Animal Euthanasia
Dogs
Animal Euthanasia
Euthanasia (Greek, "good death") is the practice of killing a
person or animal, in a painless or minimally painful way, for merciful
reasons, usually to end suffering.
This article discusses animal euthanasia; a separate article
covers
euthanasia in humans.
An animal is euthanized when it is killed in a manner deemed to be humane,
and in the case of a pet, in
accordance with the emotional needs of the owner.
It can be done with inhalant agents, noninhalant pharmacologic agents
(administered by a lethal injection), and physical methods. Pets are almost
always euthanized via lethal injection, typically a very high dose of a
barbiturate anaesthetic such as pentobarbital. Unconsciousness, respiratory and
cardiac arrest follow rapidly, usually within 30 seconds to several minutes later. Pet owners
generally consider it to be a quick and peaceful death.
Pet and livestock owners might decide to do this when the animal is suffering
significantly due to injury or terminal illness, is overly aggressive, or when
the owner/guardian is no longer able to keep or care for the animal and is
unable or unwilling to find a new home for it. Additionally, many stray and
feral animals, in particular, cats, are euthanized due to the
lack of adoptive homes. In this latter case, the simple presence of the animals
may be considered objectionable by those who live or work nearby, and who trap
the animals (or request the assistance of animal control services to do so) and
surrender them to the local animal shelter.
Euthanasia is typically performed in a veterinary clinic or hospital, or in
an animal shelter, and is usually carried out by a
veterinarian,
or a
veterinary technician working under the vet's supervision. Note that
euthanasia is performed at the discretion of the attending veterinarian, who may
refuse an animal owner's request to euthanize if he or she feels it is not
medically or ethically necessary (so-called "convenience" euthanasia).
Some in the
animal welfare or
animal rights
movements consider the use of the term "euthanasia", with its connotation of
being done to ease suffering, to be a misnomer when applied to the euthanasia of
homeless (or soon-to-be homeless) animals that are otherwise healthy and free of
behavioral disorders. Some breeders also kill puppies that do not conform to the
standard of the dog breed
to prevent the perpetuation of the perceived flaws or faults. Most modern
breeders simply
spay or neuter the animals and place them in homes as pets.
Morality Debate
Animal
shelters often euthanize animals when they can't find a home for them,
typically after a standard period of time (ranging from several days to several
weeks for unclaimed stray animals). Some consider this immoral and cruel; others
believe that euthanasia is a less objectionable alternative to having unwanted
animals go to unsuitable homes or having them live out their lives in shelters
which generally do not have the funding to give unlimited numbers of animals
proper care and exercise indefinitely. Behavioral unsuitability for adoption (ie,
aggression, house-breaking, etc) is a major non-clinical reason for euthanasia
in animal shelters.
So-called "no kill" shelters exist, some run by private animal welfare
organizations while others are subsidized wholly or in part by local government
agencies. These shelters make it official policy to never euthanize animals for
non-medical reasons. Overcrowding, lack of adoptive homes and underfunding are
recognized problems. Supporters consider these minor compared to the ethics of
euthanasia they consider unnecessary.
External links
Home | Up | Animal Euthanasia | Animal Shelter | Companion Dogs | Dog Adoption | Dog Food | Greyhound Adoption | Hypoallergenic | Hypoallergenic Dog Breeds | Lap Dog | Microchip Implant | Puppy Mills | Rescue Dogs | Rescue Groups
Dogs, made by MultiMedia | Free content and software
This guide is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.
|
Dogs
Applications
News
Content
Info
Downloads & Links