Euthanasia | 225 is a welcome relief from a life that has become too painful or no longer worth living Not all forms of killing humans deserve the good death label of euthanasia; capital punishment, for example, no matter how painlessly performed, is not euthanasia Human euthanasia is controversial for many reasons Critics of legalized human euthanasia and its close relative, assisted suicide, fear that seriously ill or old people could be coerced into having their lives ended In that case, death would not be an act of mercy for the person being killed, but one of convenience or economics for the survivors Veterinarians are familiar with the euthanasia ideal of mercy for the suffering patient, as well as with the call to end animals’ lives for such reasons as convenience and economics Veterinarians often euthanize patients with serious or incurable diseases, in cases where death really does seem the animal’s best option However, veterinarians may also be called upon to end the lives of animals who are destructive in the home, or are inconvenient, or aggressive, or simply unwanted Shelter workers are similarly required to end the lives of healthy but unwanted animals In the middle, between the mercy killing of incurably suffering animals and the destruction of unwanted animals, are those animals who are suffering but not from untreatable conditions; these animals, too, may be put to death if their human decision-makers cannot or will not devote the time and money to their health needs How Animals Are Euthanized Because the reasons for killing animals are so broad, the meaning of the word euthanasia in veterinary medicine is similarly broad What makes euthanasia a good death, when speaking of animals, is not that it is better than continued life, but that the death is caused without pain or distress to the animal It is method, not motive, that has traditionally defined animal euthanasia Human euthanasia comprises both active euthanasia (actions such as drug overdoses that kill patients) and passive euthanasia (withholding or stopping treatments, such as ventilators, that could sustain life) In veterinary medicine, withholding or withdrawing treatment is not typically referred to as euthanasia Many veterinarians are distressed when animals’ human guardians choose to let a suffering pet die slowly of disease when fast, painless, active medical euthanasia is an available option Thus, passive euthanasia is not part of the veterinary ideal of euthanasia Not all methods of killing animals can be considered euthanasia, a truly good death The American Veterinary Medical Association first published guidelines for animal euthanasia in 1963 and has updated them six times, most recently in 2007 Primary criteria for the evaluation of euthanasia techniques are the physical pain and psychological distress experienced by the animal Other criteria include the emotional effect on humans who are present; the availability of appropriate drugs; and the compatibility with the subsequent examination or use of the animal’s body and tissues Strangely, the veterinary guidelines only cover methods of euthanasia, not issues of why, when, or whether specific animals should be euthanized They offer no real guidance for veterinarians on how to advise clients whether or not to euthanize an animal The preferred method for euthanizing individual dogs or cats has not changed in