London hospital halts heart attack experiments on dogs

St. Joseph’s Health Care London will immediately end research studies involving dogs. The decision follows public outrage and political intervention over revelations that animals had been used.

St. Joseph’s Health Care London will immediately end research studies involving dogs. The decision follows public outrage and political intervention over revelations that animals had been used in heart experiments for years.

The hospital announced its decision Monday, saying it followed “consultations with the province.” Officials acknowledged the move would significantly affect “ground-breaking research” in cardiac care but said they would comply.

The announcement came days after a report from the Investigative Journalism Bureau at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health described how researchers at the hospital’s Lawson Research Institute allegedly induced three-hour heart attacks in dogs and puppies, later euthanizing them to study their hearts.

The report alleged the work was conducted in secrecy, with animals allegedly brought into the facility in blanket-covered crates and loud music played to mask barking. St. Joseph’s denied parts of the report, calling it inaccurate, but declined to specify which elements were incorrect.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he was “deeply disturbed” by the findings and contacted the hospital directly. “I’m pleased that St. Joseph’s has agreed to immediately stop this research,” Ford said in a post on X.

"Our government will always ensure medical research is carried out ethically and humanely."

St. Joseph’s stated all animal research at its facilities met Canadian Council on Animal Care and Western Animal Care Committee standards.

The hospital previously defended the studies, saying dogs were used because no other models could replicate the specific metabolic and cellular mechanisms needed for their imaging research.

Monday’s announcement applied only to studies involving dogs.

The hospital confirmed it also conducts research on rodents, fruit flies and other large mammals.

Animal rights advocates held a vigil outside the hospital Saturday for the dogs used in the experiments.