University of Michigan halts use of dogs to train surgeons

Surgeons training at the University of Michigan Health System will no longer use live, healthy dogs to learn surgical procedures that can save people's lives, the university announced. The anesthetized animals were used to teach tracheotomies, how to fix collapsed lungs, and other emergency procedures. In a statement, the U-M Health System said its Graduate Medical Education Committee reviewed simulators and decided to make the switch to a sophisticated type of mannequin for the training. However, some consider animal models superior to simulators.