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Animal euthanasia (euthanasia from Greek: εὐθανασία; "good death") is the act of killing an animal humanely, most commonly with injectable drugs. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditions or diseases,[1] lack of resources to continue supporting the animal, or laboratory test procedures. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress. Euthanasia is distinct from animal slaughter and pest control.
 | The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (May 2014) |
In domesticated animals, the discussion of animal euthanasia may be substituted with euphemisms, such as "put down" or "put to sleep" to make the wording less harsh.[2]
The methods of euthanasia can be divided into pharmacological and physical methods. Acceptable pharmacological methods include injected drugs and gases that first depress the central nervous system and then cardiovascular activity. Acceptable physical methods must first cause rapid loss of consciousness by disrupting the central nervous system. The most common methods are discussed here, but there are other acceptable methods used in different situations.[3]
Intravenous anesthetic
Upon administration of intravenous anesthetic, unconsciousness, respiratory then cardiac arrest follow rapidly, usually within 30 seconds.[4]
The two-stage process that some veterinarians use includes a first shot that is a sedative to make the animal more comfortable and then a second shot that euthanizes the animal.[5] This allows the owner the chance to say goodbye to a live pet without their emotions stressing the animal. It also greatly mitigates any tendency toward spasm and other involuntary movement which tends to increase the emotional upset that the pet's owner experiences.[citation needed]
For large animals, the volumes of barbiturates required are considered by some to be impractical, although this is standard practice in the United States.[6] For horses and cattle, other drugs may be available. Some specially formulated combination products are available, such as Somulose (secobarbital/cinchocaine) and Tributame (embutramide/chloroquine/lidocaine), which cause deep unconsciousness and cardiac arrest independently with a lower volume of injection, thus making the process faster, safer, and more effective.[citation needed]
Occasionally, a horse injected with these mixtures may display apparent seizure activity before death. This may be due to premature cardiac arrest. However, if normal precautions (e.g., sedation with detomidine) are taken, this is rarely a problem.[7] Anecdotal reports that long-term use of phenylbutazone increases the risk of this reaction are unverified.[citation needed]
After the animal has died, it is not uncommon for the body to have posthumous body jerks or a sudden bladder or bowel outburst. This is caused by the muscles of the deceased animal's body relaxing.[citation needed]
Inhalants
Gas anesthetics such as isoflurane and sevoflurane can be used for euthanasia of very small animals. The animals are placed in sealed chambers where high levels of anesthetic gas are introduced. Death may also be caused using carbon dioxide once unconsciousness has been achieved by inhaled anesthetic.[8] Carbon dioxide is often used on its own for euthanasia of wild animals.[9] There are mixed opinions on whether it causes distress when used on its own, with human experiments lending support to the evidence that it can cause distress and equivocal results in non-humans.[10] In 2013, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) issued new guidelines for carbon dioxide induction, stating that a flow rate of 10% to 30% volume/min is optimal for the humane euthanasia of small rodents.[11]
Carbon monoxide is often used, but some states in the US have banned its use in animal shelters:[12][13] although carbon monoxide poisoning is not particularly painful, the conditions in the gas chamber are often not humane.[14] Nitrogen has been shown to be effective, although some young animals are more resistant to the effects,[15] and it currently is not widely used.[citation needed]
The use of gas chambers is not the most humane form of euthanasia as it can take up to 20 minutes to fully euthanize the animal. If the chambers are not calibrated correctly or the animal is ill, the process is only delayed further which can cause more harm to the animal.[16]
Cervical dislocation
Cervical dislocation, or displacement (breaking or fracturing) of the neck, is an older and less common method of killing small animals such as mice. Performed properly it is intended to cause as painless a death as possible and has no cost or equipment involved. The handler must know the proper method of executing the movement which will cause the cervical displacement and without proper training and method education there is a risk of not causing death and can cause severe pain and suffering. It is unknown how long an animal remains conscious, or the level of suffering it goes through after a correct snapping of the neck, which is why it has become less common and often substituted with inhalants.[citation needed]
Intracardiac or intraperitoneal injection
When intravenous injection is not possible, euthanasia drugs such as pentobarbital can be injected directly into a heart chamber or body cavity.[citation needed] With regard to state and federal laws, one of the most humane forms of euthanizing animals is through the injection Sodium Pentobarbital. This is typically the second shot that is followed after a sedative when euthanizing animals.[17]
While intraperitoneal injection is fully acceptable (although it may take up to 15 minutes to take effect in dogs and cats[8]), an intracardiac (IC) injection may only be performed on an unconscious or deeply sedated animal. Performing IC injections on a fully conscious animal in places with humane laws for animal handling is often a criminal offense.[18]
Shooting
This can be a means of euthanasia for large animals—such as horses, cattle, and deer—if performed properly.[19][20] This may be performed by means of:
- Firearms
- [20] Traditionally used in the field for euthanizing horses, deer or other large game animals. The animal is shot in the forehead with the bullet directed down the spine through the medulla oblongata, resulting in instant death.[21] The risks are minimal if carried out by skilled personnel in a suitable location.
