Dog Euthanasia

The methods employed in euthanasia in the past - and, unfortunately, even today in some places - are largely responsible for the fact that so many people simply refused to consider ending a pet's life. They were shocking, inhumane, and often clumsy. Usually the animal was shot, gassed, or electrocuted. The drugs that were occasionally used were unsatisfactory: the injection of strychnine was certainly inferior even to shooting; ether and chloroform brought a kinder death but even with these there was considerable distress.

If your local humane society or dog warden is still using the methods of a decade or so ago, you will be doing a service to both the pets and pet owners in your community by talking with the proper authorities the possibilities of using pentobarbital.
There has been a heated debate over the use of the high altitude chamber for euthanasia and many states have seen fit to eliminate it by law. The animals do pass through at least an apprehensive period before unconsciousness.

Today there are a number of drugs available that are both quick and painless. When you decide that it is best to terminate your dog's existence you have every right to insist that drugs of this type be administered. The best of these is sodium pentobarbital. When injected into a vein or directly into the heart, its effects are almost instantaneous. A sudden sleep overcomes the animal and in a matter of seconds it is completely unconscious. The heartbeat and breathing cease; the end comes quietly and quickly. The lethal dose of sodium pentobarbital is usually considered to be one and a half times the amount required for anesthesia. To eliminate even the possibility of such occurrences, we administer three grains for each five pounds of the animal's weight. A dose of this size is completely and immediately effective.