Therefore, while the final distributor can accurately state that it did not test its products on animals, the safety of those products was determined on the basis of earlier animal testing. The animals primarily used in research are dogs and cats. Approximately 90 percent of animals used in research are rats, mice, and other rodents, due to their short life span, ease of breeding, and similarity to human biology. Dogs and cats, as well as monkeys and other nonhuman primates, represent less than one percent of all research animals. They are, however, an important one percent.
Laboratory animals suffer great pain and distress.
Most biomedical research does not result in pain or significant distress to the animals. In 58 percent of all animal research, the animals are not subjected to any pain. In 35 percent of animal research, the animals may have some pain or discomfort and are given pain-killing medication or anesthetics. In the remaining 7 percent of experiments, the animals experience pain, usually because the experiment is studying pain or because anesthesia would interfere with the test results. The humane treatment of laboratory animals is not regulated.