Euthanasia

 

Euthanasia literally means “good, or easy death”. In pet dogs, euthanasia is achieved by injecting an anaesthetic overdose of barbiturates into the vein of a foreleg. This causes the heart to stop painlessly. The dog loses consciousness within seconds of the injection, and death follows a few seconds later.

Euthanasia of an aggressive cocker spaniel. Photo: Jan Andersson