Note: This is a guest post by Radha Deep. Radha manages the blog canine care reviews and also contributes articles frequently to the site good canine Food.
Did you know that 9.6 million animals are euthanized in the united states every year? According to the American Humane Association, this is the number of animals killed because of various reasons ranging from terminal illnesses to behavioral problems. An animal may be euthanized by a vet in his or her clinic or the pet’s home, or it may be induced by a qualified person working in an animal shelter.
A recent survey about animal shelters revealed that 56% of dogs are euthanized, while about 40% are reunited with their owners or adopted by new owners.
Some of these shelters are run by voluntary animal welfare organizations while others are run with government support. There are numerous no-kill shelters that euthanize only for medical reasons. However, some of these shelters send the unclaimed, unadopted animals to other shelters where they may or may not be killed.
Choosing euthanasia as the only workable option for a pet is very stressful for his owner. It creates a host of emotions ranging from anger, disappointment and distress to helplessness. There are voluntary organizations like care (Companion animal related Emotion) that offer emotional support and a much-needed helpline to pet owners.
CARE is staffed with veterinary students who function as emotional counselors after undergoing orientation and training. They are in turn supervised by a licensed psychologist.
Euthanasia in Greek actually implies “good death.” It is a term denoting that a humane death has been induced for a suffering or unwanted animal.
But why are animals euthanized? here are the chief reasons for euthanizing dogs:
– severe symptoms and loss of basic functions due to old age.
– lack of residing area for the animal. Yes, sadly this is a significant reason why dogs get euthanized. animals are abandoned with nobody to claim them and no space to hold them.
– Temperamental abnormality, as in a severe case of aggression where an animal bites or attacks indiscriminately and can’t or isn’t trained to get rid of the behavior.
– the most essential and prevalent reason for putting an animal to sleep is based on medical grounds:
If the canine is afflicted with an disease that has no chance of recovery, such as an advanced stage of cancer.
Symptoms so severe and debilitating that it seems humane to put the canine to sleep rather than see him suffer.
Broken legs or other bones that do not allow the animal to function typically and he suffers from constant and severe pain.
So how does one decide the point when euthanasia is an option on medical grounds for the pet? The quality of his life will always be a subjective judgment, but these indicators may help you decide:
– Is the canine able to carry out his daily functions of eating, drinking and sleeping without external help?
– are there any treatment options still available that can improve the dog’s health/behavior?
– Can he see and hear well enough for his safety?
– Does he have a consistent level of recognition of the house and its members?
– has the extra care and support you give him in his present condition affected the quality of your life? This is especially essential if the canine shows signs of aggression.
– Does the control of urinary or bowel functions seem a problem for him?
– Does he appear short of breath after completing easy actions?
– Does he refuse food and water for days?
The commonest method of euthanasia for dogs is by injecting a strong dose of an anesthetic such as pentobarbital either directly into the heart or intravenously so the pet dies within 30 seconds.
Pet owners choose burial or cremation of their loved animal and can seek the services of pet funeral homes for the same.
What people are doing about it
Pet lovers are doing their bit to bring down the numbers killed. Loro:
– practice responsible pet ownership.
– Spay/neuter the dogs if they are not being bred.
– avoid purchasing dogs from pet shops.
– offer a balanced, healthy and fortifying diet for the canine to keep him strong and immune to many illnesses.
– keep him clean and safe.
– Train him best from the beginning (either by themselves or with professional help) to follow commands without punishing or hurting him. They are firm, gentle and affectionate in purchase to help him maintain a enjoyable temperament.
– adopt an animal from a shelter and/or offer their services to animal shelters to work at a grassroots level and create awareness about the problem of abandoned pets.
Animal shelters help decrease the prevalence of the problem by:
– Spaying/neutering animals prior to adoption.
– Lavorare per molta più adozione di animali nei rifugi promuovendo la loro causa.
– Offrire un ambiente pulito, una dieta nutriente e un facile accesso alle cure veterinarie per gli animali.
– Offrire strutture mediche APT per gli animali.
-Avere centri di assistenza speciali e ben attrezzati per animali indesiderati e per quegli animali nel trauma.
– Condurre addestramento periodico e sessioni comportamentali per gli animali.
Radha Deep gestisce le recensioni del blog Canine Care e contribuisce anche ad articoli al sito buon cibo canino. Se desideri scrivere un post per gli ospiti, inviami un’e -mail a lindsay@thatmutt.com.
