Beagles from Ridglan Farms were used in two medical research projects at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2023 – one of which ended in their euthanasia and dissection – according to documents made public June 5 by animal advocacy group Rise for Animals.
Rise for Animals obtained the records, which were first reported on by FOX6 News, through a public records request. The studies were approved by a UW-Madison animal care committee in early 2023.
One study tested whether Abbott Laboratory’s FreeStyle Libre glucose monitor – a device for diabetic patients – accurately measured blood sugar in dogs under anesthesia.
The other studied how pain-relief injections spread through the body as part of a project to develop a new anesthesia technique for spaying procedures and abdominal surgeries in dogs.
While the dogs were already under general anesthesia from an unrelated surgical procedure, researchers injected a blue dye into both sides of their bodies to track where it spread. The dogs were then euthanized and dissected, according to the records.
The dogs were dissected to confirm whether the injections had reached the intended locations in the body, the records show.
The second study was funded by the University of Wisconsin Foundation, the university’s private fundraising arm, according to the research documents.
Ridglan Farms, located in Blue Mounds, is one of the two largest beagle suppliers for medical research and drug testing in the country. After two prominent breaks-ins led by animal rights activists this spring, the company agreed to sell the majority of its dogs to animal rescue organizations.
Ridglan Farms has denied mistreating the dogs in its care and said its beagles have contributed to important medical research for humans and dogs.
Before the records became public, UW-Madison said the research was conducted humanely and followed required federal and ethical approvals.
The university said the anesthesia techniques developed are now used by veterinarians across the country, and that the research required six of those dogs to be euthanized to confirm the anesthesia had reached expected locations in the body.
The other dogs were adopted out, according to the university.
Jon Levine, the dean of UW-Madison’s veterinary school, also sent a letter ahead of the records’ release to past and current clients of UW Veterinary Care, a university-run animal hospital, warning that the documents “may be distressing.”
Levine said the university will no longer use donor money to fund research on animals bred specifically for laboratory use, unless the donor explicitly approves.
State veterinary inspection records show UW-Madison received at least three shipments of beagles from Ridglan – six dogs in January 2022, four in February 2022, and three in July 2023.
Each certificate was signed by Richard Van Domelen, Ridglan’s facility manager, whose veterinary license the Wisconsin Veterinary Examining Board suspended in September 2025 after finding he had authorized eye-gland removal surgeries on dogs without anesthesia.
The university said no dogs from Ridglan Farms are currently housed on campus. It declined to comment further June 5.
“The practice of relying on companion animals for research that is intended to improve companion animal health is an evolving one in the field of veterinary medicine,” the university’s statement read. “As part of efforts to continuously evaluate our educational, research and clinical practices, UW–Madison will continue to engage in efforts to examine this kind of research going forward.”
UW-Madison spokesperson Chris Barncard previously told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that all active dog research at the university now involves pet dogs volunteered by their owners.
In 2025, Ridglan Farms agreed to surrender its state breeding license by July 1 under a non-prosecution agreement with a special prosecutor, following a criminal investigation into eye-gland removal surgeries performed on dogs without anesthesia.
It has since sold most of its dogs to animal rescue organizations.
Quinn Clark is a Public Investigator reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be emailed at QClark@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ridglan beagles euthanized for UW-Madison research in 2023, new records show
Reporting by Quinn Clark, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Quinn Clark, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
