The pets had eaten a dog food called Hunk of Beef Au Jus, the best-selling offering from Evanger, an Illinois-based pet food company. The company quickly launched an investigation. After a month-long testing process, Evanger has zeroed in on the cause: the presence of pentobarbital -- a chemical that's used to put down pets.

For the first time in its 82-year manufacturing history, the company issued a recall. It affects all Hunk of Beef products produced the same week as the tainted can.

The recall affects 15 states: Washington, California, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

The lot numbers of the affected products are: 1816E03HB, 1816E04HB, 1816E06HB, 1816E07HB, and 1816E13HB. The cans were manufactured in June 2016, with an expiration date of June 2020.

Mael said she fed her four pugs Tito, Talula, Tinkerbell and Tank the canned wet food.

In a news release, Evanger's described the four-week investigation into the Mael pug's death.

Pentobarbital is very tightly controlled and, if an animal is euthanized, it's done so by a veterinarian.

But there's no regulation that says a vet then needs to put any kind of marker on the animal indicating it's been euthanized. Such a marker would ensure that product from euthanized animals didn't enter the food chain.

"We continue to investigate how this substance entered our raw material supply," the company said.

Evanger said it's ended its 40-year relationship with the meat supplier that sold them the contaminated meat.

"All Evanger's suppliers of meat products are USDA approved," the company said. "This beef supplier provides us with beef chunks from cows that are slaughtered in a USDA facility."

The company is paying for Mael's veterinary bills. It also made a donation to a local shelter in honor of the pug who died.

Link:

Dog food recalled after euthanasia drug found in it - CNN

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4News) - A bill that would end gas chamber euthanasia in Utah passed a committee hearing on Tuesday and will now head to the Senate floor.

Animal rights groups and animal lovers are praising the advancement of Senate Bill 56, as the Senate Government Operations Committee voted by a vote of 6 to 2 in favor of the Animal Shelter Amendment that would ban gas chamber euthanasia in the state of Utah.

Senators David Hinkins(R) -District 27 and Daniel Thatcher (R) - District 12, were the only two to vote against the bill.

The bill would require all animal shelters to move away from the practice of using gas chambers to euthanize animals and instead useeuthanasia by injection (EBI). Utah is one of four states that continues to practice gas chamber euthanasia. According to the Humane Society of Utah there are over 50 shelters in the state and about 5 of them continue the practice.

"A lot of these shelters that are maintaining the gas chamber, you have to look at the long term cost of purchasing new ones, when they break down -- repairing, and there's no state regulation to maintain or calibrate these shelter gas chambers," says Deann Shepherd with the Humane Society of Utah.

The Humane Society says gas chambers pose more of a threat to humans than the practice of lethal injection. They say gas chambers use carbon monoxide and there is no regulation or oversight for these devices. They say there have been cases where employees and/or veterinarians have gotten sick or were killed because of their exposure to the gas. They say with EBI the animal is unconscious within 3-5 seconds and death occurs within 3-5 minutes.

During the committee hearing yesterday opponents expressedconcerns that EBI would cost more than gas chamber euthanasia.

"'Cause I do have some counties and cities that are saying this could be a hardship, so if they could let me know so I could get animal control some numbers," said Senator Hinkins (R) - District 27.

The Human Society says there is research that has shown it costs less to use EBI than the gas chamber.

"So, if there's any additional expenses of getting the equipment and training then there is help to get that but, we offer free training at the Humane Society," says Shepherd.

The Humane Society says there are grants that can offset the cost of purchasing any equipment that might be necessary to use EBI. They, along with other organizations, also provide free training for personnel who will be administering lethal injections.

Opponents are also concernedabout the safety of staff using EBI when handling more aggressive animals.

"We offer training for free," says Shepherd. "We want the personnel well trained to handle these animals and here's the key, you just sedate them. There's no more handling of the animal to sedate them than to move them into a gas chamber."

