To dogs living in families, their owners treat them like people, not only feed and care for them, but also love them with all their hearts. But when the animal begins to get very sick and this disease causes him intolerable torment, people must decide whether to use euthanasia and put the sick dog to sleep. In many cases, this difficult decision will be more humane than condemning the animal to pain and anguish.
When is it more humane to euthanize a dog
The euthanasia of animals in veterinary clinics is carried out according to social and medical indicators. The first include cases when the owners simply do not have the funds necessary to treat a sick dog, but such cases are very rare - people try to do everything possible to make the pet recover.
In fact, there are not very many medical indicators. These include:
- pathological irreversible changes and injuries of the spinal cord (myelitis, neurological diseases of the 5th degree, spinal cord rupture);
- acute renal failure caused by lack of adequate treatment;
- uremia due to chronic renal failure, hepatic coma;
- malignant tumors at the last stage (osteosarcoma, angiosarcoma, leukemia, etc.);
- severe cardiac disorders, respiratory failure;
- injuries incompatible with life.
Euthanasia is also allowed for use in cases of the appearance of unwanted or non-viable offspring (before they reach the age of 10 days), and if there was an unreasonable attack on a person, causing him injuries.
In these cases, no matter how much you love the animal and no matter how much you want to cure it, it will be more humane and wiser to save it from suffering. Their symptoms should be known to every owner of a sick dog. In these animals, pain syndrome is manifested by barking and whining, howling and even sounds reminiscent of screams and moans. Particularly patient dogs, even with severe pain, can behave either too calmly or very agitated, while they will periodically experience attacks of rapid breathing. Lack of sleep or short and restless sleep are also signs of acute pain.
How does this happen
The State Duma has been discussing the draft law "On the Responsible Treatment of Animals" for a long time. This bill prohibits the use of such painful methods as exsanguination, suffocation with an inert gas, embolism, etc. to euthanize animals. Euthanasia should not cause painful sensations in the animal, a feeling of fear, or cause him physical suffering.
Euthanasia is performed only after the veterinarian concludes that the dog cannot be cured.
If the owner has decided to euthanize the dog, the veterinarian can come to the house for this, so as not to expose the animal to stress once again. The procedure is carried out in two stages - first, the dog is immersed in deep anesthesia, in which it falls asleep and stops feeling anything, and then a potent drug is injected into it that stops cardiac activity.
