How to Implement Humane Euthanasia: 

A Step-by-Step Guide

This project is designed to facilitate an easy transition from the current euthanasia method (which may be carbon monoxide) to humane lethal injection of sodium pentobarbital in a New Mexico Animal Control Department/Animal Shelter.  Participants have the option of implementing the proposed Humane Euthanasia Model with or without participating in Animal Protection of New Mexico’s (APNM) Humane Euthanasia Pilot Project (HEPP), which allows a mechanism for data collection.  Participants who wish to participate in data collection can request HEPP Data Collection Packets and follow related steps of this proposal.   Others can simply implement humane euthanasia in their departments using the information in this proposal and taking the following steps:

1)    Educate the administration (this may include: City/County Manager; Financial Manager; City Council/County Commission; Animal Control Department Director; Animal Control Department Supervisor), Animal Control Department Staff, volunteers, and the public about the need for humane euthanasia. 

a)     This may be done through: private meetings – one on one with administration and staff; public meetings – planned city council/county commission meetings or special meetings just for this issue; direct mail; indirect mail (i.e. flyers in utility bills); and/or  media articles/stories.  The scope and number of meetings will be determined by each individual area – there is no formula to determine this, though research proves the public is interested in humane euthanasia and supportive of implementing humane euthanasia of unwanted shelter animals.

2)    The decision is made to adopt sodium pentobarbital as the sole euthanasia method.

3)    Re-designate funding as necessary (funding sources/scholarship information attached) to discontinue costs for previous method and obtain equipment and staff training for sodium pentobarbital euthanasia.

4)    Register staff for certified euthanasia training (two day course).  (attached)

5)    Familiarize department with Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Controlled Substances Registration and NM Board of Pharmacy (NMBP) Controlled Substances Licensure requirements (forms and instructions are attached).  You can contact the NMBP at 505/841-9102 or 800/565-9102 and ask to speak to an inspector or visit their website at http://www.state.nm.us/pharmacy/.  The DEA can be contacted at 800/882-9539 or you can visit their website at http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/ .

a)     When completing the forms, you are requesting a license to handle Schedule II and Schedule III Controlled Substances in order to perform humane euthanasia in an animal shelter.

b)    Contact a local veterinarian and confirm his/her support as a “supervising veterinarian”, and, contact a local pharmacist and confirm his/her support as a “supervising pharmacist” to fulfill DEA Controlled Substances Registration and NMBP Controlled Substances Licensure requirements (forms and instructions are attached).  In many cases you can use the supervising veterinarian’s DEA license and need only get a NMBP license.  If there is not a pharmacist in your area to act as “Supervising Pharmacist” you can contact the NMBP and ask about using the services of one of the state’s traveling pharmacists.  Supporting documents are included to help you educate a local veterinarian/pharmacist  regarding the need for humane lethal injection as the department’s method of euthanasia.

c)     Submission of NMBP Controlled Substance License and DEA license applications should happen simultaneously  - each needs the license number of the other.  The DEA form has a check mark to indicate the NMBP license is pending. 

d)    Prior to getting a NMBP Controlled Substance License, applicants must know the Board Meeting Schedule (attached) and request a facility inspection (form attached) prior to completing the paperwork necessary for a NMBP Controlled Substance License  (don’t worry, the process is very simple and moves very quickly.  If you have questions about the NMBP process, please call or visit their website.  There is also a seven-point checklist attached to the Request for Inspection indicating what needs to be in place prior to the inspection.

e)     The protocol for the handling and storage of Controlled Substances is  

      essential to being granted licenses by both agencies.  Before sending in

either application you will need to: familiarize staff with drug handling, storage and record keeping (some material is enclosed and the topic is thoroughly covered at a Certified Euthanasia Training course.  The DEA will provide log books to record usage); designate locked space for safe storage of controlled substances and log books (information on reasonably priced safes that meet DEA requirements is attached).

6)    Complete DEA and NM Board of Pharmacy Controlled Substances Licensure    requirements.

7)    Obtain necessary equipment (supply list attached.  Suppliers can be located by using HSUS Shelter Pages at a cost of $5.95, order card attached.)  Note that some equipment, such as syringes can be washed out and re-used as long as they’re functional, but new needles must be put on the syringe for each injection. Disposable needles can become dull just going through the drug bottle’s rubber cap and result in a painful euthanasia or failed euthanasia.   Staff must be familiar with an SOP mandating the use of a new needle on each animal.

8)    Using DEA order form No. 222, obtain necessary euthanasia and pre-euthanasia drugs once DEA and NMBP licenses have arrived. Extra supplies of pre-euthanasia anesthetics/sedatives should be ordered until staff is fully proficient at performing an intra-venous injection of sodium pentobarbital.

9)    Re-designate space as necessary to perform humane euthanasia

a)     The space chosen for euthanasia should be clean, quiet, well-lit and out of sight range of other animals.  Space should also be designated (out of sight of other animals) to lay euthanized animals until absolute death is confirmed (through signs of breathing, heartbeat palpation, stethoscope, eye flinch and signs of rigor mortis).  Quiet soothing music can be played in the euthanasia room as long as volume levels are low and music is chosen to help comfort the animal being euthanized rather than for staff enjoyment. In shelters with limited space, euthanasia can be performed in the kennel or run as long as sheets are hung around the kennel to prevent other animals from viewing euthanasia.  As long as there is good lighting and staff proficiency with euthanasia, some shelters prefer to drape kennels and euthanize all animals within their home-kennel to reduce stress.  Staff preference to euthanizing on the floor vs. on a table may dictate the area chosen.