The Humane Society says the research, equipment and training are all there to help move all shelters away from gas chamber and end the practice in the state. Previous efforts for a bill to end gas chamber euthanasia have failed in the past but proponents are optimistic this time around.

Tuesday morning before the committee hearing over 100 animal lovers and activists gathered in the Capitol Rotunda to show their support and encourage legislatorsto vote in favor of the bill.

The Human Society of Utah also cited examples in Davis County and Sandy City where they say they have seen the benefits of EBI after moving away from using gas chambers to euthanize animals.

The bill will now head to the full Senate and is expected to be taken up for discussion sometime next week.

Read more:

Bill to Ban Gas Chamber Euthanasia Moves to the Senate - Good4Utah

Imagining a future with compulsory euthanasia MercatorNet Is this a great documentary? No. Is it an amazing feat by a high school student? Yes. This is a terrific warning from New Zealand about the possibility of legalised euthanasia. Will it happen in a Western democracy? Probably not. But why not in ...

Read more from the original source:

Imagining a future with compulsory euthanasia - MercatorNet

Just a quick post to show you how the slippery slopeslip slides away.

Canadas Supreme Court imposed a nationwide regime on the entire country. An obedient Parliament passed enabling legislation, including safeguards to protect against abuse.

Now, these supposedly vital protections in actuality, they are loosey-goosey are increasingly seen instead as hurdles that interfere with the right to be made dead.

Heres an example from a journalists opinion column out of London, Ontario:

Canadians should be forewarned that the road to a medically assisted death is paved with speed bumps and potholes: that the law and its regulations were hastily devised and are imperfect; that the supply of doctors who are both willing and competent enough to safely assist in a patients death is severely limited; and that the pathway to release from suffering can take unexpected and sometimes inexplicable detours.

Our parliamentarians should look to improve the legislation sooner rather than later.

These improvementswill likely include such culture-of-death agenda items as alegal mandate for MDs to participate in killing even if they have religious or moral objections an expansion of eligibility to specifically includenon-terminal conditions, and authority to kill Alzheimers patients who asked to be killed in an advance directive.

We need to think about this as the assisted suicide argument unfolds here: Accepting euthanasia changes a societys collective consciousness. The impetus to protect life soon morphs into a drive to embrace death.

Go here to read the rest:

Euthanasia 'Safeguards' Soon Seen as 'Hurdles' - National Review

Evangers Dog & Cat Food of Wheeling, Ill., is voluntarily recalling specific lots of Hunk of Beef over the presence of a drug used to euthanize animals in one lot of the product, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

Pentobarbital, a barbituate, was detected in 12-ounce cans of Hunk of Beef that were distributed and sold online in Wisconsin, Washington, California, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, according to an announcement from Evangers posted on the FDA website.

One dog died and four dogs became ill after consuming the product with lot number 1816E06HB13, according to the announcement.

The recalled products were manufactured the week of June 6 through June 13 and have lot numbers that start with 1816E03HB, 1816E04HB, 1816E06HB, 1816E07HB and 1816E13HB, and have an expiration date of June 2020, according to the post.

The second half of the bar code, which can be found on the back of the product label, reads 20109, according to the company.

The rest is here:

Dog food sold in Minnesota recalled over euthanasia drug - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press

A Wheeling-based pet food-maker is voluntarily recalling some of its dog food after it was found to contain a sedative used to euthanize animals. Several dogs in Washington state became sick on New Year's Eve after eating the food, and one died, Evanger's Pet Food said.

The pug, named Talula, died after consuming Hunk of Beef dog food, according to Evanger's website. A subsequent toxicology report found the drug pentobarbital, a sedative, was found in the dog's stomach. The owner's three other pugs were sick after consuming the food, but survived.

Evanger's, a family-owned business, has severed its relationship with a beef supplier and promised to guarantee the safety of its products in the future. Evanger's has posted several updates for customers on its website.

