What We Did To Rodney (sorry for any duplicates)

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What We Did to Rodney

 

We called him Rodney. He was a tall, gangly, fle-bitten shepherd mix. One ear

stood up, shepherd style, and the other flopped over and bounced against his

head like a rag doll when he ran. His head and feet were too big for his thin

but muscular body. A stale, musty odor accompanied him from flea-infested

skin and neglected ears. Altogether, he wasn't much to look at - one of

thousands of dogs facing the world without the luxury of an owner.

 

I was in my third year of veterinary school, and he came from the local dog

pound. For the next quarter, four of us students would practice surgery

training. He was always happy to see us - tail thumping widly against the

walls of his small steel cage. Rodney hadn't much of a life, so a pat on the

butt and a little walk around the college complex made his day.

 

The first thing we did was neuter him, a seemingly benign project, except it

took us an hour to complete the usual 20-minute procedure, and an anesthetic

overdose kept him out for 36 hours. Afterward, he recovered his strength

quickly and felt good. Two weeks later, we did an abdominal exploratory,

opening his abdomen, checking his organ inventory, and closing him again.

This was the first major surgery for any of us, and, with inadequate

supervision, we did not close him properly. By the next morning, his incision

had opened and he was sitting on his small intestine. Hastily, we sewed him

up again, and he survived. But it was a week or more before he could resume

walks he had come to eagerly anticipated. He would still wag his tail when we

arrived and greet us with as much enthusiasm as he could muster.

 

The following week, again when he was under anesthesia, we broke his leg and

repaired it with a steel pin. After this, Rodney seemed in almost constant

pain, his temperature rose, and he didn't rebound as he had in the past. His

resiliency gone, despite antibiotic treatment, he never recovered completely.

He could no longer manage his walks, and our visits generated only a weak

thump of his tail. The shine was gone from his brown eyes. His operated leg

remained stiff and swollen. The quarted was ending, and Rodney's days were

numbered. One afternoon we put him to sleep. As the life drained from his

body and his eyes lost their focus, my attitude toward animal research began

to change.

 

I am a scientist weaned on the scientific method. ... But after 15 years in

the veterinary profession, I now believe there are moral and ethical

considerations that outweigh benefits. Because we happen to be the most

powerful species on Earth, we humans have the ability - but not the right -

to abuse the so-called lower animals. The ends do not justify the means.

 

-Peter M. Henricksen

 

 

A Note-

 

Now anyone that needs to contact me, other than online you can reach me using

2 toll-free numbers. See contact information below.

 

 

Ryan Courtade

President

Love All Animals

2 Rio Vista Dr.

Ft. Thomas, KY 41075

(859) 441-3907

Toll Free: 877-395-5268

Pager: 888-866-3678

To send an alphanumeric pager: <A

HREF= " http://www.beepwear.com/html/SEND.html " >http://www.beepwear.com/html/SEN

D.html</A>

(859) 441-2956 (fax)

Ryan

http://www.loveallanimals.com

 

I support In Defense of Animals <A

HREF= " http://www.idausa.org/campaigns/property/property.html " >' They are not

our property, we are not their owners " </A> Campaign

 

" Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change

the world...indeed, it is the only thing that ever has! " -- Margaret Mead