Defense & Intelligence Policy, Business and Technology

VA secretary defends department's medical experiments on dogs

Federal Times: WASHINGTON — Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin defended his department’s medical testing on dogs in an op-ed on Tuesday, arguing that proposed limits would significantly damage ongoing research designed to help ailing veterans.

In the piece, published by USA Today, Shulkin argues that VA canine testing programs “are some the safest and most humane in the world” and are being unfairly characterized by critics.

“VA’s canine research program represents a great example of why the department exists, as one of our current canine research studies illustrates,” he wrote. “The study focuses on ways to prevent serious and potentially fatal lung infections that affect some veterans with spinal cord injuries because they are unable to cough effectively.

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