"We are sorry we let you down, but we will make a better pet industry because of it," Evanger's owners wrote on their website. "First and foremost we are pet parents," they wrote.

"Although nearly all product involved in this recall have already been consumed by pets without incident, we have decided to initiate the recall as a proactive measure against the remote possibility of any illness. Although only one household in the country reported illness, out of the five lots that are being recalled, we feel it is the right thing to do," the statement read.

Earlier this week, Brett and Chelsea Sher, who work at the pet food company with owners Joel and Holly Sher, followed up with a nearly five-minute video apologizing to their customers and explaining why they decided to recall five lots of Hunk of Beef. They also promised "transparency" as they continued to investigate what happened.

Last month, the company launched an investigation after learning about Talula's death on social media.

Results from an independent lab found no contaminants in their Hunk of Beef product, Evanger's said.

The Shers said they paid veterinary bills for the four pugs in Washington state and made a donation to a local animal shelter.

In the video, the Evanger's owners said that after further research, they learned that pentobarbital can be found in other dry pet foods if they are made with euthanized cow meat. Further, they said, once an animal has been euthanized, there are no regulations requiring veterinarians to tag the meat as such, allowing the meat to find its way into the food chain.

"We were unaware of the problem of pentobarbital in the pet food industry because it is most pervasive in dry foods that source most of their ingredients from rendering plants, unlike Evanger's, which mainly manufactures canned foods that would not have any rendered materials in its supply chain," Evanger's owners wrote on their website. "All of our raw materials are sourced from USDA-inspected facilities, and many of them are suppliers with whom we have had long-standing relationships."

Evanger's beef, they added, is approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The recall, the Shers wrote on their website, "is a simple task, and goes a very long way to ensure safety in many areas."

crshropshire@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @corilyns

More here:

Wheeling-based Evanger's recalls dog food found to contain euthanasia drug - Chicago Tribune

It was New Years Eve when Nikki Mael fed her four pugs Tito, Tank, Tinkerbell and Talula the single can of dog food, Evangers Hunk of Beef, as a treat. Within 15 minutes, the pugs were acting drunk and falling over Mael, ofWashougal, Wash., told KATU.

She quickly rushed them to the local emergency vet, where the four dogs were placed in the intensive care unit.

When they got there, they were just limp, she said. They werent moving or anything. Tito was still suffering from seizures days later, and Talula one of the pugs thatate the most canned beef died.

A toxicology report later revealed the cause ofher death. A drug called pentobarbital, a euthanasia agent,was found in both the dogs stomach and the Evangers dog food. If this sample came directly from a can, the toxicologist wrote, this is an urgent matter.

According to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration statement released Friday, Evangers, a family-owned-and-operated cat and dog food business,decided to voluntarily recall five lots of the product all of the Hunk of Beef products that were manufactured that same week. The products were distributed to retail locations and sold online in 15 states:Washington, California, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

Hunk of Beef is Evangers best-selling food. Pets nationwide consume more than one million cans of the product each year, the company said in a statement. By the time Evangersheard about the New Years Eve incident, it believed that at least 200 dogs had already consumed the food from the same lot number, but no other household in the country aside from Maels reported an illness, the company said.

We feel that we have been let down by our supplier, and in reference to the possible presence of pentobarbital, we have let down our customers, the family-owned company, which has been in business for 82 years, said.

Despite having worked with the supplier of this specific beef for about 40 years, Evangers immediately decided to cut its ties with the supplier, which also serves a number of other companies.

Something like this seemed impossible, Evangers said in itsstatement. All of our raw materials are sourced from USDA-inspected facilities, and many of them are suppliers with whom we have had long-standing relationships.

