidney

failure. Eight dogs were killed to analyse the kidney tissue.

 

Dogs which became sick were not treated because it would have undermined

the test results.

 

In another test, the stomachs of 28 cats were exposed so scientists

could analyse the effects of feeding them fibre. The animals were

operated on for at least two hours and then killed.

 

The research team sterilised 24 female cats, which were then over-fed

until they became obese. They were then starved on a crash diet and when

they had lost at least 30 per cent of their weight their livers were

examined to investigate the link between weight loss and liver disease.

The company also sponsored research in which 14 husky puppies were

repeatedly injected with live virus vaccines and allergy-causing

proteins for the first 12 weeks of their lives. They developed permanent

illnesses in the test, which was designed to see how severely allergic

they could become.

 

Twelve huskies, 12 poodles and 12 labradors were regularly given chest

wounds to see if diet could affect fur regrowth. This was justified in

the study on the grounds that " dogs are enjoyable to touch and look

at... Dogs with coat problems are simply not handled as much. "

 

Dr Dan Cary, Director of technical communications for IAMS said that his

company cared about the welfare of animals. He justified the scientific

studies as being carried out to save pets from illnesses and improve

physical well-being. He said:

 

" Our mission is to enhance the health of dogs and cats. We take their

welfare extremely seriously during the studies and don't enter into

research lightly. All our studies have to be valid science and we have

to be sure they are never repeated as it is wasteful of animal time. "

 

--- end ---

 

Please contact IAMS to let them know your disgust at these animal

experiments. Phone them on 0800 426 785 or email

customer.service.