Since you waive the office visit, it seems like your charges are right in line. Even if they are coming specifically for euthanasia where I work they still get charged the $99.00 emergency fee. A typical euthanasia with communal cremation tends to run right around $220. Ashes returned to owner about an extra $100-$200 depending on how big the pet is.
Circumstances vary, and if poor people come in with really sick pets (most common - parvo puppies) who would normally treat if they had any money, and minimal services aren’t even possible to get the pet supported enough to get to a low-cost clinic the next day, then for humane reasons we will offer free euthanasia with communal cremation in hopes the people will take that option rather than take the pet home to die a horrible, inevitable, death.
I have never heard of such a thing. Putting a cat in renal/cardiac failure through gas anesthesia, and having to go through the involuntary excitement stage, sounds awful. I’m fairly certain I would refuse to do it. I guess I can’t say for sure unless I’m put in that circumstance, but even an IM injection of a kitty cocktail like midazolam/hydromorphone/dexdomitor would be far kinder.
We use the catheters to administer propofol first, then the pentobarbital. Even if the cat is resistant during catheter insertion, I would rather that than put them through gas anesthesia.
I have to agree with Sea Dragon Tattoo - I would not want one of my cats subjected to this. I had a young cat who refused to be an indoor cat - he would literally lean on the door so he would fall out when you opened it. I never gave up trying to keep that cat in but he eventually got out again and got into antifreeze. His euthanasia was traumatic for me. I couldn’t comfort him - he was blind by the time we euthanized him and disoriented. I never got to say goodbye to that cat and it was really hard on me. That was through no fault of the vet - he just couldn’t be saved or euthanized in time for that. I can’t imagine imposing disorientation on a pet and taking away that opportunity for the owner to say goodbye in a meaningful way when it’s possible. Why not euthanize in a manner where having to explain the worst case scenario to the owner is not necessary? The worst case rarely happens since we use a catheter.
And catheters are an essential part of the standard of veterinary care :eek:.
Not only is mask induction with gas anesthesia stressful for the animal - hell, if they ever want to induce ME with a mask and I’m in a position to have any input, I will tell them to pound sand, and they can explain to me what’s happening, unlike with an animal - it may be risky for the PEOPLE to be repeatedly exposed to even low levels of anesthetic gases from mask leakage and exhaled anesthetic after the mask is removed (ideally, an anesthetized patient should be kept on oxygen while still attached to an active scavenging system via the endotracheal tube at the end of anesthesia to help them “blow off” some of the gas until being extubated). It is irresponsible to routinely expose staff to these risks when there are SO MANY alternatives which are safer for both animals and people. Even fearful, aggressive, feral cats can usually be anesthetized through some injectable means and then intubated and hooked up to a system with proper waste gas scavenging; by comparison, a tame cat is a piece of cake to safely anesthetize or euthanize without the use of gas induction. Given the description given, I also wonder whether the practice in question uses proper scavenging and ventilation in the OR and recovery areas.
The use of catheters for for every euthanasia is still not universally agreed upon among experienced, competent, compassionate vets, but the cookbook use of and routine exposure of staff to volatile agents is irresponsible, IMO.
My brother’s dog had to be euthanized. My mom did it while he was at school and I was in a panic because I knew (even at age 4) that it was unfair to him because he’d have a shock when he got home.
All of our other dogs were shot (er, with a gun) when the time came. I have no idea what happens at a vet’s office when you put your pet down. But I’m wondering - does this mean that the catheter is the “more humane” way to do it (in regards to euthanasia)?
More humane than shooting, or more humane than giving the injection without the catheter?
Yes to the first question, not really to the second. An intravenous overdose of barbituate is an intravenous overdose of barbituate, you know?
When you’re not present for euthanasia , what happens at every clinic I’ve worked at is this, assuming your pet can be safely restrained: the top of the foreleg is shaved to expose the radial vein, the vein is held off with a thumb or tourniquet until the needle is in, the vein is released, the injection is given. There are, of course, things that can go awry, things that have been discussed in great detail upthread. These things are generally not an issue for the animal or the staff, but would be vastly upsetting for the already upset owner–if any of those things had happened when I put down our MaggieMoo, I’m not sure I could have taken it, despite having been involved with several hundred euthanasias of other people’s pets.
The catheter is, as has been said before, insurance against those things happening, making the experience quicker and cleaner and less traumatic for the owner. And in that sense I suppose it is the more humane option–for the owner.
I’ve had animals euthanized both with and w/out catheter, and I think it depends on the vet, how well they know the individual animal and its human, and how confident they are of hitting that vein and how well the drug will be taken up. I’ve not noticed a difference in my animal either way.*
Horses tend to be catheterized for the safety of the vet and handler I’ve found. That’s a huge dose that has to go in, and even a sick, tranq’ed horse can be fidgety at the wrong moment. Also when they go down, it’s fast and hard, usually.
*Personally, if I know the end is coming for one of my critters I ask my vet for a dose of acepromazine. I will tranq my friend 20 - 30 min before the ride to the vet so there’s as little stress as possible, for either of us. It makes a very hard day just a titch easier.
Horses in general go down hard for any type of sedation/anesthesia/euthanasia. Their reactions are much more extreme than anything that happens with dogs and cats.
Referring back to the AVMA guidelines, inhalant anesthetics are considered an alternate euthanasia method, provided the animal is small (nothing larger than a medium-sized cat).
Just because there is no catheter, this doesn’t mean that there was no pre-euthanasia sedation. At some clinics, the sedation is just a dose given on the back muscles.
This is horrifying. The most recent shelter where I worked even has a better euthanasia protocol than this, including injectable sedation/analgesia followed by venous injection of the euthanasia agent. A private practice that did this would have me reporting them to the state board.
I’m not even touching the “no catheters” thing. I’ve been lucky to have not run into a practice like this since the early 90’s.
I have never heard of such a thing. Putting a cat in renal/cardiac failure through gas anesthesia, and having to go through the involuntary excitement stage, sounds awful. I’m fairly certain I would refuse to do it. I guess I can’t say for sure unless I’m put in that circumstance, but even an IM injection of a kitty cocktail like midazolam/hydromorphone/dexdomitor would be far kinder.
on waste anesthetic gases: