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| Help Make a Difference for Unwanted Pets! |
NCCHE writes, "The North Carolina Coalition for Humane Euthanasia strives to end the cruel killing of unwanted animals in our state's shelters. We encourage animal shelters using gas chambers and "heartstick" injections to change to the safer, more cost-efficient euthanasia by intravenous injection (EBI). EBI is recommended by every national humane organization in the United States as the most humane euthanasia method, the kindest and least stressful method for the animals, and the safest, least traumatic method for shelter workers.
Documentation shows that animals can struggle and wail for up to ten minutes before death in gas chambers. Some bite themselves and each other in panic, beat their heads against the chamber walls, choke and vomit while being forced to inhale carbon monoxide. Groups of animals are often gassed together. Carbon monoxide is not effective for baby animals, for very old, sick or pregnant animals, since they may not inhale enough gas to die. Even healthy adult animals have survived the first gassing. Shelter employees admit to gassing the same animals up to three times.
Intravenous injection usually kills the animal in about 30 seconds and death is certain.
Davie, the dog pictured above, survived a gassing attempt at the Davie County Animal Shelter in 2005. While Davie was knocked unconscious, he did not inhale enough gas to be fatal. He was found near death in a plastic bag in a dumpster, after being discarded by Davie County Animal Control. A local citizen found him while taking out her trash. Davie is now a happy member of her family.
CO poisoning, even at low levels, can cause many health problems for employees who are exposed. A Tennessee shelter employee died while unloading dead dogs from a gas chamber, after being exposed to carbon monoxide. In another instance, a gas chamber exploded in North Carolina when a broken light bulb was exposed to CO. Another explosion occurred while a shelter employee tried to put an aggressive dog into a chamber; the dog knocked over the gas cylinder. Is it worth the many risks?
Humane euthanasia by intravenous injection should not be confused with chest injections, or attempted intracardiac injections, which are cruel and painful if done without anesthesia. IC injections without anesthesia are in violation of AVMA guidelines, and thus violate state law. Intravenous injections are considered the most humane.
Whether unwanted animals die cruelly or compassionately is up to you. Your taxes are funding it. Contact your county commissioners and county managers and demand change. Write letters to editors and ask your local media to report on the use of gas chambers in your region. For those who would like more information and documentation, refer them to this website.
It is a shame that there is not a loving home available for every animal in North Carolina. We encourage you to spay or neuter your pets to keep overpopulation under control. Until then, the innocent unwanted should not have to die by any method other than humane injection.
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Get involved.
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Email us at NCcoalition@yahoo.com
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Posted on Feb 03, 2007 21:42pm.
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