HYDERABAD: Euthanasia or death by choice is a widely debated and controversial topic. However, the question of pet euthanasia is rarely discussed as the owner’s decision prevails where ‘right to life’ of an animal is concerned. Many people choose to put their pets ‘to sleep’ when they move to new places or feel they cannot maintain them, in gross violation of norms specified for animal euthanasia. Sanjay (name changed), a resident of ECIL Colony had a particularly gruesome experience to narrate- “I had taken my dog for a routine test at a government veterinary hospital. Suddenly I saw a few day-old litters being put to sleep in one of the corridors as the owner did not want to go through the hassle of putting them up for adoption and caring for them in the meantime.”According to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, it is unlawful to kill animals except under extreme cases and it is a punishable offence under IPC. “Pets should be put to sleep only if they are suffering from incurable diseases or are in extreme pain. Also, fatally injured animals which have multiple injuries may be given a lethal dose of general anaesthesia to relieve them of their suffering. Apart from these, it is unlawful to kill animals and no veterinary practitioner should take part in it,” says Dr A Anjaiah, deputy director, super-specialty veterinary hospital at Narayanguda.Usually, the process of pet euthanasia on healthy animals is allegedly performed through an arrangement with staff at veterinary clinics. “Sometimes pet owners who are moving to a new place find it easier to dispose off pets by killing them or abandoning them instead of putting them up for adoption or sending them to an animal shelter. A pet has to be taken care of throughout its life, when it grows old or falls sick, as it is adopted,” explained Padmaja Bundla, founder of Caring Hands for Animals, which takes care of stray dogs.
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