Rabbit Genetics
The similarity between the physiology of rabbits and humans makes the rabbit a good model for research into human disease. The most prevalent types of rabbits are cottontails and European rabbits. Domestic rabbits are tame assortments of European rabbits. The Californian, Florida White, and New Zealand White are the most common breeds used in research.
Until 1912 rabbits were classified as rodents. Scientists discovered that the two types of animals differed in several distinct anatomical ways. Rabbits, for instance, have a second pair of upper incisors, known as "peg teeth," that are found behind the two main visible incisors in the upper jaw. Rabbits have elongated hind legs adapted for moving at high speeds over open areas. Rabbits generally move in a hopping motion. They also have webbed toes to keep them from spreading as they hop. Rabbits have flexible necks, which allow them to turn their heads more than rodents. Their spines are long and fragile and susceptible to fractures if the animal is held improperly.
Research
The ability to produce tumors in rabbits makes them useful models to study chemo/immunotherapy, as well as immunoprevention of certain cancers.
Cholesterol studies:
Rabbits have been used to test Probucol, a drug that lowers blood cholesterol and retards the development of hardening of the arteries.
Eye ear and skin studies:
Rabbits are used to study middle and inner ear infections, which affect millions of infants and children each year.
• Rabbits are also used to study Entropion, a condition in which the eyelashes are turned inward, as well as Glaucoma, which often results in blindness.
• Rabbits are used in eye and skin irritation tests to develop appropriate procedures for handling certain chemicals and to predict the toxicity of accidental exposure.
• More than 10,000 blind or visually impaired people have benefited from corneal transplants, possible only because of hundreds of trials on rabbits.
Drug metabolism: Rabbits have been used to study the effects of marijuana on the central nervous system.
Pregnacy Test
Presently a woman who wants to find out if she's pregnant need only make a quick trip to the local drug, grocery, or convenience store; purchase an over-the-counter home pregnancy test kit; perform a simple test; and she'll know the results within a matter of minutes.
Not so long ago, however, it was not nearly as quick or easy: Awomawho thought she might be with child had to schedule an appointment with her doctor, make a trip to his office, give a urine sample, go home, then spend an anxious couple of days waiting for the office to telephone with the test results.
healthy rabbit hoping to produce good results. At this point the experiment took a dramatic turn, after
Alan Goldberg. “Alternatives to Animals in Toxicity Testing.” Ed. Jeanne Williams. Scientific American Inc: 1989. Print.
While animal testing has led to many life-saving cures, animal testing is cruel and inhumane because it involves inflicting pain and harm on the test subject to study its effects and remedies. Testing involves physically restraining; force-feeding; and depriving animals of food and water. They are forcibly given toxic substances and pain relief is never an option. Killing the animals at the end of the testing is common practice since the animals are no longer useful. In one example, rabbits acted as test subjects to test the eye irritation of certain shampoos. The bunnies were restrained; their eyelids forced open with clips for days and the shampoos were applied. Some of the test subjects
and Europe, which include reduction of animal use, refine animal study techniques, and animal testing replacement. According to Dana ,Bidnall, “Animals are also used, and subsequently killed, every year in many other types of laboratory experiments, from military testing to simulated car crashes to deliberately introduced diseases such as AIDS and Alzheimer 's”(49). Bidnal also states that, “These experiments take place in labs at universities, pharmaceutical companies, and testing agencies, and on farms and military bases around the world”(49). The author suggest,”Researchers who conduct experiments on animals argue that it would be unethical to test substances with potentially adverse side effects on humans; animals are good surrogates because their responses are similar to humans”(49).Bidnal contends with ,”However, some animals are chosen for other reasons”(49). According to Bindal, “Animal testing is not the only option in toxicity testing”(50). Bidnal states, “Alternatives are widely available and include human clinical and epidemiological studies; experiments with cadavers, volunteers,and patients; computer simulation and mathematical models; and in vitro (test tube) tissue culture techniques, to name just a
Jane goes to work everyday at an animal-testing lab. She pours liquids used in eyeliner into the eyes of numerous albino rabbits. The rabbits' eyes are held open with clips so that for the 72 hour test period, the rabbits can't even blink. The rabbits' bodies are in a box so that only their head protrudes. Jane watches the rabbits and records how the rabbits’ eyes react. She observes as the rabbits’ eyes bleed intensely. Some eyes become extremely deteriorated, and some rabbits even become blind due to the toxicity of the liquid being tested. As she walks down the line writing down what each rabbit's reaction is, Jane notices many rabbits have broken their own necks trying to escape the horrendous pain ("Product...").
Every year about 241,000 rabbits are tortured in United States laboratories to test for the effects that household products, such as cosmetics, dishwashing liquid, and drain cleaner will have on their eyes ("Rabbits in Laboratories | PETA.org." 1). Scientists will drip chemicals into the eyes of the animal to see how much irritation it will cause, a process known as the Draize eye irritancy test ("Rabbits in Laboratories | PETA.org." 1). The test is certainly not pain free; it often causes distress, such as redness, swelling, and sometimes blindness. After the rabbits are finished being toyed with, they are killed ("Rabbits in Laboratories | PETA.org." 1). The Draize eye irritancy test is just one of the thousands of examples of profuse animal testing that has been going on for centuries. Mice, rats, dogs, pigs, cats, fish, birds and primates are tested every day by human beings in an attempt to learn more about the functions of our own bodies ("Update: Animal Testing" 2).
