Carcasses of euthanized animals can kill scavenging wildlife and pet dogs

Considered one of the most humane for horses, livestock and companion animals, the euthanasia drug sodium pentobarbital (SPB) also has a lengthy history of unintentional secondary debilitation/mortality. Reports of scavenger poisonings including ravens, bears, martens, fishers, lynx and otters first emerged in the late 1980s in North America.

In 2010, a dog on a New York State beach was incapacitated after ingesting blubber of a stranded humpback whale euthanized there two weeks prior. Last year, two bald eagles died in Florida (photo credit Michelle Whitfield of the Animis Foundation), at least a dozen turkey vultures were impaired in California and a tiger, wolf and cheetah perished at a Nevada sanctuary.

This is only a snapshot of the true global extent of the issue. We are currently seeking for review both reported and unreported cases from the last decade. 

Please contact Dr. Ngaio Richards: ngaio@workingdogsforconservation.org for more information about collaborating and navigate to Working Dogs for Conservation to find out about what they do.

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