Euthanasia of Dogs by Australian Veterinarians: A Survey of Current Practices

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Veterinarians are commonly required to euthanise dogs in the course of their work. The way euthanasia is performed can impact the welfare of dogs, the wellbeing of the client, and the wellbeing of the veterinary team members involved. There are published guidelines regarding humane euthanasia techniques, but there are few reports on how veterinarians actually perform euthanasia, in both non-emergency and emergency contexts. We surveyed Australian veterinarians on the techniques they used, including whether they used premedication or sedation prior to euthanasia of dogs. We found that almost all veterinarians used barbiturates to euthanise dogs. The majority provided some form of premedication or sedation prior to euthanasia in non-emergency contexts, compared with just under half in emergency situations. The type of premedication or sedation varied. Factors associated with administering a premedication or sedation included the gender of the veterinarian, their location and the type of practice they worked in. Veterinarians had differing practices and views about the way in which canine euthanasia should be performed. These findings will be useful to allow individual veterinarians to benchmark and improve their own euthanasia practices and may assist in the development and refinement of canine euthanasia protocols. ABSTRACT: Euthanasia techniques utilised by veterinarians impact the welfare of many dogs in their final moments. Despite euthanasia guidelines, little is known about euthanasia techniques used in practice. We administered an online survey of Australian veterinarians who had euthanised at least one dog in the previous 12 months. We found that 668 (96.8%) had euthanised a dog in the previous 12 months, almost all using intravenous pentobarbitone sodium (n = 651, 99.7%). For non-emergency euthanasia (n = 653), the majority (n = 442, 67.7%) administered a premedication or sedation prior to euthanasia versus less than half for emergency euthanasia (n = 286, 46.4%). Practices and views about euthanasia varied. Female veterinarians and veterinarians located in metropolitan regions were more likely to administer a premedication or sedation prior to non-emergency euthanasia (p < 0.05). Veterinarians in private mixed animal practices were less likely to administer a premedication or sedation prior to a non-emergency euthanasia (p < 0.05). For non-emergency and emergency euthanasia, veterinarians who worked in “other” practice types were more likely to administer a premedication or sedation than private companion animal practices (p < 0.05). The possible reasons for differences in euthanasia practices are explored, and scope for refinement is identified.