[A veterinarians suicide by euthanasia drugs haunts debate over Taiwans stray animal problem]

The source of the contamination is still unknown. But since pentobarbital is routinely used to euthanize animals, the most likely way it could get into dog food would be in rendered animal products, according to a 2002 FDA report. Rendered products undergo a process that converts animal tissues to feed ingredients, the report stated, andpentobarbital seems to be able to survive thisprocess. If animals are euthanized with pentobarbital and subsequently rendered, pentobarbital could remainin the rendered feed ingredients.

But, Evangers said,research suggests pentobarbital is most pervasive in dry dog foods that source rendered ingredients, unlike Evangers, which primarilymanufactures canned foods that would notcontain any rendered materials.

The company said it was previously unaware of the problem of pentobarbital in the pet food industry. It said that after looking into it and speaking with several suppliers, it discovered a number of holes in regulations by theFood and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Chelsea Sher, whose parents own the company, said in a video statement that the companys goal is now toclose that gap to ensure that no euthanized animal ever makes it into the pet food stream

What we learned was that pentobarbital is very highly controlled, and that, if an animal is euthanized, it is done so by a veterinarian, the company said. Once this process has concluded, there is no regulation requiring the veterinarian to place a marker on the animal indicatingit has been euthanized and guaranteeing that product from euthanized animals cannot enter the food chain, the company said in a statement on its website.

In addition to being used on animals, pentobarbital has been used in a cocktail of drugs to execute prisoners in at least 14 states, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. One convict executed with pentobarbital in Oklahoma in 2014, Michael Lee Wilson, cried out that he could feel his whole body burning after he was injected with the drug. Some civil rights groups at the timeclaimed the injection constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, since its manufacture isoften poorly regulated, and contaminated batches can cause excruciating pain before death.

Evangers donated the full $5,800 fundraising goal on the crowdfunding page Mael created to raise money for her pugs veterinary bills.

We at Evangers are deeply horrified about this, the company said in a message to Mael, adding we also feed our own dog, Lilly, this food.

Thecompany later said it would be making a donation to a local shelter in honor of Talula.

I lost my dog, Mael said in the days after Talulas death, wiping tears from her eyes. It shouldnt have to be this way.

Read more:

Dog food recalled after euthanasia drug found in can. One dog dead. - Washington Post

SALT LAKE CITY It was standing room only for those with both two and four legs Tuesday as Utah lawmakers considered a bill that would ban the use of gas chambers as a method of euthanasia at animal shelters.

"I believe that how we care for animals and how we treat animals says a lot about us," said Sen. Peter Knudson, R-Brigham City.

Most of those who packed a Senate committee room to listen to the discussion and provide testimony about euthanasia of shelter animals supported Knudson's bill, SB56, calling the use of lethal injection much more humane than a carbon-monoxide gas chamber.

"This bill is to put euthanasia in a situation where animals receive less stress and a proper farewell, if you will," Knudson said.

Lethal injection, he said, is "relatively quick, animals don't suffer, and it's certainly a lot safer for the folks who have to put them down."

Utah is only one of four states that still allows the use of carbon monoxide gas chambers, he said.

Sen. David Hinkins, R-Orangeville, expressed concern about the cost of making the change to lethal injection.

"I have some counties and cities who are saying that this could be a hardship on them," said Hinkins, who voted against the bill.

Wendy Lavitt, vice president of the nonprofit pet rescue and adoption agency Nuzzles and Co., said the initial cost for shelters to make the change from euthanasia by gas chamber to lethal injection "is a factor."

"Certainly, in our organization, we are willing to help so that no county will be affected monetarily," Lavitt said.

In addition to Nuzzles and Co.'s willingness to help in the transition, the Humane Society has also offered up to $3,000 to any shelter that voluntarily transitions away from the use of gas chambers, she said.

"On behalf of my dogs of present and dogs of past, I would urge you to support the bill," Knudson said.

The Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee voted 8-2 to send the bill to the full Senate for consideration.

Sen. Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City, cast the other dissenting vote.

