Is Euthanasia Really 'Mercy Killing' in the Veterinary World?

 Is Euthanasia Really ‘Mercy Killing' in the Veterinary World?

Everyone has probably heard of the word euthanasia, also known as ‘mercy killing' to the layman. It's a practice in the medical world where a patient suffering from an incurable disease is painlessly killed. Emphasis should be placed on the word 'painless.' 

As a student training to be a veterinarian in Nigeria, every day, I am exposed to various crudely done things because of underfunding. I am used to it. But earlier this week, I saw something that happened, and I had to ask myself, do we practice ‘euthanasia’ as veterinary professionals?

My earliest memory of euthanasia was in an Indian movie I watched as a young girl. The protagonist, a magician, was paralyzed from his neck downwards. The storyline was extreme, and in the end, he had to beg for euthanasia. 

There have been controversies about whether euthanasia was mercy killing or just plain murder. Still, over the years, I have understood why it is done and needed in medical practices. 

Anyone who has ever experienced the worst kind of pain will tell you they wished for it to end, even if it meant them dying. So when a living being (human or animal) is in excruciating pain due to an incurable ailment with no glimmer of hope, it is usually advised they help the individual rest in peace. 

So, What Exactly Happened?

This brings me to my rant: is euthanasia practiced properly in the veterinary world? I had to experience the post-mortem of five broiler breeder chicks earlier this week, and it was brutal. 

We were told there were three methods of euthanizing culled birds, including;

• Cervical dislocation

• Air Emboli

• Chemical Euthanasia

The first two methods were used for the procedure, and I have to say there was nothing painless about the whole process. I couldn’t tell where the problem came from, but these animals felt the pain of being killed for a post-mortem examination. 

The most traumatizing method was the air emboli method, where 3mls of air was injected directly into the heart. The chick kept flipping and staggering for minutes before it finally dropped dead. Watching it was unbearable because it was meant to be ‘mercy killing.'

I choose to believe that this could have been done in a better way. Or what do you think?

Am I being paranoid?

Is that how euthanasia should be?