10) Administration works with staff and supervising veterinarian to adopt a Euthanasia Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that will ensure humane euthanasia of shelter animals, adhere to all local and federal regulations and protect staff (a sample SOP which can be implemented “as is” or changed to fit the department’s needs is attached).

a)     The department may also want to add an SOP that guides staff in selecting animals for euthanasia.   Many New Mexico shelters still use the old model of selecting animals for euthanasia, giving stray, relinquished or unclaimed animals only a set number of days to be reclaimed or adopted.   Under the old system, at the end of the “hold time” animals are euthanized, regardless of age, temperament or adoptability, to make room for incoming animals. 

Some New Mexico shelters have incorporated a new model of selecting animals for euthanasia called “Temperament Testing” (attached). With this method, staff selects animals for euthanasia who may be aggressive, unsocial or unlikely to form a successful human/animal bond with an adopting family.  Animals who are likely to succeed in a new home are given every chance at adoption and kept in the adoption area of the shelter as long as their physical and mental health remains good rather than being euthanized for space. 

This process alleviates a great deal of stress during euthanasia as staff knows they are giving adoptable animals every chance at a new home, regardless of time constraints, while removing from the system animals who are not likely to safely succeed in new home. 

In the big picture, Temperament Testing also makes it more likely that residents will seek out shelter animals as good companion animals rather than encouraging more breeding by purchasing new pets through commercial avenues.  The propagation of more companion animals for profit directly affects the community and related animal control costs.  When Temperament Testing and aggressive spay/neuter programs are implemented, the benefits are tremendous as community liability decreases and animal control costs become stable or decrease rather than continue to escalate.

For more information about Temperament Testing, contact Sue Sternberg at 845/687-7619 or visit her website at www.suesternberg.com, or, contact the Santa Fe Animal Shelter at 505/983-4309.

11) Administration, staff, supervising veterinarian and volunteers familiarize themselves with the department’s humane euthanasia SOP.  It’s very important that all levels of the department are familiar with the SOP so the integrity of the process is maintained.  Familiarizing volunteers with the procedure helps minimize misunderstanding of the process.

12) * If the agency is participating in HEPP data collection, administration, staff, supervising veterinarian and volunteers should familiarize themselves with HEPP data collection material, including entering data onto HEPP forms (given to participants upon request or upon agreeing to participate in the HEPP). 

13)  After the DEA and NMBP licenses are activated, equipment is ordered and staff is trained, the Animal Control Department Director and the supervising veterinarian should schedule the starting date of the implementation of humane euthanasia by lethal injection, allowing time for initial veterinary oversight until staff comfort level and technique is sufficient to ensure humane euthanasia of all animals.

14)  Administration and supervising veterinarian should schedule announced and unannounced audits of euthanasia to ensure protocols and standards are adhered to (HEPP recommends monthly announced audits, and at least monthly unannounced audits to ensure compliance with humane protocols – schedule approximately 30-60 minutes per audit.  This task can be filled by another authorized, certified euthanasia technician, trainer or expert.  APNM has a certified euthanasia technician on staff and can assist as needed.)

15) * If the agency is participating in the HEPP, administration and supervising veterinarian schedule monthly interviews with staff to fill any need for support and/or feedback of HEPP (HEPP recommends 15-60 minute depending on staff response.  APNM can assist as needed.)

16) When the infrastructure is in place, including completion of staff training in a certified course, implement humane euthanasia under supervision of the veterinarian or other euthanasia expert until staff is proficient at humane lethal injection.

a)     This step may entail removing a carbon monoxide chamber.  Please follow manufacturers directions for safe removal and disposal.

17) As with other job assignments, administration and supervising veterinarian (or authorized representative) should perform ongoing announced and unannounced audits of euthanasia to ensure humane protocols are followed.

18) Administration and supervising veterinarian (or authorized representative) should try to participate in monthly meetings with euthanasia staff to ensure staff comfort level and offer support as necessary.  This step is advised initially whether or not an agency is participating in HEPP, to ensure good communication between staff and administration, particularly in regard to the transition, but also to aid administration in identifying the need to provide support to euthanasia staff. 

19) *Administration, staff, supervising veterinarian and volunteers complete HEPP data collection forms and schedule time with APNM (505-989-1442) to transfer data and conduct brief final interviews. 

20) Administration and staff stay current on humane euthanasia through: 

a)     resources provided by APNM;

b)    the internet

c)     trade magazines – such as Shelter Sense ( a coupon for a free subscription is attached)

d)    advanced training, particularly American Humane Association’s “Compassion Fatigue” and “Euthanasia: Beyond Cats and Dogs”;

e)     training conferences such as the NM Animal Control Association Spring and Fall Conferences – call Andrew Jaramillo at 424-2050 for more information. 

21) All levels of the animal control department implement and enforce methods to control pet overpopulation including:

a)     licensing programs with a differential fee;

b)    spay/neuter deposits according to NMSA 77-1-20;

c)     humane education for children and adults;

d)    enforcement of local and state animal laws

22) Administration should continue to provide oversight and support to euthanasia staff   

            to ensure humane euthanasia is used exclusively in the department.

23) Staff continues to perform humane lethal injection, striving to make the experience

      as painless and stress-free as possible for the animals and communicates any flaws   

      in the system or department conduct to the administration.

* Indicates the task is optional, unless the agency has agreed to participate in APNM’s Humane Euthanasia Pilot Project (HEPP).  HEPP was created to record data generated by transitioning a NM Animal Control Department away from methods that may include carbon monoxide to the exclusive use of lethal injection of sodium pentobarbital.  The data may be used to demonstrate to other locales the need for and ease of humane euthanasia in the shelter environment as well as to illustrate to the public the need to control animal overpopulation.