What is the most common health reason for putting dogs to sleep?
Posted on April 6th, 2010 by admin
We have been discussing this at the clinic. The most common reason owner’s dogs are euthanized in the clinic is hip dysplasia/orthopedic problems related to aging. A lot of people choose to euthanize when the dogs can’t get around to go potty or to go in and out well. What do you see in your areas?
Because there are leash laws here, we don’t see many dogs coming in hit by cars. Maybe 3-4 a year, but not a lot of them. I see orthopedic problems or age-related arthritis dogs coming in to see the vets at least 5 times a day.
Chalice mentioned aggression– There seems to be a lot more big dogs coming in from code enforcement to be euthanized lately. I think there has been a stricter crackdown on larger more dominant breeds. Just a couple of weeks ago a Rhodesian Ridgeback came in to be destroyed from code. That surprised be because the shelter could have sold him for a lot of money. But I don’t hear a lot of owners destroying animals for that, just code enforcement who won’t take a chance on putting them back on the streets.
Chalice mentioned aggression– There seems to be a lot more big dogs coming in from code enforcement to be euthanized lately. I think there has been a stricter crackdown on larger more dominant breeds. Just a couple of weeks ago a Rhodesian Ridgeback came in to be destroyed from code. That surprised me because the shelter could have sold him for a lot of money. But I don’t hear a lot of owners destroying animals for that, just code enforcement who won’t take a chance on putting them back on the streets.
Since I don’t work in a clinic, I can only give you my impression of the reasons I’ve heard, common to my exposure to dog owners.
The top three reasons for putting a dog down (de-compression, lethal gas, a bullet, lethal injection, breaking its neck, hanging it or drowning it)
3: Its in the best interest of the dog;
2: Some carastrophic event resulting in unmanageable pain and suffering; and
1: Its the most convenient choice given the dog-owner, who will invariably argue point 3.
I was going to expand on number 1, but you people know who you are … live with it.
Tony Ancheta
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