Dead Pets Could Be Killing Animals In New York

Unfortunately, some people don't realize that their deceased family pets could create issues for wildlife in New York state.

Having a beloved family pet euthanized is one of the most difficult things a pet owner will experience.  However, there is at least one more responsibility that experts are reminding people about that they must do to avoid inadvertently poisoning other wildlife.

When a pet is euthanized, normally they use a drug called pentobarbital.  The problem is that it doesn't pass through the system of the deceased pet and then leave.  The pentobarbital will stay in the deceased animal's tissues.  There are many animals in the wild that are scavengers.  That means they eat what they find. If they discover an animal that has recently died and then ingest that animal, the drug will then start to work on the scavenger, killing or disabling them.

A wildlife rehabilitation center recently posted pictures of a couple of bald eagles that were recently found.  They were displaying severe neurological signs that worsened over the next 12 hours.  They became completely non-responsive.

They performed tests and found that the eagles had suffered from pentobarbital toxicity and were unfortunately humanely euthanized.

Experts think wildlife is coming in contact with people's euthanized pets

Many pet owners are encouraged to have their pets cremated after they die, and this is one of the major reasons.  However, some people choose to take them home to bury them on their property.  If a pet is not buried deep enough, other animals could find them and suffer the same fate that these eagles did.

They're reminding pet owners that if they choose to take their pet home after euthanasia, they should bury them no less than 3 feet underground "away from water sources, flood plains, utility lines, and tree roots."