CoTh Vets & techs : dog wakes up after being euthanized?!

[Chachie]

From Discover on Google https://kdvr.com/2019/01/21/puppy-wakes-up-after-being-euthanized-earns-a-second-chance-at-life/amp/

Ok I was a tech for many many years and never had an animal “wake up” after being infected. I’ve had animals require more solution but never “wake up”. Or have it “not take” as the article suggests. I have only ever done euthanasias by solution, even heart sticks had it too for the pocket pets.
Soooooo…do shelters still do “gas” euthanasia? I thought they were illegal for being inhumane. That is the only possibility other than the wrong amount of solution was used.
And if that did happen, what would be the damage? Would there be cardiac issues or muscular/nervous system problems?
I know there’s more to this story than what’s written so does anyone have that info?

[Juliette]

“An overcrowded Oklahoma shelter chose a puppy to be put down, but in a strange turn of events the medicine didn’t take. When the veterinarians walked in the pup was still awake and now the dog is getting a second chance to find a new home.”

This makes me think that they must have been using gas or something else that didn’t require the vet to be in the room.

I have heard of one case of euthanasia by injection not working- the animal woke up afterwards, so I’m assuming it was not given the correct dose. It did not happen at the vet clinic where I worked, so I have zero details.

[Ghazzu]

Don’t know any dog stories, but I was told about a pony who was PTS for a surgical colic and scared the hell out of the owner when he hollered for breakfast the next morning. (The DVM in the case told me the story.)
In that case, it was barbiturate overdose for the euth, and, presumably, the pony’s circulatory system was so compromised by shock that the full dose didn’t reach the CNS as a bolus. Pony ended up in a deep plane of anesthesia, and it must have allowed for relaxation of the GI tract and its unkinking.

[wildlifer]

@Ghazzu

Don’t know any dog stories, but I was told about a pony who was PTS for a surgical colic and scared the hell out of the owner when he hollered for breakfast the next morning.

Oh my… I think if that was me that might cause owner fatality. :-o

OP, there is still gas euthanasia (worse, in groups) in some places.

[cutter99]

As a tech I was present for a euthanasia in which the dog did not die until either the second or third injection because the vet was not in the vein. The dog was sedated to start with, and after the first injection another tech and I noticed that although the dog’s breathing was much slower than normal, he had not passed.

The clinic I worked in colored our euthanasia solution green, so it was easily identifiable. When I looked at the dog, I noticed what appeared to be euthanasia solution “puddled” in the area of his leg where the injection had been given, between the skin and the vein. The dog’s legs were white and skin pink, so it looked to us techs like the vet missed the vein. This was over 20 years ago, and I cannot remember how many actual injections it took in the end. I do remember it took much longer than any other euthanasia I was ever present for, and I have been there for many, including large animals.

But this was also a vet a vet who walked into surgery one morning terribly upset because he could not find his glasses and could not operate without them. He had been looking for them 20-30 minutes already. We were speechless as they were sitting right on his head.

[Ajierene]

@Ghazzu

Don’t know any dog stories, but I was told about a pony who was PTS for a surgical colic and scared the hell out of the owner when he hollered for breakfast the next morning. (The DVM in the case told me the story.)
In that case, it was barbiturate overdose for the euth, and, presumably, the pony’s circulatory system was so compromised by shock that the full dose didn’t reach the CNS as a bolus. Pony ended up in a deep plane of anesthesia, and it must have allowed for relaxation of the GI tract and its unkinking.

This was a plot point in an old movie…a 1950’s or 1960’s or something…

The mom got some drugs to euthanize the cat because it was in a bad fight and she didn’t think it would survive the wounds. The little girl was hearbroken and left it wrapped up in a box overnight and the next day it was awake and mewing and feeling much better (relatively speaking).

Gah…now I need to remember the name of that movie! Little Women maybe…

[Sobriska]

Does anyone else think this may be just a made up story to get the pup adopted? Even if this is true, its sad no one wanted him before but since he was a miracle he gets a home

[bdj]

I think there’s also a James Herriot story like this as well - if memory serves, it was a sheep that James overdosed (out of pity).

[scierra]

@Sobriska

Does anyone else think this may be just a made up story to get the pup adopted? Even if this is true, its sad no one wanted him before but since he was a miracle he gets a home

I don’t know about it being made up, but I do believe no one wanted to adopt him. Back dog syndrome is the truth in shelters, cats too. They are usually the last to be adopted. The shelter I worked at worked hard to showcase our black pets, and it was still mostly a hard sell.

[SugarCubes]

I didn’t read the article, but this dog survived a gas chamber several years ago and was then adopted by the founder of Stray Rescue in St Louis…

https://dailyjournalonline.com/news/local/miracle-dog-survives-gas-chamber/article_a2d390e5-31dd-56bd-8e99-20ac92658b99.html

[CaitlinandTheBay]

I worked at a vet clinic as a teenager. I specifically remember one elderly cat we had to inject four or five times. Poor thing just wouldn’t die, though he was very sickly and in(managed) pain. The last round, our vet just tripled the dose.

