Animal testing is not a new thing, but it’s also not widely publicized. Companies all over the world use animals as test subjects when creating new products, to make sure that the products are ultimately safe for human use. Of course we want to make sure products are safe before we use them ourselves, but is it really ethical to try them out first on animals?

Many people think that animal testing is limited to animals such as rabbits or mice. But in reality, dogs, cats, birds, primates, guinea pigs, miniature pigs and a number of cold-blooded animals are also used in the product experimentation. These animals are kept in cages their whole lives and experimented on. According to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), some of the experiments include force-feeding dogs pesticides, forcing rats and mice to inhale toxic fumes, and dripping destructive chemicals into the eyes of rabbits. Because of this harmful way of experimentation, these animals live in fear. Many of them develop neurotic behaviors like biting themselves or spinning in circles because of the lack of positive experiences in their lives. Then when the experiments are done and the animals are no longer needed, the animals are killed.

“Experimentation” on the animals can cover everything from cosmetics to medication testing. Most people don’t realize that so many of the products they use on a regular basis use animals as test subjects behind the scenes. Some big name brands that still use animal experimentation include Maybelline, Avon, Suave, Tommy Hilfiger, Windex and Johnson & Johnson. There are hundreds more. If each of these companies have hundreds of animals in labs that are tested on, the numbers add up quick. The Humane Society International website says that worldwide, there are about 115 million animals tested on each year. So many animals are being tortured and we’re letting it happen.

Recently on Facebook, there have been a variety of videos posted from laboratory rescues. Different organizations that advocate for animal rights have been trying to rescue animals that are tested on in labs, and some have been successful. Often it is dogs that these organizations are able to rescue. After being saved, these dogs are then let free from their cages outside for the first time. To see them run around in the grass and interact with each other for the first time is heart-warming as well as heart-breaking when realizing that they’ve lived their whole lives in constant fear of product testing and isolation.

So why isn’t our nation taking a stand against animal testing? Some people will argue that we want to make sure products are safe for humans, so we have to test them somehow. But animal testing isn’t even that reliable. According to the Humane Society International, more than a thousand potential drugs for stroke patients have been tested on animals, but only one of these drugs has worked on human patients. This is the case for many drugs tested on animals; they don’t even end up working on humans. But according to research done by the National Research Council in the United States, toxicity testing can also be done in human cells or cells lines. Switching to this way of testing would eliminate the need of animal testing completely.

So take a step back and look at your own pets. Could you imagine them being tortured and kept in isolated cages all day? This kind of abuse is still legal and used on millions of animals every year. It's time to take a stand. It's time to make the switch from animal testing to human cells/cell line testing. You can visit PETA's website to make sure the products you're using are free of animal cruelty. Let's bring an end to animal experimentation.