Animals commonly used in medical research are rats and chimpanzees. Over time these species have proven to be plentiful and they have exhibited the ability to sustain the various testing regimens that mimic human experimentation. “The need for animals in research, particularly medical research, is because of the need to determine the toxicity and dangers of new drugs.” (Prater 1).
Every year millions of animals such as rabbits, cats, and mice are used to test new products such as cosmetics, household cleaners, and medicines that often lead to poisoning and even death. In China, it is required that all products are tested on animals before being released to the public; on the contrary, the United States does not have this same requirement (Facts). As a result of the Animal Welfare Act being signed- making it illegal to test on humans- scientists use animals because the tests are similar to human testing. Only 6% of animals used in assessing the safety of new medicines and vaccines suffer in great pain because using anesthetics would alter the validity of the data (Kanade). Animal testing is the most effective technique for evaluating medicine and cosmetics because the animal’s anatomy is similarly structured to humans. Mice are the mos...
From when you are a baby to when you are an adult animal testing is used in your everyday products. Products like cosmetics, detergents, and chemicals are examples of products that are being tested to ensure safety of people. The usual approach to ensure that safety is to pump a substance into an animal’s stomach or airways, or apply it to their eyes or on their skin (“Cosmetic”). Most of these tests are crude. According to American Anti-Vivisection Society, nearly 100 million animals are being used every year in the United States as models in biological and medical research to study human disease, injury, development, psychology, anatomy and physiology (“Animals”).
There are many other alternatives that are more humane and does not use animal testing and is still equally effective. One of which is the Bovine Corneal Opacity and Permeability test. This is the method which uses cornea tissue, a slaughterhouse byproduct, in place of live rabbits (Katrinak). This is the time to stop wasting the live of animals for unnecessary experiments. Among others are in vitro method such as Cytosensor, Microphysiometer tests and EpiOcular, where examiners check for irritation by the number of cells killed through a tissue model (Katrinak). Cosmetic does not need to rely on animal tests in order to be successful and does not need to make animal suffer to the
The common name of a current invasive species found in California is the European Rabbit. The scientific name is the Oryctolagus cuniculus. European rabbits are grayish brown with commixed ebony, brown and reddish hairs on its back, light brown to beige fur on its underside, a beige ring around its eyes, and long ebony-tipped ears. It ranges from 13.5 to 20 inches (34-50 cm) in length and has a diminutive bushy tail that is 1.5 to 3.75 inches(4-8 cm) long. It ranges in weight from 2.25 to 5.5 lbs (1-2.5 kg), so it's a deceptively diminutive and cuddly-looking rabbit. The European rabbit looks homogeneous to a rodent in many ways. In addition, it genuinely belongs to the order of lagomorphs, along with hares and pikas. European
Approximately two to four million animals have been used in safety tests. Safety tests are conducted with a wide range of chemicals and products, including drugs, vaccines, cosmetics, household cleaners, and packing materials. This raises issues such as the ethics and humaneness of deliberately poisoning animals, thus harming them, for the sake of marketing a new cosmetic or household product.
Animal testing is an act of barbarism, the fact that animals are being bred to be a victim of crude experiments and then euthanized is cruel. An Eye Irritancy Test is a test in which albino rabbits have a substance entered into their eyes that are held open with clips for seven to eighteen days. The rabbits are confined in stocks with only their heads protruding while experimenters record the damage of the eye tissue which can vary to being swollen eyelids, inflamed irises, ulceration, bleeding, massive deterioration, and blindness. Many rabbits break their necks as they struggle to escape from the pain. Another savage test is an Acute Toxicity Test, also known as lethal doses, or poisoning tests. This test determines the amount of a substance that will kill a percentage of a group of test animals. Substances are forced into the animal’s body by tubes to the stomach, cuts to the throat, introduced to the eyes, mixed into food or inhaled through a gas mask. Reactions to this test can include convulsions, heavy breathing, diarrhea, constipation, emaciation, contortion, skin eruptions, and bleeding. The testing period continues until at least half of the animals die, approximately two to four weeks. Keep in mind, anesthesia is absent during these procedures.
Rabbits were once placed in the order of Rodentia. However, scientists soon noted that rabbits had many anatomical differences from rodents. The largest and most significant one being tooth structure. Rabbits were then given their own order. This is the order of Lagomorpha. This order is further divided into two smaller groups. They are Leporidae, which is made up of rabbits and hares, and Ochotonidae, containing only the small rock rabbit, the pika.
With the information that LoveToKnow website provided, it stated that rabbits are shaved and sprayed with products to see how the skin would react, Albino rabbits are strapped down into a metal bed and poured eye drops to see whether or not the eye would irritate, and the rabbits are also placed in a container filled with fumes to later on see if they have respiratory problems. After all the cruelty companies force animals to go thr...