Dr. Oz Led Experiments That Killed 300 Dogs: Reports

PENNSYLVANIA — As the weeks have turned to months of the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania, the campaigns have grown more crusading, the ombudsmen more outlandish, the criticisms more comical, the social media jabs more juvenile, and the dirt even dirtier.

The latest bizarre bombshell to emerge alleges that Mehmet Oz, the Republican celebrity doctor who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump and has increasingly embraced the sort of MAGA populism that has brought his compatriots more fiery support, killed dogs.

A left-leaning website called Jezebel broke the original story in an opinion piece, citing a review of years of studies overseen by Oz at the Columbia University Institute of Comparative Medicine.

Oz was in charge of experiments that killed 329 dogs and 661 rabbits and rodents, including a litter of puppies and bunnies, as well as pigs, calves, and other animals, the report states. Specifically, the study analyzed 75 different studies in academic journals that identified experiments on 1,027 animals, 34 of which led to deaths.

Further, the report alleges that Oz and his team did not take basic pain relieving measures to ensure that the animals did not needlessly suffer. The actions violated animal welfare laws, the report states.

The investigation was inspired by a whistleblower and veterinarian who worked alongside Oz, Catherine Dell’Orto, who had previously provided details to PETA.

Oz's campaign refused comment to numerous outlets. A request for comment from Patch was not immediately returned. An Oz spokesperson reportedly told Newsweek, "Only the idiots at Newsweek believe what they read at Jezebel."

Curiously, Oz himself was quoted by PETA as an animal expert and animal rights advocate for some of their campaigns. On multiple occasions, and as recently as 2010, PETA quoted Oz and linked to a segment on his old "Dr. Oz Show" exposing the harmful chemicals inside the chicken consumed by many Americans.

Fetterman's campaign, of course, latched on.

"Dr. Oz isn't going to be able to brush his puppy killing ways under the rug," the lieutenant governor said on Twitter. "Those of us who love our dogs won't forget that he did something so sick + cruel."

Oz had drastically turned his campaign around in recent weeks, significantly narrowing the gap with Fetterman amid increasing concern over Fetterman's health and ability to handle the rigors of service in the Senate following a stroke in May. Once up by 10 points, Oz now trails Fetterman by just 3.7 points, according to an aggregate of the most recent polls from RealClearPolitics.