Why animal euthanasia is necessary

As an beast welfare clemency dealing with most species beyond the entirety of England and Wales, we're oft the kickoff port of call for sick, injured, abused and neglected animals. Due to the injuries sustained and ways in which animals have been treated past people earlier our intervention, the event isn't always the happy-e'er-after we'd want and difficult decisions accept to be made.

At that place'south a common misconception that we put good for you animals to sleep, but this couldn't exist farther from the truth, and our dedicated teams always work hard to brand euthanasia a last resort.

Our euthanasia policy

Our policy states that we will non euthanase a salubrious, rehomeable animal.

Nosotros will euthanase an animal only if this is in the all-time interest of their welfare. This means preventing further suffering, whether that's physical or mental, if they can't be rehabilitated with a view to either release (if wild) or rehome (if domestic).

Nosotros only euthanase salubrious animals if required by law

We'll always do our best to rehabilitate both wild and domestic animals. We're all creature lovers and our main concern is e'er the individual animate being's welfare. If an animal can be rehabilitated and live a happy life, performing their natural behaviours, we'll work hard to notice them a dwelling or get them released dorsum into the wild.

There may occasionally be very sad circumstances where animals are physically healthy but where the horrendous trauma they've suffered has left them with severe mental trauma and serious behavioural bug. We'll always endeavour and rehabilitate these animals through piece of work with our behavioural specialists simply sadly sometimes the impact of the trauma they've suffered is too great.

If they present an unacceptable risk to public condom, or we're unable to relieve their mental suffering so they can live a happy, stress-free life and then very sadly there are circumstances where euthanasia is the kindest option.

The but healthy animals we're non legally allowed to rehome or release dorsum to the wild are:

  • Banned types of dogs that are 'typed' under Brood Specific Legislation, which we're campaigning confronting
  • Animals on the UK Regime's Invasive Alien Species list, such as grey squirrels and muntjac deer, unless they can exist released in-situ without injuries.

Misleading reports about our euthanasia numbers

Newspaper reports suggesting that we euthanase half the animals in our care are totally incorrect. The most recent written report included thousands of gravely sick and critically injured wildlife - emergency call-outs to animals which had go impaled on railings, hit by vehicles, shot or defenseless in traps and had life-ending injuries - which were put to sleep to end their severe suffering. If we were not able to provide this service then many more animals would die slow, lingering and very painful deaths.

The written report besides merely looked at the numbers of animals nosotros rescued and didn't have into account tens of thousands more animals which are brought into our hospitals, branches and centres past other people.

Animals aren't put to slumber after a certain number of days, weeks, or months

We're aware that some people believe nosotros put animals to slumber afterward a specific time limit, only it's admittedly not true. In fact, many animals that are function of prosecution cases can spend months or even years getting the TLC they need whilst perpetrators of cruelty are brought to justice. You won't come across any trace of these animals on our website or social media until a example has concluded and they're legally ours to rehome, just they're cared for past our amazing fosterers in their homes, or by our expert in-business firm teams.

Animals that aren't subject field to prosecutions and are ready for rehoming are listed on Find a Pet. Many of these have taken months of care, time and love to get them to a stage where they're ready for a new family. We don't surrender on these animals, and we won't.

No-kill shelters

No-impale shelters are often romanticized and, whilst the final thing anyone wants is to put an animal to slumber, sometimes this is the kindest option and is a relief to the animal that will otherwise continue to endure.

We believe that animals take the right to a happy life, gratuitous of pain and suffering, which means their welfare needs must exist met and part of doing the very best for animals in our care means that euthanasia is sometimes necessary when it prevents an animate being suffering.

Our animal rescuers, vets and carers go actually emotionally invested when they are spending fourth dimension working with vulnerable animals, and information technology's always heartbreaking when we tin't salve them. With animals' best interests in mind, nosotros're not a no-kill shelter as we believe these often prolong lives inhumanely.

Why our euthanasia rates might be higher than other charities

It'due south impossible to compare our work with whatever other animal welfare charity. No-one else rescues and rehabilitates animals which have endured severe suffering and corruption similar we do, or deals with such a huge range of species including critically ill and injured wild animals.

Unlike other charities nosotros don't accept a "selective intake" policy; this means we focus on welfare demand and take in as many animals as nosotros tin can who demand us virtually. Nosotros don't choose on the ground of how easy an brute volition exist to rehome. This sometimes ways that nosotros accept the animals that some other charities won't - including those with serious medical and behavioural issues. We do our all-time to rehabilitate all animals that come into our care, but for some, sadly, they're too ill and suffering too much, then information technology wouldn't be off-white or humane to prolong their suffering.

Euthanasia is ever a last resort

24-hour interval in, twenty-four hour period out, nosotros rescue and take in animals of all shapes and sizes, and deal with those most physically and mentally driveling. In many cases, we spend a huge amount of fourth dimension working to care for, rehabilitate and back up animals so they tin can be rehomed or released, and we have many success stories which are incredibly rewarding. But the reality is that this isn't always possible, and part of caring for an animal is knowing when to offer that concluding kindness.

