Posted on Tuesday, September 15th, 2009 at 16:32

EVERYDAY PRODUCTS THAT ARE TESTED ON ANIMALS


Did you know an animal dies every 12 seconds in the UK from animal testing – please just count those seconds before you read on. 3.5 Million animals have been tested on in just 12 months in 2008 in the UK alone. Now think of some of these animals, dogs, rabbits, cats, guinea pigs, monkeys, birds, rats, mice the list can go on and on and all in the name of a product. But the majority of drugs tested on animals are deemed useless. If animal and humans DNA structure differ you have to ask yourself what is the point in testing on animals in the first place.

Many of you will be surprised to see here the products you use every day, tested on innocent animals which are taken or bred for this specific purpose, these practices are horrific in nature and is both inhuman and cruel. Technology has come a long way and we do not need to subject another animal to barbarism (not that we needed to in the first place). The figure above is for the UK only, heaven knows how many worldwide are tested on and there is no data for animals such as; birds, mice and rats as these are not covered by laboratory laws.

    Here are a few facts from the Vivisection Information network (VIN).

  • 95% of drugs passed by animal test are immediately discarded as useless or dangerous to human.

  • At least 50 drugs on the market cause cancer in lab animals. They are allowed because it is admitted the animal tests are not relevant.

  • When asked if they agreed that animal experiments can be misleading “because of anatomical and physiological differences between animals and humans”, 88% of doctors agreed.

  • Sex differences among lab animals can cause contradictory results. This does not correspond with humans.

  • Genetically modified animals are not models for human illness. The mdx mouse is supposed to represent muscular dystrophy, but the muscles regenerate with no treatment.

  • 61% of birth defects are caused by drugs passed safe in animal tests, according to the same study. Defect rates are 200 times 1948 levels.

  • 70% of drugs known to cause birth defects pass tests on pregnant monkeys.

  • One in six patients in hospital are there because of treatments they have taken.

  • Over 200,000 medicines have been released, most of them have been withdrawn.

  • According to the Royal Commission into vivisection (1912) “The discovery of anaesthetics owes nothing to experiments on animals.” The great Dr Hadwen noted “had animal experiments been relied upon…humanity would have been robbed of this great blessing of anaesthesia.” The vivisector Halsey described the discovery of the anaesthetic Fluroxene as “One of the most dramatic examples of misleading evidence from animal data.”

Campaign –  Join the virtual campaign running now to show you want an end to animal testing. Go to Make Animal Testing History at -ww.makeanimaltestinghistory.org

If we want to change the world, we need to stop giving profits to corporates for them to invest in expensive adverts to tempt us into buy something we neither want nor need, so they can use your money for more research which goes into developing the latest drugs and products which are constantly causing animals to be treated so cruelly.   The more money they make the more we have little control over where these profits go – obviously they end up in the fat cats pockets and they would probably go on to invest in stocks and shares which keep other huge profit making companies, like the oil industry, pharmaceuticals, companies that manufacture guns and weapons used in wars, airline industry, etc, etc. What hurts corporates the most is loss of revenue, only money talks.

Many would not think too long about animals being tested on as if we are not connected to them in any way and it is hard to put our minds in a position to think an animal is really suffering. Do animals have feelings and emotions. In 2008 a story broke in the telegraph of an 11 year old gorilla named Gana who emotionally grieved the loss of her baby, touching the hearts of the people in the UK. In the same report, Dame Jane Goodall a primatologist also tells of a young chimpanzee called Flint who soon after his mother flo died stopped eating, withdrew from his group and finally died.  Zoologist Konrad Lorenz also observed grief in geese, and is quoted as saying ‘ The greylag goose that has lost its partner shows all the symptoms described in young children,’ Many scientists  don’t acknowledge that animals have emotions or feelings, maybe its easier to accept for the ones that test on animals. It has also been observed that when a crow, raven or magpie dies a ritual is carried out by their friends and family where they touch the body before flying off and returning to place grass down by the body  Neurobiologist, Jaak Pansepp showed how rats like their tummies tickled, fish and birds experience pain and suffering, mice react more strongly to painful stimuli after observing other mice in pain. Neuroscientific research has shown that all mammals share Neuroanotomical structure and Neurochemical pathways  in the limbic system that are important for experiencing emotion. Elephants have a huge hippocampus, a brain structure that is important in processing emotions, elephants are highly emotional and suffer from post traumatic stress disorder. So you have to decide if you can live with your products knowing that these animals have experienced pain and died in agony. I do not condone aggression in regards to animal rights activists but you can understand why so many feel helpless when they know how an animal is suffering and little can be done to change corporate policies. You all have a chance today to change that by not buying products tested by animals. Peta have all the information and also there is a link at the bottom of products that do not test on animals.

I have compiled a list of named brands, companies and products that are tested on animals and also treat animals in deplorable ways. We hope you, like a growing number of people change to products which do not inflict agonising pain on the innocent. It takes just a few minutes to check the packaging. Companies who do not test proudly admit it.  Austria, Netherlands and Belgium have already banned testing cosmetics on animals but that is just the tip of the iceberg.

