Update (March 17, 2026): In an incredible, last-minute victory for compassion and common sense, the power of your voice has forced Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine to cancel its planned horse-killing laboratory, saving eight healthy and adoptable horses from certain death. With just days left to save them, PETA supporters joined compassionate veterinarian group Our Honor, peppering school officials with pleas from more than 36,000 calls and e-mails. They listened, and just four days after we launched our action alert, officials canceled the planned laboratory—the final time it was to be held—in which the horses were slated to be used by veterinary students to practice complicated abdominal surgeries before killing them. The goat laboratory, sadly, had already run its course. But the university is now reviewing its curriculum to determine whether it will continue in the future. PETA strongly urges the university to stop harming and killing goats in this lab and continues to press the school to send the horses to a reputable sanctuary.
Join us by sending polite comments to WSU officials.
You can do so by copying and pasting this block of e-mail addresses in the “To” field of your e-mail:
elizabeth.cantwell@wsu.edu; iacuc@wsu.edu; dori.borjesson@wsu.edu; farns005@wsu.edu; nwoodford@wsu.edu; president@wsu.edu
Please feel free to use these talking points (but remember that using your own words is always more effective):
- The horses who were slated for invasive surgery and death in your third-year surgery lab are eligible for adoption since the school has canceled that lab, and I urge WSU to ensure they are immediately sent to a reputable sanctuary where they can live safely and peacefully.
- WSU has stated that it is reviewing its curriculum, and I hope the university will permanently move away from using healthy animals for harmful and terminal training labs.
- Many veterinary schools successfully train students using humane clinical programs and modern simulation methods instead of killing healthy animals.
Original post:
Eight healthy horses and 60 goats are reportedly slated to be killed after pointless practice surgeries at the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine. WE HAVE LITTLE TIME to save their lives, and PETA is urging your IMMEDIATE help.
PETA has joined with veterinarians, veterinary students, and alumni by sending a letter calling on the university to cancel its plans to kill the adoptable animals in an antiquated Junior Surgery laboratory, where veterinary students cut into the animals to practice complicated abdominal surgeries. All of these animals are slated to be killed after the procedures.
Compassionate veterinarian group Our Honor, which took on the issue after veterinary students raised concerns, says sanctuaries and alternative placements are ready to accept all the animals. The university appears committed to killing them anyway.
The university’s animal use policy states that only animals destined for slaughter may be used in the Junior Surgery laboratory. But these eight horses are healthy and adoptable. They were transferred from a U.S. Department of Agriculture research program, raising questions about whether the school’s animal care committee—the last line of defense for animals in laboratories—was given proper information.
Many veterinary schools have replaced terminal laboratories with clinical-based surgical training programs, where students perform necessary procedures for animal guardians under supervision. These programs often partner with rural communities lacking access to veterinary services. PETA urges the university to adopt these and other widely available humane simulation methods.
The post YOU Helped Save These Horses From Laboratory Slaughter—But They Still Need Our Help appeared first on PETA.