No affair how much we desire to save an animal, sometimes the kindest matter to practice is to put them to sleep, and we have to put their needs to a higher place our own emotions.

When difficult decisions have had to be fabricated

Ten ponies were living in filthy stables and even their basic needs weren't existence met

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We were chosen to a case involving x ponies that were living in filthy, unsuitable stables. It was clear that they had been lacking bones care, including routine farriery and hoof care, for some time and this had resulted in their hooves becoming overgrown and curled up. Some of the ponies were in then much pain they were reluctant to move. One horse in particular was severely bedridden and almost savage over when rescuers tried to coax him out of his stable.

We called a vet to examine the ponies and very sadly five of them were so lame and in severe pain with little risk of relief, so the vet had no other option but to euthanase them immediately on site.

4 of the other ponies were likewise lame and needed hurting relief before the five survivors could be transported to a identify of rubber for further treatment and evaluation. Unfortunately, x-rays revealed that a farther three of the ponies had chronic irreversible changes in their hooves due to laminitis, a status which cripples horses and causes extreme pain, and which had been left untreated. Sadly, on the advice of the vet, these horses also had to exist euthanased to forbid any further suffering.

The upsetting decision to end the eight horses' hurting could so easily have been prevented if the owners had sought help before things got to this stage.

Euthanasia was the kindest pick afterwards this poor cat was hit by a car

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This poor devious cat came into the care of one of our creature hospitals, later a suspected road traffic collision. Our vets found that he was in a dandy deal of pain; his jaw was dislocated and fractured. Some of his jaw was missing and in that location was exposed infected bone.

The team did their best to save him, attempting to repair his jaw. Sadly, in spite of the surgical procedure and a lot of TLC and pain relief from our skilful team, it was articulate that his injuries were so extensive, he wasn't going to pull through. Sadly the kindest thing was to put him to sleep to end his suffering. Having spent lots of time trying to prepare the poor cat's injuries, the team was heartbroken that he couldn't exist saved.

A sad ending for a swan that was attacked by a dog

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A swan that had been attacked by a dog was reported to u.s., and we spent over an hr searching for her. The whole of her back had been ripped off, causing absolute agony. When we managed to rescue her, sadly the vet decided nothing could be washed to relieve her life and she was humanely put to slumber.

A Japanese Akita-type dog was unable to pull through subsequently being neglected

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We rushed to help a Japanese Akita-type domestic dog named Mia when she was institute abandoned and in a neglected, emaciated and collapsed state past the side of a river. Sadly she was struggling to breathe and was refusing nutrient.

We were called to investigate and our vets provided treatment over many days to stabilise her. Sadly while Mia made progress on the handling we were unable to control pain from spinal arthritis, in spite of medications. She was struggling to walk and her quality of life was very poor, so, heartbreakingly the kindest affair to practice was to end her suffering. This was very upsetting for everyone caring for her, merely they knew it was the kindest thing to do.

We take huge success rehabilitating severely poorly animals

While difficult decisions do have to be made by our dedicated animal-loving squad, we're incredibly proud of the many success stories we have, where we've successfully rehabilitated animals suffering from both concrete and behavioural issues.

With treatment, we improved Pepper's behavioural issues

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Pepper came from a working background, along with several other edge collies. They had been kept in completely unsuitable conditions, locked away in a trailer, and had never been socialised with people, worn collars or leads, or fifty-fifty been in a house. He and the other dogs were extremely fearful of people, noises and annihilation new - Pepper seemingly more so than the others. Without intervention, it would've fabricated finding a new home for him incredibly difficult - if not impossible -  and he could've really suffered severely from stress and fright. Scared dogs can be unpredictable, which can make rehoming them unsafe for people unless they take the advisable back up.

Thankfully, our talented behavioural team set to piece of work improving his behaviour by using associative learning, which means the gradual introduction of new experiences with treats, and social learning, until he was more than comfy with not only staff simply besides with unknown people. With perseverance and compassion, nosotros were able to make huge progress and also become him and his group used to wearing collars and harnesses.

A dedicated family came forward to enquire nigh him once he was added to Find a Pet. They visited the middle on multiple occasions so Pepper could get more familiar with them, and nosotros were delighted to send him to their rural habitation soon later! Since then, we've remained in contact with his family and his progress has been amazing. He's happily living in the business firm, going out in the car for extra walks and has even befriended a cat!

Frosty the horse was in a dire situation when we were called

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Nosotros rushed to the scene with the fire service when we received a call well-nigh a young horse who was collapsed at the lesser of a dirty bank. He was clearly exhausted from trying to get up and was on the brink of death, with his back legs defenseless around a tree and his front legs in the river. He was terrified and had to be sedated by the vet and then we could get straps underneath him and winch him up to prophylactic on that dark and rainy day.

Along with the vet, we stayed by his side until he came round from the sedation and was strong plenty to stand up. Due to his status, Frosty, as he became known, was moved to the safety of one of our equine centres where he could recover. Nosotros tried to find his possessor but nobody came forrad, then nosotros believe he was abandoned. Our animal rescuer said information technology was touch and go during the rescue, but that she was ecstatic when he came round and showed what a little fighter he was.

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