For those of you who think that animal testing is necessary for the benefit of humans here is  something to think about, nature gave us a medicine cabinet free for us to use. For everything we needed there is a plant, herb or flower out there, These plants, flowers and herbs have been used for thousands of years and beyond possibly even as earlier as other civilisations that lived before the present one. Think about this if  80% of pharmaceutical drugs used everyday come from these plants, ( many taken from Rainforest’s – being destroyed as we speak) which have been made synthetically so a patent can be applied which allows the drug company to charge you. Why are we always being warned against the dangers of herbs and plants?  Could it be the very same  people who advocate synthetic drugs i.e. the pharmaceutical companies, as you cannot patent Nature !  Another thing to note, doctors are paid for each drug they prescribe to you. And a final note, my partner and I have not been to a doctor for a single drug for over ten years, all our needs are met by vitamins, fruit, veg, vegetarian diet, water, positive thinking and  Tissue Salts – Please look these up as they are literally what the bible states as ‘Salts of the Earth,’ also in my recommended book section there is a book called ‘The Zodiac and the Salts of Salvation,’ and ‘God Man the Word Made Flesh,’ both these books will blow your mind and you will never look back and we hope that you become healthy and strong using these tissue salts.

Wool Industry – ‘It may come from a sheep, goat, or Tibetan antelope. It may be called ‘wool,’ ‘mohair,’ ‘pashmina,’ or ‘cashmere.’ But no matter what you call it, it means bad news for the animal it came from.In the wool industry, just weeks after birth, lambs’ ears are punched,their tails are chopped off, and the males are castrated, all without anesthetics. To prevent “flystrike” (a maggot infestation caused by wrinkly skin, which was bred into the sheep so that they would have more wool), Australian ranchers perform a barbarous operation called “mulesing,” which involves carving huge strips of flesh off the backs of anesthetized lambs’ legs. Joaquin Phoenix wrote to former Australian Agriculture Minister Peter McGauran about the cruel treatment of sheep by the Australian wool industry. In the letter Joaquin urged McGauran to “step in and push the wool industry to do the right thing”and to ‘put an end to the two worst abuses of sheep who are raised for their wool by banning both mulesing and the export of live sheep to the Middle East.’ Like most people, Joaquin admits to having previous misconceptions about the treatment of sheep raised for the wool industry. He says he was shocked when he learned the truth about mulesing – the practice of cutting huge chunks of skin and flesh from lambs’ backsides without painkiller, to address maggot infestation, or ‘flystrike’ and live exports which involves cramming sheep into filthy, disease-ridden ships that take them to the middle East to be slaughtered. For more info go to www.Peta.org or visit www.savethesheep.com

Leather Industry -Leather is not a slaughterhouse by product. It’s a booming industry, a driving force for the cattle industry, and it accounts for two-thirds of the value of the slaughtered cattle. Even the hides of “veal” calves are made into high-priced calfskin. The economic success of slaughterhouses and factory farms is directly linked to the sale of leather goods. Decreasing demand for both animal foods and leather products will result in fewer cows’ being factory-farmed. To learn more about leather, please visit www.cowsarecool.com

Fur Industry – Those who wear fur trim coats have the blood of minks, raccoons, foxes, beavers, and other animals on their hands. Animals on fur farms spend their lives in tiny cages only to be killed by anal or genital electrocution, which causes them to have a heart attack. Some are skinned alive. Animals in the wild may languish for days in traps before they die or are killed. To find out more about fur please visit, www.furIsDead.com (Info from peta)

Companies that test on animals – You will recognise the leading brands below as they are led by  millions of pounds worth of advertising with the pure aim of bombarding you 24-7 into buying their products so that when you go to the supermarkets they are on the shelves right in front of your face – don’t let them brain wash you, its not only about the animals suffering here but find out what is in these products that you are using them on you, your family and your home.

Any products made by Proctor and Gamble – With an addon in the Firefox browser called Knowmore, visiting P&G’s web site, it states that this company has human rights issues, political Influence and Environmental concerns. P&G continues to routinely poison and kill thousands of animals each year and refuses to stop testing its products on animals despite the fact that these tests are not required by any law, despite the fact that these tests for certain ingredients were already done and despite the fact that more reliable and humane alternatives exist and are already being used by hundreds of ethical companies. (Info from Animal Friend Croatia).

Max Factor, Ariel, Ace, Actonel, Alldays (now called Always), Anna Sui, Asacol, Aussie, Baldessarini, Bold 2 in 1, Boss – Hugo Boss, Boss Skin, Bounce, Braun grooming, Cacit, Camey, Christina Aguilera, Crest, Dantrium, Escada, Eukanuba, Fairy and all the Fairy products, Fabreze, Fibresure, Fixodent, Flash, Gillette – All toiletry products, Glide, Head and shoulders, Herbal Essence, Hugo Boss, Infocare, Lacoste, Lenor, Max Factor, Nice and Easy, Noxzema, Old Spice, Oral-B, Pampers, Panten Pro-V, Pepto Bismol, Pringles, Regulan, Satin Care, Shaders and Toners, Shockwaves, Silverkin, Sk2, Tampax, Viakal, Vicks, Viva Colour, Viva Mouse, Vivality, Vortex, Wash and Go. Wella, Zest.

