The Veterans Affairs hospital in Richmond has come under fire for using dogs in painful medical testing. Now a Congressman has stepped in to eliminate funding for the program.

Mallory Noe-Payne reports.

The VA Hospital in Richmond came under scrutiny this March, when an advocacy group dug up reports of botched medical procedures on dogs. Justin Goodman is with The White Coat Waste Project, the group that first obtained the information through a legal request.

“They purchase puppies, inject latex into their arteries to induce heart attacks, and force them to run on treadmills to stress their compromised hearts,” Goodman describes.

In a statement, the VA says the testing helps doctors develop new treatments for heart failure, but they are investigating allegations they didn’t properly report the testing.

While many Veterans Affairs hospitals train dogs as service animals, only three -- including the one in Richmond -- use them for medical experiments. Goodman says the facility space and dollars could be used elsewhere.

“Even beyond the issues of animal cruelty this is an incredibly wasteful and inefficient way to spend the public’s tax dollars,” he says.”

Goodman’s group won a victory this week when Congress adjusted the defense budget to strip funding from experiments like the ones conducted at Richmond’s VA. That only applies to next year’s budget, though.

Virginia Congressman Dave Brat, a Republican who represents much of the Richmond area, has also submitted a bill to permanently end the experiments. In a statement Brat called the experiments horrific and inhumane.

This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.