After euthanasia of Loki the dog, vets and animal groups debate putting down healthy pets

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Veterinarians say they verify the reasons given and ensure owners exhaust all alternatives, but animal welfare groups are less convinced.

In September 2018, the president of dog rescue charity Save Our Street Dogs had moved to a bigger house and this meant he could finally bring home Momo, a mixed breed that had lived in his shelter since 2013.Momo is not any dog. As a puppy, it had started showing signs of aggression, like nipping at people. The problem got worse as it got bigger.

"When he first came, I had blood in the house for three months," he said."Every day there would be a bite – human or another dog." Some groups argued that vets, as human beings themselves, might pander to an owner's emotions. This is especially if, for instance, the owner comes in with a snarling dog and tells a story about how it had bitten a child.

"Veterinarians do not participate nor have influence in prior agreements made between a rehomer and an adopter, which is a private matter," the vet said in a statement on May 13. "This necessitates professional judgment by veterinarians to effectively apply the standards, laws and ethics that govern veterinary practice, factoring in animal health, animal welfare, public safety and safety of the pet owners," it said in a statement on May 12.Regardless of the code, Animal and Avian Veterinary Clinic founder Dr Kenneth Tong said his team adopts a thorough approach when an owner comes in requesting to put down his dog for aggression.

The owner must say how he has tried to correct the aggressive behaviour, including whether he has personally tried to train it or engage professional trainers, the number of trainers contacted, and the number and intensity of lessons. The clinic puts down three to four animals – mostly dogs – each year for aggression, a figure he said is already considered high.

Dr Tong said vets must make a professional judgment on whether there is"imminent danger of injury and safety towards the family and public, including legal liability of the decisions made". This, he said, is further complicated by the "difficult ethical question" that vets face: What happens to the pet if they don't agree to the owner's request, especially as many shelters face capacity issues?

"And the owner just rams it into the vet’s mind that this is aggressive," he said."Then it fortifies that notion, and so the vet, maybe in a moment of emotional stress, may then take on that fateful decision to euthanise."

 

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They should have brought him back to the shelter and not just killed him just cos' it suited their bloody needs .... cruel bastards

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