Adoption is one of the best ways to keep animals safe from euthanasia.
Owners of terminally ill pets often face the dilemma of agreeing to euthanize them. Even healthy animals -- some abandoned by their owners -- often face the same fate. Euthanizing animals is a common practice in the U.S. According to the American Humane Association, there were about 3.7 million animals euthanized in the U.S. in 2008 alone. Although the practice is prevalent, there are alternative available to help avoid animal euthanasia.
Reasons for Euthanizing Animals
There are two main reasons why euthanasia is a common practice in the US: the pet is terminally ill and the animal stayed in a shelter for too long without anyone adopting it. The justification for the first reason is simple enough, when owners think that their pets will be better off euthanized rather than live, often battling with disease or old age. The second reason, though, is all about cost. Animal shelters do not have enough funding to support all the animals they get, and often need to euthanize animals in order for the shelter to survive financially.
Home Hospice
For owners of terminally ill animals, home hospice is an option to avoid euthanasia. Just like human hospices, the philosophy behind an animal hospice is taking care of your pet at home and minimizing the level of pain and suffering it experiences by providing proper medication, care and feeding. Veterinarians supporting this option often train and teach pet owners take care of their pets at home. Skills, such as inject intravenous medication, as well as set up sleeping areas properly, are some of the common techniques needed by pet-owners.
Animal Retirement Centers
Owners who opt not to euthanize old or terminally ill pets, but are too busy to take care of them at home, can take their pets to animal retirement centers. Just like human retirement centers, animals are taken care of in the best way possible. Exercises, proper medication and accommodations are provided. There are veterinarians monitoring the centers to ensure pets are taken care of properly.
Neutering and Adoption
Euthanasia of healthy animals is often a distressing thought to people, as it occurs commonly for homeless animals. Two solutions counter this concern. The first alternative is to neuter pets to control the general population in a community. This means fewer animals that shelters need to accommodate and ultimately euthanize. Another alternative option is adoption of animals in shelters instead of buying from breeders or pet shops. The American Humane Society states that about half of sheltered animals are adopted each year, but the other half is euthanized. When adopting a pet, each person should consider the pet's breed and its compatibility with their lifestyle. Doing so will prevent another potentially abandoned animal.
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