The welfare basis for euthanasia of dogs and cats and policy development

IFAW works from the concept of ‘adequate guardianship’,
which requires that an animal’s basic needs are met. The
algorithm is based on this concept and its criteria, and
provides a simplified structure to help local veterinarians
and dog/cat shelter staff to think through a decision about
euthanasia as objectively as possible. The notes below
are meant only to help clarify some of the terminology in
the algorithm, and to provide real-life examples to illustrate
implementation of euthanasia criteria and the algorithm.