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Oz facing animal abuse accusations following a report that states hundreds of dogs were killed in experiments tied to his medical research

A report states that during Oz' time at Columbia, he served as "principal investigator" on a number of experiments tied to the deaths of hundreds of animals.

PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Editor's note: The above video is from Oct. 4. 

Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, is facing animal abuse accusations following a report that dozens of his medical experiments at Columbia University resulted in the deaths of hundreds of dogs.

The report was originally published in Jezebel.

The Philadelphia Inquirer states that during Oz' time at the Columbia University Institute of Comparative Medicine labs, he served as the principal investigator for a number of years

The report states that between 1989 and 2010, the results of 75 experiments that involved 1,027 animals were published. Of those experiments, at least 34 killed about 329 dogs, two killed 31 pigs, and 38 killed 661 rabbits and other rodents. 

These experiments focused on cardiac functions, ailments, and surgical procedures, according to The Inquirer.

A whistleblower came forward in the early 2000s claiming that the experiments that were being done inflicted "needless suffering on animals." 

At the time, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) detailed these allegations, and the USDA eventually ordered Columbia to pay a $2,000 penalty for violations of the Animal Welfare Act as part of a settlement, the Inquirer states. 

Dr. Oz' name, however, did not come up until 2004, when Columbia and the USDA agreed to the settlement after an internal investigation was conducted by the university. 

This settlement detailed a number of findings, one of which found that “pups whelped from a dog being used in a research study were euthanized with outdated euthanasia solution” and “were not properly sedated at the time.” Other findings had to do with primate enclosures, facility conditions, and procedures for evaluating pain and discomfort in animals, the Inquirer states. 

It's worth noting that despite the lack of evidence that Oz mistreated these dogs personally, animal rights activists believe he bears responsibility, the Inquirer goes on. 

In his role as principal investigator, Oz was tasked with “full scientific, administrative, and fiscal responsibility for the conduct” of his studies, according to the school’s animal research handbook

A spokesperson for the Oz campaign told the Inquirer, however, that Oz was unaware of any issues with his studies “until after the cases were finished,” and was not present for operations or treatments on animals.

Whistleblower Catherine Dell’Orto, a postdoctoral veterinary fellow at the school, said the following last month while speaking to Billy Penn: “when your name is on the experiment, and the way the experiment is designed inflicts such cruelty to these animals, by design, there’s a problem.”

PETA's sentiments were about the same all the way back in the early 2000s. 

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, the Democratic nominee for Senate, has already capitalized on this controversy, tweeting on Oct. 3 that "some sick people like Dr. Oz get their jollies by harming animals,” and called Oz “a puppy killer.” 

He also shared a photo of his two dogs, writing that he would be "hugging them extra tight tonight." 

His campaign also called Oz a "puppy killer" in a press released issued Monday. 

As the Inquirer states, Oz' campaign has denied the allegations and has accused Fetterman of using the story to "distract from other issues." 

“While Dr. Oz was busy operating on human lives, researchers and veterinarians were in the Columbia University research labs finding new approaches to treat patients with atrial fibrillation which impacts millions of Americans — including John Fetterman,” Oz spokesperson Brittany Yanick told the Inquirer on Tuesday. “Dr. Oz was not in the operating room when the operations were done, he wasn’t present during the post op treatments, no one alerted him of the problem until after the cases were finished, and he does not condone the mistreatment of animals.”

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