Language
Country/Area
No result found
From syringes to euthanasia: Which drugs allow animals to go away peacefully?
Euthanasia (from Greek: εὐθανασία, meaning "good death") is the act of killing an animal in a humane way, usually using injectable drugs. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (especially painful) conditions or diseases, lack of resources to continue supporting the animal, or experimental testing procedures. The method of euthanasia aims to minimize the pain and distress of animals and is different from animal slaughter and pest control.
In domesticated animals, discussions of euthanasia are often replaced by euphemisms such as "euthanized" or "put to sleep" to reduce the hurtfulness of the vocabulary.
Methods of euthanasia
Euthanasia methods can be roughly divided into pharmaceutical methods and physical methods. Acceptable pharmacological approaches include injectable drugs and gases that first depress the central nervous system and then cardiovascular activity. Methods of physical euthanasia must first cause rapid loss of consciousness by damaging the central nervous system.
Intravenous anesthesia
The administration of intravenous anesthesia can rapidly lead to unconsciousness, respiratory arrest, and cardiac arrest, usually within 30 seconds. Some veterinarians use a two-stage process, first sedating the animal to make it more comfortable and then euthanizing it. This method gives the owner the opportunity to say goodbye to the animal while it is still alive, and can greatly reduce its spontaneous movements and reduce the owner's emotional stress.
For large animals, the required dosage of barbiturates is considered impractical by some, although this is standard practice in the United States.
Inhalational anesthesia
Gas anesthetics such as isoflurane and sevoflurane can be used to euthanize very small animals. The animal will be placed in a sealed chamber and a high concentration of anesthetic gas will be introduced. Death can also be achieved by the use of carbon dioxide when the animal becomes unconscious due to inhalation of the anesthetic. For wildlife, carbon dioxide is often used on its own, but there is disagreement about whether it causes distress when used alone.
Neck dislocation
Neck dislocation, or neck snapping, is an older and less common method of killing small animals such as rats. If performed properly, it is intended to cause minimal pain and requires no cost or equipment. However, this requires appropriate skills on the part of the person performing it, otherwise it may not result in death but severe suffering to the animal.
Intracardiac or intraperitoneal injection
When intravenous injection is not possible, euthanasia drugs such as pentobarbital can be injected directly into the heart chambers or body cavities. Under state and federal laws, injections via potassium-sodium hydrolytes are considered the most humane method. Although intraperitoneal injection is perfectly acceptable, it may take up to 15 minutes to take effect.
Shooting
For large animals, such as horses, cattle, and deer, shooting can be used as a method of euthanasia. This method needs to be performed by highly skilled personnel in appropriate locations to ensure prompt death of the animal.
Reason for euthanasia
Reasons for animal euthanasia include:
- Terminal illness, such as cancer or rabies
- Illness or accident that cannot be cured but causes pain to the animal
- Major body dysfunction caused by age and degeneration
- Behavioral changes caused by loss of cognitive function
- No suitable caregivers or resources
- Convenience euthanasia, when the owner no longer wishes to care for the animal
- Research and Testing
National laws require intravenous injection in most states for pets to be euthanized in animal shelters.
Legal status of euthanasia and disposal of remains
In the United States, most states require intravenous injection for companion animals to be euthanized in animal shelters. Many owners choose to have their pets cremated or buried after euthanasia. Otherwise, animal agencies will choose to freeze the animal remains and then send them to local landfills for disposal.
Faced with all the above situations, we can’t help but wonder: Can we find a more ethical balance between euthanasia and natural death?
