Euthanasia Policy
CARE
Please feel free to leave comments about the policy.
CARE’s Euthanasia Policy
CARE’s animal shelter includes an area of about 1.47 acres and housing
for 200 dogs and 50 cats. We occasionally house rabbits and birds as
well. We have a strict limit and make every effort to control the
number of animals in the shelter in order to protect their welfare.
Therefore, when the shelter is overpopulated, we perform a non –
periodic examination by the association committee and select targets
for euthanasia by unanimous consent. This policy applies only to our
shelter.
The association committee - This committee consists mostly of CARE
members and board members, and includes a certified and registered
veterinarian who advises the committee.
The policy on euthanasia is as follows.
In general, we house and care for each animal for a minimum of one
year.
We use the following criteria to determine whether an animal should be
targeted for euthanasia:
1. If the animal is suffering from a transmittable disease that could
threaten the health of other dogs.
2. If the animal has a violent nature and attempts to bite people or
other animals (After such behavior, we conduct an accurate observation
for months to see if there is any possibility of improvement).
3. If the animal is too afraid/cautious to trust a human companion
(There may be a high possibility of the dog running away after
adoption).
4. If the animal is seriously injured or incurable.
5. If the animal is too old for adoption and is having problems
getting adopted.
6. If the animal suffers from an illness and needs an expensive
treatment (Usually only if the animal has spent more than one year in
the shelter).
7. If the animal possesses unfavorable condition(s) for adoption and
has spent more than one year in the shelter (e.g. if the dog is too
big or too noisy).
8. If the animal is disabled and therefore has less possibility for
adoption.
9. When the animals are acquired through a possible animal hoarder,
who has agreed to euthanasia, and have not been adopted for more than
one year.
10. When the animals are rescued from a dog meat farm and have not
been adopted for more than one year.
11. Depending on circumstances, we may also perform euthanasia on
healthy animals in order to limit overpopulation.
-Approximately 16% of the animals at our shelter are euthanized each
year.
*The procedure and method:
1. Inject Zoletil(0.3ml per kilo) to anesthetize the animal.
2. Inject succinylcoine, a muscle relaxant, to euthanize.
Most of the anesthetic agents that are used in the U.S. (and other
developed countries) are not available in Korea. Therefore we use the
above medicines to reach the most humane way possible of euthanizing
in Korea.
(Reference: Most animal hospitals in Korea use Ketamine instead of
Zoletil)
*Do’s and Don’ts
1. Euthanasia shall be done in a sealed room where no other animals
can watch.
2. Workers should not express their feelings in front of the animal
being put down.
3. The euthanized body should be wrapped with a blanket when it has to
be moved.
*Carcass treatment after euthanasia.
1. We are currently in a contractual relationship with a specialized
company of pathogenic waste to incinerate the bodies.
2. Konkuk University in Korea manages the animal blood & body donation
program which is supported by the RSPCA (UK). We are providing Konkuk
University with dead bodies (around 40 per year) from euthanasia. This
is to minimize the number of Laboratory animals used for scientific
purposes.
**For any worker who does not follow the policy on euthanasia
accordingly:
For a first offense, he or she will be warned.
For a second offense, he or she will be forced to resign.
For any committee member, he or she will be dismissed from the
committee.