The US Government will carry out experiments on dogs - despite them being branded cruel and unnecessary by critics.

The experiments will see the animals have parts of their brains removed, their spinal cords severed, and pacemakers implanted to trigger abnormal heart rhythms. They will then all be killed.

The Department for Veterans Affairs (VA) says the experiments will help medics find methods of treating wounded soldiers, with a VA spokesperson reportedly saying that dogs are 'the only viable model' for the tests.

Animal experiments
But not all veterans' groups support the experiments, with a spokesperson for Paralysed Veterans of America telling USA Today: "We no longer oppose efforts to end VA fatal medical research on dogs."

Another critic is Democrat Dina Titus, who said: "It's not economically sound, they could be looking at new technologies, and morally people just don't support testing on puppies."

According to the VA, the most recent breakthrough discoveries made as a result of canine experiments date back to the 1960s.