Pet Forum / Miscellaneous / Animal Health / January 2007

Damian, please, don't confuse me with a professional. I'm merely
interested in the euthanasia process, and have learned a bit online and
from observing at the animal shelter.

I once asked, in this newsgroup, if anyone could explain just how the
euthansia pharmaceutical works, but no one responded. I'm not sure the
manufacturers would be any more willing to explain. So, for now, I don't
know and don't know how to find out. :-)

When I said that the shelter uses a technique similar to the one used
for your cat, I meant that I'm not sure they aim for the kidneys--or any
specific organ. The cats never seem distressed: they merely fade away,
and their heart stops beating in five minutes or less. They take longer
than your cat, but I have no idea of why. These cats are reasonably
healthy.

Propylene glycol is used in food and cosmetics, among many other things.
Ethyl alcohol (ethanol) is the variety of alcohol found in beer, wine,
spirits. It is toxic to us; so, our liver gets destroyed instead of us.
Of course, once our liver is gone, we're in deep trouble! Oh, the benzyl
alcohol (o.02%) is a preservative. Bear in mind, this is only for Vortec
Pharmaceuticals' Fatal-Plus. Other brands might contain some different
things.

Some vets do use a sedative ahead of the euthansia mixture. I'm not
positive about this part, but I believe use of the sedative is mostly
for the benefit of the pet owner. On *hopefully* rare occasions, the
euthanizing mixture does not perform as designed. Perhaps because some
organ is attacked before the CNS. I haven't been able to learn the part,
yet. In such cases, the animal does not go peacefully, but seems to have
a drug reaction. I recently asked my vet what was happening in such
cases, and he told me he had never seen that happen.

Anyway, the sedative is just an extra step that can be used.

On dangerous dogs, the shelter sometimes leads with Ketamine to
immobilize the dog. Ketamine can be given intra muscular via a long tool
that holds the syringe. The drug acts slowly, but allows the staff a
window of time in which to administer the Fatal-Plus in a vein. The
procedure is more gentle for the dog and safer for the staff.

Please, don't think that euthanasia mixtures and sedatives are the same
thing. The owner you mentioned might have made that mistake, but they
are similar, at best.

By a vast margin, most euthanasias, via injection, seem to go well.

Some very well-respected physicians believe that such euthanasias are
more merciful than what humans experience when executed by lethal
injection. Basically, their argument is that the convict is paralyzed
first--then put to sleep--then poisoned. So, regardless of how painful
(or not) the convict can't react. Personally, I believe those doctors
have too much free time. I'm sorry for getting of the subject.

________________________
Whatever it takes.