Question:
Recently, I had to put my 17-year-old cat to sleep. He had gotten thin and lost his muscle mass. It took the doctor three times to get a needle in the vein. Finally, he put the needle in the back leg. My cat felt pain. My other two cats, when their time came, never felt pain.I don't understand why this cat felt pain. Is there a better way to have animals put to sleep without pain?.
C.H., Hesperia, CA Oct 24, 2004
Answer:
When an animal like yours is in such poor condition that finding a vein in which to inject the euthanasia solution is likely to be difficult and cause the animal pain and distress, an intramuscular injection should be given first to heavily sedate the animal. There are several drugs that veterinarians use for this purpose prior to injecting the euthanasia drug into a vein, and it should be part of the humane protocol that all animal doctors follow. I'm sorry that yours didn't.
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