Posted by
NCCHE on Tuesday, October 10, 2006 2:45:30 PM
The North Carolina Coalition for Humane Euthanasia strives to end the cruel killing of unwanted animals in our state's shelters. We encourage animal shelters using gas chambers to change to the safer, more cost-efficient euthanasia by intravenous injection (EBI). EBI is 
widely recommended as the most humane euthanasia method, the kindest and least stressful method for the animals, and the safest, least traumatic method for shelter workers.
Documentation shows that with gas chamber killing, animals have been seen struggling and wailing for up to ten minutes before death, some biting themselves and each other in panic, beating their heads against the chamber walls, choking and vomiting while being forced to inhale carbon monoxide. Groups of up to 20 animals are often gassed together and their bodies show the wounds inflicted during their terror. Carbon monoxide is not recommended for baby animals, for very old, sick or pregnant animals, since they may not inhale enough gas to die. Yet in North Carolina, they are often gassed together. Some will not die the first time.
Intravenous injection usually kills the animal in about 30 seconds and death is certain.
Davie, the dog pictured above, survived an attempt at gas euthanasia in a North Carolina shelter in 2005. While Davie was knocked unconscious, he did not inhale enough gas to be fatal. He was found near death in a plastic bag in a dumpster, after being discarded by the local shelter. A citizen found him while taking out her trash. Davie is now a happy member of her family.
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, poisonous gas. CO poisoning, even at low levels, can cause many health problems for employees who are exposed. A Tennessee shelter employee was asphyxiated to death while unloading dead dogs from a gas chamber, after being exposed to carbon monoxide. In another instance, a gas chamber exploded in North Carolina when a broken light bulb was exposed to CO. For shelter workers, use of a gas chamber causes a high incidence of traumatic stress and depression, and is a contributing cause to the high turnover rate of employees. Is it worth the many risks?
We demand EBI for our personal pets and would never accept euthanizing them in a gas chamber. The use of the gas chamber to kill convicted human murderers was deemed too cruel and lethal injection became the method of choice.
Whether unwanted animals die cruelly or compassionately is up to you. Your taxes are funding it. Contact your county commissioners and county managers and demand change. Write letters to editors and ask your local media to report on the use of gas chambers in your region. For those who would like more information and documentation, refer them to this website.
It is a shame that there is not a loving home available for every animal in North Carolina. We encourage you to spay or neuter your pets to keep overpopulation under control. Until then, the innocent unwanted should not have to die by any method other than intravenous injection.
For more information check out our website www.NCCHE.com or email nccoalition@yahoo.com