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Euthanasia – Secondary Poisoning of Wildlife by Sodium Pentobarbital

Euthanasia by sodium pentobarbital injection is the way to end the life of a suffering animal, it is the drug of choice for many veterinarians euthanizing pets and it is also recommended way to end life for many other species by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Panel on Euthanasia.

If you have hard duty to euthanize your pet or any other animal, sodium pentobarbital is good choice, because it lets the animal to die easily.

Ironically, this compassionate act can sometimes have the unintended consequence of causing the premature death of wildlife and many other animals.

According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Fact Sheet, each year a number of bald and golden eagles, other wildlife, and domestic dogs are intoxicated or killed after ingestion of pentobarbital residues in the tissue of exposed euthanized carcasses. Exposure of these carcasses is almost always the result of improper disposal.

How Does Secondary Poisoning Occur?

When an animal is euthanized via pentobarbital injection, the drug is quickly distributed throughout its body. Well-vascularized organs such as the liver will have especially high concentrations of pentobarbital, but other tissues will also contain residues. When a scavenger feeds on the carcass, the degree of intoxication will depend on the amount and type of tissue ingested. A lethal dose for a bird would generally be much lower than the amount administered to euthanize the source carcass. In fact, large animal carcasses may contain enough accessible residues to kill at least two tiger-sized mammals.

Disposal Regulations and Requirements

Take proper disposal care, because if you don’t dispose of the carcass properly, you can end up killing a lot more than intended, and you might wind up facing some hefty fines the federal government is warning.

Criminal penalties can run as high as $250,000 per individual, or $500,000 per organization, and may include imprisonment for up to 2 years. The acts also provide for forfeiture of vehicles and equipment under some circumstances.

Penalties sought by FWS are based on the circumstances surrounding a poisoning incident, and vary on a case-by-case basis. The laws provide for substantial fines in criminal violations, along with imprisonment for the most egregious offenses.

Carcass disposal regulations and requirements vary substantially among cities, counties, and states, as do the agencies that administer and enforce them. In the event of client inquiry, direct clients to check with federal, state and local agricultural, environmental, and public health authorities.

Agricultural regulators include the (federal) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and your state Department of Agriculture. Environmental regulators whose entire or partial focus is solid waste handling and disposal include the (federal) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and state and local Departments of Ecology, Environmental Health, Environmental Management, Solid Waste Management, or other similar agency.

Your State Veterinarian and other public health regulators such as the Department of Health or Public Health, Board of Animal Health, or other similar agency will be able to advise on the public and animal health aspects of carcass disposal and burial. Many state and local codes can be accessed online. Also, University cooperative extension services may have information on carcass disposal methods approved for your area.

Wildlife Protection Laws

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is responsible for the enforcement of these wildlife protection laws and is empowered to investigate and prosecute suspected violations. FWS Special Agents perform field investigations of all reported incidents, including the circumstances of the poisoning and the source of the tainted carcass. Tissue samples are analyzed at the FWS National Wildlife Forensics Laboratory to confirm the presence of pentobarbital residues as well as the identity of the source carcass.

Statutes regarding permitted carcass disposal methods are generally promulgated at the state and local level. State health and environmental agencies commonly regulate dead stock disposal time limits, available disposal methods, landfill treatment of solid waste (including animal carcasses) and specifics of carcass burial, if permissible. Additional laws may apply to livestock or horses that are suspected carriers of a transmissible disease. If scavengers, which can act as disease vectors, are afforded access to a potentially infectious carcass, federal and state departments of agriculture regulations may be violated.

Some animal species may not be specifically protected by federal law. However, since other animals, including pet dogs, have been intoxicated or killed after feeding on poisoned carcasses, it is possible that those involved in such an incident would be open to civil liability under applicable state and local laws.

Warning Labels

All pentobarbital-euthanized carcasses should be prominently tagged with one or more highly-visible “POISON” warning labels. Bagged animals should have a label affixed to the carcass itself and also attached to the outside of the bag.

NOTE: Rendering is not an acceptable way to dispose of a pentobarbital-tainted carcass. The drug residues are not destroyed in the rendering process, so the tissues and by-products may contain poison and must not be used for animal feed.

Information on Medical Treatment of Poisoning Victims

For information on medical treatment of poisoning victims, the National Animal Poison Control Center of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) runs a fee-based service for emergencies and other cases: 1-888-426-4435 (1-888-4ANIHELP).

Click on the link to read complete U.S. Fish and Wildlife Fact Sheet. For more valuable environmental information please visit http://www.supportenvironment.info.