DogBoston’s Dog Blog

Neither have I, but there is something big planned for tomorrow.  See below.
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from the PETA website

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Medical-Device Maker Ignores Plea to Use High-Tech Alternative; Group Hails Neurosurgeon Who Blew the Whistle

For Immediate Release:
January 29, 2007

Contact:
Holly Mattern 757-622-7382

Boston — Holding signs that read, “Micrus: Death of a Salesdog,” PETA members wearing dog masks will confront Robert Stern, vice president and CFO of medical-device maker Micrus Endovascular Corporation, who is scheduled to address Tuesday’s Wachovia 2007 Small and Mid Cap Healthcare Conference in Boston. The spirited protest follows the unauthorized killing of a dog during a sales-training demonstration for one of Micrus’ products; the experiment has sparked outrage across the country:

Date: Tuesday, January 30
Time: 11 a.m.-12 noon
Place: Langham Hotel, 250 Franklin St.

PETA is requesting written assurance from Micrus that it will cease using animals for sales-training purposes and switch to modern non-animal alternatives instead. This request follows a sales demonstration earlier this month at Cleveland Clinic, where an experimenter induced a brain aneurysm in a dog before demonstrating an aneurysm coil made by San Jose, Calif.-based Micrus. After a neurosurgeon—bravely acting as a whistleblower—alerted PETA about the procedure earlier in the day, PETA was able to quickly identify a high-tech silicone model to use instead of the dog and faxed an urgent letter asking Micrus to call off the experiment. Letters, e-mails, and calls were ignored. The Cleveland Clinic doctor who performed the experiment never received authorization, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is investigating the incident.

“It’s too late for this dog who was needlessly killed, but Micrus can prevent additional suffering and death by ending its use of animals in product demonstrations,” says PETA Senior Vice President Mary Beth Sweetland. “Whistleblowers—like the neurosurgeon who alerted PETA to this alarming incident—can save lives by coming forward, so we encourage others to follow this brave person’s example.”

PETA’s letter to Micrus is available upon request. For more information, please visit PETA’s Web site StopAnimalTests.com.