[CaitlinandTheBay]

@SugarCubes

I didn’t read the article, but this dog survived a gas chamber several years ago and was then adopted by the founder of Stray Rescue in St Louis…

https://dailyjournalonline.com/news/local/miracle-dog-survives-gas-chamber/article_a2d390e5-31dd-56bd-8e99-20ac92658b99.html

This story is important because the community got involved to end the gas chamber AND fix up the shelter. So many shelters are operating less than optimally because they don’t have volunteers and support from the community. If you want your shelter to become a “no-kill” shelter, you need to be taking dogs out of that shelter and providing them resources.

[Laurierace]

There are forever animals standing up from the dead pile out behind New Holland. Very disturbing

[foggybok]

@Ajierene

This was a plot point in an old movie…a 1950’s or 1960’s or something…

The mom got some drugs to euthanize the cat because it was in a bad fight and she didn’t think it would survive the wounds. The little girl was hearbroken and left it wrapped up in a box overnight and the next day it was awake and mewing and feeling much better (relatively speaking).

Gah…now I need to remember the name of that movie! Little Women maybe…

“Three Lives of Thomasina”?

[merrygoround]

@Ghazzu

Don’t know any dog stories, but I was told about a pony who was PTS for a surgical colic and scared the hell out of the owner when he hollered for breakfast the next morning. (The DVM in the case told me the story.)
In that case, it was barbiturate overdose for the euth, and, presumably, the pony’s circulatory system was so compromised by shock that the full dose didn’t reach the CNS as a bolus. Pony ended up in a deep plane of anesthesia, and it must have allowed for relaxation of the GI tract and its unkinking.

I hope the owner got a refund!!

[KBC]

@bdj

I think there’s also a James Herriot story like this as well - if memory serves, it was a sheep that James overdosed (out of pity).

Memory does serve, old ewe in corner of barn left to “take her chances” after a difficult lambing. He gave her the injection while the farmers back was turned, so it was a rush job. Ewe slept for two days and then was fine. He took the learning from that and used it n a puppy who was sick, worked out that a body can repair itself with some down time!

[yaya]

A vet I know got called back out to a farm because a horse he euthanized by injection woke up. If I remember correctly, he had lustened to the heart, but didn’t check the reflexes. He stuck around to make sure the second time.

[Ajierene]

@foggybok

“Three Lives of Thomasina”?

Ugh…no…at least I don’t think so

I spent literally at least an hour immediately after that post trying to figure out the movie and various time since…

OK, here’s what I remember…because I really want to know which movie now

From my recollection (I watched the movie some 25 years ago because my mom wanted to):

Centered around a mother and her daughters. It was the ‘family’ cat, but if I remember correctly the youngest favored the cat the most. It was kind of near the beginning of the movie where the cat got into this fight with another cat or raccoon or something. It was so bad off the mom didn’t think it would make it and got drugs from the vet to euthanize it. The daughter thought Mom could fix anything, and mom was all, “well…” So, to be kind, I guess, she said she would see and gave the cat the drugs and they left it wrapped up in the blanket “to rest”. The mom expected a dead cat the next day (or some time later), but you see the girl holding a wrapped up towel with a cat tail sticking out, then the cat tail starts wagging… OMG, Mom CAN fix anything! Cat is on the Mend!

“Mom can fix Anything” is a central theme to the movie and mentioned in the closing narration as well.

I don’t recall any male figures IN the house, which is why I was thinking Little Women. I also remember the movie being in black and white.

I would love someone to help me figure out which movie it was!

[foggybok]

@Ajierene

Ugh…no…at least I don’t think so

I spent literally at least an hour immediately after that post trying to figure out the movie and various time since…

OK, here’s what I remember…because I really want to know which movie now

From my recollection (I watched the movie some 25 years ago because my mom wanted to):

Centered around a mother and her daughters. It was the ‘family’ cat, but if I remember correctly the youngest favored the cat the most. It was kind of near the beginning of the movie where the cat got into this fight with another cat or raccoon or something. It was so bad off the mom didn’t think it would make it and got drugs from the vet to euthanize it. The daughter thought Mom could fix anything, and mom was all, “well…” So, to be kind, I guess, she said she would see and gave the cat the drugs and they left it wrapped up in the blanket “to rest”. The mom expected a dead cat the next day (or some time later), but you see the girl holding a wrapped up towel with a cat tail sticking out, then the cat tail starts wagging… OMG, Mom CAN fix anything! Cat is on the Mend!

“Mom can fix Anything” is a central theme to the movie and mentioned in the closing narration as well.

I don’t recall any male figures IN the house, which is why I was thinking Little Women. I also remember the movie being in black and white.

I would love someone to help me figure out which movie it was!

Ah well, I tried the story is similar, but not the same… It was Dad (who was a vet) who euthanized Thomasina after a fight with a dog. They took her out in the woods to be buried, but got scared off and left the cat, who woke up and found a new home with a woman in the woods… (a woman who can fix anything!). Eventually, cat gets reunited with little girl and Dad marries woman in the woods… Disney…

I don’t recall any movie with the story line as you describe

[vxf111]

@Ajierene

This was a plot point in an old movie…a 1950’s or 1960’s or something…

The mom got some drugs to euthanize the cat because it was in a bad fight and she didn’t think it would survive the wounds. The little girl was hearbroken and left it wrapped up in a box overnight and the next day it was awake and mewing and feeling much better (relatively speaking).

Gah…now I need to remember the name of that movie! Little Women maybe…

Well not exactly the SAME but… Pet Semetary