- Captive bolt gun
- [20] Commonly used by the meat packing industry to slaughter cattle and other livestock. The bolt is fired through the forehead causing massive disruption of the cerebral cortex. In cattle, this stuns the animal, though if left for a prolonged period it will die from cerebral oedema. Death should therefore be rapidly brought about by pithing or exsanguination. Horses are killed outright by the captive bolt, making pithing and exsanguination unnecessary.[22]
The reasons for euthanasia of pets and other animals include:
- Terminal illness, e.g. cancer or rabies
- Illness or accident that is not terminal but would cause suffering for the animal to live with,[23] or when the owner cannot afford the treatment or has a moral objection to the treatment
- Old age and deterioration leading to loss of major bodily functions, resulting in severe impairment of the quality of life.[24]
- Dementia in pets leading to loss of cognitive function and normal daily behaviour and interactions with owner.[25] Dementia resulting in unsocial and repetitive behaviour causing prolonged stress for both pets and their owners.[26]
- A hunter's coup de grâce
- Behavioural problems (usually ones that cannot be corrected) e.g. aggression – Canines that have usually caused grievous bodily harm (severe injuries or death) to either humans or other animals through mauling are usually seized and euthanised ('destroyed' in British legal terms)
- Lack of home or caretaker or resources for feeding
- "Convenience euthanasia", if the owner no longer wants to care for the pet[27]
- Research and testing – In the course of scientific research or testing, animals may be euthanized in order to be dissected, to prevent suffering after testing, to prevent the spread of disease, or other reasons[3]
Small animal euthanasia is typically performed in a veterinary clinic or hospital, at animal shelter, or at the pet owner's home [28] and is usually carried out by a veterinarian or a veterinary technician working under the veterinarian's supervision. Often animal shelter workers are trained to perform euthanasia as well. Knowing when it's time to put a pet down can be difficult.[29] A licensed veterinarian can help an owner determine when in the course of an illness or behavioral problem euthanasia is appropriate.[30]
In the case of large animals which have sustained injuries, this will also occur at the site of the accident, for example, on a racecourse.
Some animal rights organizations support animal euthanasia in certain circumstances and practice euthanasia at shelters that they operate.[31]
| The examples and perspective in this section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (February 2024) |
In the U.S., for companion animals euthanized in animal shelters, most states prescribe intravenous injection as the required method.[32] These laws date to 1990, when Georgia's Humane Euthanasia Act became the first state law to mandate this method. Before that, gas chambers and other means were commonly employed. The Georgia law was resisted by the Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture, Tommy Irvin, who was charged with enforcing the act. In March 2007, he was sued by former State Representative Chesley V. Morton, who wrote the law, and subsequently ordered by the court to enforce all provisions of the Act.[33]
Some states allow the use of carbon monoxide chambers for euthanasia.[32]
Many pet owners choose to have their pets cremated or buried after the pet is euthanized,[34] and there are pet funeral homes that specialize in animal burial or cremation.[35] Otherwise, the animal facility will often freeze the body and subsequently send it to the local landfill.[36]
In some instances, animals euthanized at shelters or animal control agencies have been sent to meat rendering facilities[37][38][39] to be processed for use in cosmetics, fertilizer, gelatin, poultry feed, pharmaceuticals and pet food.[40] It was proposed that the presence of pentobarbital in dog food may have caused dogs to become less responsive to the drug when being euthanized.[41] However, a 2002 FDA study found no dog or cat DNA in the foods they tested, so it was theorized that the drug found in dog food came from euthanized cattle and horses. Furthermore, the level of the drug found in pet food was safe.[42][43]
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