Skip to main content

Euthanasia methods updated

Oct 28, 2016 08:48AM ● By Kelly Cannon

The Drug Enforcement Agency authorized the use of euthanasia via injection by Draper Animal Control. (Draper City)

By Kelly Cannon | [email protected]


Draper, Utah - Draper Animal Services has updated its method of euthanizing wild and domesticated animals to include intravenous injection. An update about the new available method was given by Deputy Police Chief John Eining to the Draper City Council during their Sept. 20 meeting. 

“We have finally met all of the conditions required from the (Drug Enforcement Administration),” Eining said. “Some of those have been an onsite inspection. Some of it has been writing policy and procedure. And the other part has been training the animal control officers to administer the drugs to the animals by injection.”

Eining said injections will now be the primary method of euthanizing animals. Animal services will still utilize the gas chamber as a secondary method. 

“The chamber will still be used for feral cats and for wild animals. The primary purpose of that is the safety of the animal service officers. Trying to restrain those animals in order to do an intravenous injection is very dangerous to the animal services officers,” Eining said. “Therefore, we are not going to recommend that be the primary source of euthanasia for those kind of animals.”

Councilmember Michele Weeks said she had met with the chief in February to talk about how many animals went to the chamber versus how many were injected, trying to find out if the numbers were going down. Weeks asked if the new procedure would cause a drop in the number of animals being put down via the chamber. 

Eining explained the primary amount of animals that are put down are wild animals so the number of animals in the chamber will not necessarily decrease. 

“The only thing you will see decrease are those domesticated animals who have been turned over to us with either a request for euthanasia or for some other purpose where the animal needs to be put down,” Eining said. “Those numbers will decrease somewhat. Those will now be done by injection.”

Eining went on to say Draper Animal Services has a very robust adoption program and those animals not adopted are sent to other organizations so they can be adopted. 

Councilman William Rappleye complimented animal services, saying it was one of the best in the valley. 

“I interact with them often and I find they really care about animals,” Rappleye said. “I know having to hold a pet and inject it is a lot harder. I want to recognize that. It is a sacrifice for them to have to change that.”