IAMS – Owned by Proctor and Gamble (This info has been taken from PETA, please note it is graphic in its detail for more info visit their web site below). For nearly 10 months in 2002 and early 2003, a PETA investigator worked undercover at Sinclair Research Center, a laboratory hired by Iams and discovered a dark and sordid secret beneath the wholesome image of the dog- and cat-food manufacturer. Dogs had gone crazy because they were confined to barren steel cages and cement cells, dogs were left piled on a filthy paint-chipped floor after chunks of muscle had been hacked from their thighs, dogs were surgically debarked, and horribly sick dogs and cats were neglected and left in cages to suffer without any veterinary care. The U.S. Department of Agriculture investigated PETA’s complaint and agreed that the laboratory had failed to provide veterinary care and pain relief to suffering animals, failed to provide animals with adequate space, and failed to train employees—along with nearly 40 other violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act,  Sinclair Research Center paid a penalty of $33,000 for its violations. Iams still keeps up to 700 dogs and cats in its Dayton, Ohio, laboratory for non-invasive nutritional studies. They claim that this laboratory provides a decent environment for the animals, but they refuse to allow a PETA representative to see inside

Reckitt Benckiser ( See website for full list of products in your country as too many to list here) – Veet, Dettol, Clearasil, Nurofen, Strepsils, Gaviscon, Cillit Bang, Lyson, Harpic, Calgon, Vanish, Resolve, Spray ‘n Wash, Woolite, Finish, Finish Electrasol, Airwick, Mortein, No Salt, French Mustard, French’s Potato Sticks, French’s Fried Onions, French’s Worcestershire Sauce, Frans’ RedHot, Cattlemen’s.

More companies and products that test on animals check to see if your products are on this list ;

Arm & Hammer, Ban roll on, Bausch and Lomb,  BenGay, Bounty, Bic Corporation, Boyle-Midway, Carpet fresh, Carter Wallace,  Chesebrough-Ponds, Church & Dwight, Clairol, Clarion, Clear choice,  Clorox, Colgate-Palmolive Co, Commerce Drug Co, Consumer Value Stores, Coppertone, Coty, Cover Girl, Crest, Cutex, Dana Perfumes, Dawn, Del Labs, Destin, Diversity, Dial Corporation, Elizabeth Arden, Faberge, Fendi, Finesse, Georgio,Glade, GlaxoSmithKline which not only produces pharmaceutical drugs but also food products like Ribena, Helen Curtis Industries, Huggies, ISO,  Johnson & Johnson  and SC Johnson and Son, Johnson Products Co, Jovan, Keri, Kimberley-Clark Corp,  Kiwi Brands, Kleenex, Lancaster, Lever Bros, Listerine, Lysol, L’Oréal U.S.A, Max Factor,  Mead, Melaleuca, Mennen Co, Nair, Naturelle, Neutrogena, Noxell , Olay Co./Oil of Olay , Oscar de la Renta, Pantene, Pearl Drops, Pfizer, Physique, Parfumes International, Pine-Sol, Plax, Platex Corporation, Pledge, Polident, Post-It, Prince Matchabelli, Proctor and Gamble,  Quintessence, Raid, Reckett & Colman, Reckitt Benckiser, Richardson-Vicks , Sally Hansen, Sally Beauty Supplies, Sanofi, SC Johnson and Son,  Schering-Plough , Scotch, Scotch Paper Co, Sensodyne, SmithsKline Beecham, S.O.S, Stanhome Inc, SoftSoap Enterprises , Sterling Drug, Suave, Sun Star, Sure, TBC Naturals, Tegrin, 3M, Tide, Tilex, Unilever, Vaseline, Vidal Sassoon, Visine, Vivid, Warner- Lambert, Westwood Pharmaceuticals, White Shoulders, Whitehall Labs, Windex, Woolite, Yves Saint Laurent. ( More coming)

COMPANIES THAT DO NOT TEST ON ANIMALS  – I will compile this list shortly as I wanted this blog out asap,  but here is a download of some of the companies

http://www.caringconsumer.com/pdfs/c…esDontTest.pdf

Would like to thank the following sites for their information which saved me a lot of hours. Peta,The Vegetarian Site, Animal Friends Croatia, Telegraph.

http://www.peta.org/actioncenter/testing.asp

For more info on Animal testing go to – www.makeanimaltestinghistory.org

www.peta.org

www.makeanimaltestinghistory.org



One Response to “Testing on Animals – Your Products”

  1. Very thoughtful and exciting post!