Ontario’s St. Joseph’s Hospital Halts Dog Heart-Attack Experiments After Probe

St. Joseph’s Health Care in London, Ontario, said it has "immediately ceased" using dogs in cardiac research after an investigation by the University of Toronto–based Investigative Journalism Bureau and Postmedia revealed the hospital had been secretly inducing heart attacks in beagles. Internal protocols reviewed by reporters showed the experiments, some lasting up to three hours, ended with the puppies being euthanised so their hearts could be examined. The hospital’s Lawson Research Institute acknowledged the decision would affect ongoing studies but did not disclose how many animals were involved. Whistle-blowers told investigators that staff played loud music to muffle barking and were instructed not to discuss the work. Photographs from inside the lab showed dogs confined in barren cages, while security procedures allegedly kept the project hidden from other hospital employees. Ontario Premier Doug Ford called the practice “inhumane” and said he has ordered provincial officials to identify and shut down any other institutions using dogs or cats in similar experiments. Ford signalled the government is prepared to legislate a province-wide ban, adding, “It can’t happen here in Ontario and it won’t happen.”