The state senate unanimously passed a bill authored by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, that prohibits the use of dogs and cats to test chemicals, toxic substances and food additives.
Senate Bill 879, also known as the PET Act (Prohibiting Extraneous Testing), heads to the Assembly for policy committee hearings, according to an announcement Friday from Wiener's office.
The law includes exemptions for testing for the development of products intended for use in dogs or cats including anesthesia, cancer treatment, animal vaccines, other animal medicines, or flea and tick products.
Wiener said such testing on animals is beyond unreliable when it is done using substances intended for human use.
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"It's unethical to force cats and dogs to undergo unnecessary testing that can be dangerous, highly painful and even fatal," Wiener said in a statement. "The PET Act will protect these animals from unnecessary testing, giving more dogs and cats the chance to live happy, healthy and long lives."
The PET Act is sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States.
