I work with a lot of injured wildlife. Also not wild animals that are just in a lot of pain. Sometimes I have to euthanize them. I decided to record each animal I euthanize here.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
a small brown songbird of some sort that had been attacked by a cat.
Thanks for posting. Sounds like a tough job, but sounds like you're staying compassionate.
A question, if you don't mind. Is there a good way for a "civilian" like me to euthanize birds savaged by cats? Mice? This happens several times a year and I'm too squeamish to grab a shovel.
my ex-wife was a vet tech assistant (not officially a vet tech) for a while. We didn't always agree on everything but one thing we agreed on was that compassionate care for animals included being there for the euthanasia and doing it right. I remember one night she came home late and without comment I dug a grave in the backyard for a homeless cat who she had had to euthanize that day. Normally she didn't feel the need to take a body home, but in this case, this poor cat was no-name, no-owner, and it seemed RIGHT to offer some respect and a final resting place better than a dumpster. It had had renal failure. I appreciate your journal.
I'm new to this blog, but as an old "Animal Death Technician" I hear you and the conflicts of a caring person compassionately doing unspeakably awful things for a livelihood. Many, many years ago, (before I became a Registered Veterinary Technician) I had to euth a geriatric pony. I hadn't worked with large animals for a long time so I surprised myself, (and the owners and shelter supervisor) when I perfectly tapped the jugular, screwed on the syringe full of "Purple Weenie" and got it in there quickly without blowing the vein. That pony went out and dropped like a load of bricks. I'll never forget the look on the supervisor's face as I guess he didn't think I could do it that quickly and apparently painlessly. It was very awkward doing it in the parking lot behind the kennels, but there it is; that's the way it had to be.
Then that night, I wanted to brag to my friends that I humanely, professionally killed a pony that day, but that's a problem with explaining that to civilians.
4 Comments:
I am *SO* glad you are back. Thank you for keeping this blog.
Holly.
Hi.
Thanks for posting. Sounds like a tough job, but sounds like you're staying compassionate.
A question, if you don't mind. Is there a good way for a "civilian" like me to euthanize birds savaged by cats? Mice? This happens several times a year and I'm too squeamish to grab a shovel.
Thanks,
Sarah
my ex-wife was a vet tech assistant (not officially a vet tech) for a while. We didn't always agree on everything but one thing we agreed on was that compassionate care for animals included being there for the euthanasia and doing it right. I remember one night she came home late and without comment I dug a grave in the backyard for a homeless cat who she had had to euthanize that day. Normally she didn't feel the need to take a body home, but in this case, this poor cat was no-name, no-owner, and it seemed RIGHT to offer some respect and a final resting place better than a dumpster. It had had renal failure.
I appreciate your journal.
I'm new to this blog, but as an old "Animal Death Technician" I hear you and the conflicts of a caring person compassionately doing unspeakably awful things for a livelihood.
Many, many years ago, (before I became a Registered Veterinary Technician) I had to euth a geriatric pony. I hadn't worked with large animals for a long time so I surprised myself, (and the owners and shelter supervisor) when I perfectly tapped the jugular, screwed on the syringe full of "Purple Weenie" and got it in there quickly without blowing the vein. That pony went out and dropped like a load of bricks. I'll never forget the look on the supervisor's face as I guess he didn't think I could do it that quickly and apparently painlessly. It was very awkward doing it in the parking lot behind the kennels, but there it is; that's the way it had to be.
Then that night, I wanted to brag to my friends that I humanely, professionally killed a pony that day, but that's a problem with explaining that to civilians.
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