Anyone else having clients anxious over the euthanasia process after the failed lethal injection of Christina Pike?
I was requested by an owner to assist with their pet’s euthanasia today, and witness their crippling anxiety over the euthanasia going wrong. She had many questions regarding the process and how we dose them, which I was ready to answer, but I quickly realized she had the failed lethal injection of Christina Pike on her mind. I wish the process had gone easier, as we were unsuccessful in placing a catheter in either front leg and eventually had to give the sedation IM and the Euthasol via a butterfly in the saphenous. The owners were very calm about the catheter process, the only source of anxiety seemed to be the euthasol/pentobarbital not working. We offered as much reassurance as possible and I offered to sit the dog a while after they left. Other than the catheter, the process went smoothly, but she told me as she was leaving that she would be lying awake tonight wondering if he was actually dead and asked me to tell her he was gone one more time. It was heartbreaking and sad to see the publicity of something like this failed lethal injection causing such anxiety in owners saying goodbye to their pets. Anyone else having similar experiences?