Originally posted here:

Euthanasia reform moves forward in the senate - Deseret News

A protester holds a picture of dead dogs during a demonstration in front of the Taiwan government's agriculture council, in Taipei, in 2013 (AFP Photo/SAM YEH)

Taipei (AFP) - Taiwan has banned euthanising animals in shelters, which follows the tragic suicide last year of a vet burdened with the task of putting down animals.

The law came into effect Saturday, two years after it was passed by parliament -- a period meant to prepare shelters for the ban.

But during the wait, animal lover Chien Chih-cheng took her own life with euthanasia drugs, reportedly upset at having to kill animals at the shelter she worked at.

Reports at the time said Chien was called a "butcher" by activists.

Her death sparked calls for authorities to improve conditions for animals and staff at shelters.

An animal welfare group, Life Conservationist Association, estimated more than 1.2 million animals not adopted from shelters have been put down since 1999.

"Animal protection in Taiwan has moved towards a new milestone," the association's executive director Ho Tsung-hsun said in a statement.

But Taiwan's Council of Agriculture warned the ban would lead to a deterioration in the quality of shelters through a surging intake or it may discourage the capture of strays.

"It's impossible for there to be no problems," said Wang Chung-shu, deputy chief of the animal husbandry department, according to The China Times.

He said Taiwan's ban was "quite idealised", adding that manpower was a problem because the vet's suicide had had a "chilling effect" on the sector, according to the report.

Even before the legislation, the number of animals being put down had been steadily declining.

Last year, 12.38 percent of the 64,276 animals in public shelters were euthanised, according to official statistics.

That compares with 94,741 animals in shelters in 2014, of which 26.45 percent were put down.

See the article here:

Taiwan bans euthanasia of stray animals - Yahoo - Yahoo News

CNN

US dog food recall after euthanasia drug found BBC News A US pet food company says traces of a drug used to euthanise animals have been found in some of its products, leading to a large recall. Evanger's Dog & Cat Food issued the recall after detecting traces of pentobarbital, a sedative normally used to ... Dog food recalled after euthanasia drug found in itCNN Evanger's Recalls Dog Food Because It Could Contain Euthanasia Drug and One Pet Has Already DiedPEOPLE.com Discovery of Euthanasia Drug Prompts Dog Food Recall; California Among 15 States InvolvedKTLA USA TODAY -KOBI-TV NBC5 / KOTI-TV NBC2 -FDA -Evangers all 156 news articles »

Read the original here:

US dog food recall after euthanasia drug found - BBC News

(KUTV) A canned dog food company is issuing its first recall in 82 years after the death of a Washington pug was traced to tainted product.

Nikki Mael of Washougal, Washington, said she fed four of her dogs Evanger's Hunk of Beef with Au Jus wet food on New Year's Eve. Fifteen minutes later, Mael said all four dogs started to behave strangely so she took them to an animal hospital, where one later died.

One still suffers seizures, Mael said, but she is unsure of any long-term effects on the other two.

According to its website, Evanger's learned about the incident on Jan. 2 and "started action immediately." The company fully paid the amount listed on Mael's YouCare page and promised to investigate the incident.

On Jan. 29, Evanger's announced it had found traces of a drug used to euthanize animals pentobarbital in cans of its Hunk of Beef Au Jus. The company believes the drug came from animals used in the dog food.

Evanger announced an official recall of all beef products manufactured in June 2016.

The recall affects products sold in Washington, California, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Products labeled 1816E03HB, 1816E04HB, 1816E06HB, 1816E07HB and 1816E13HB that expire in June 2020 may contain traces of pentobarbital and should not be fed to pets.

The company has said Hunk of Beef is its top-selling product and that pets likely consume more than one million cans of Hunk of Beef each year.

Read more:

RECALL: Canned dog food has traces of animal euthanasia drug - KUTV 2News

A situation in Canada should send a clear message to 25 U.S. states considering doctor-assisted suicide.

Two years ago, Canada's Supreme Court legalized assisted suicide and there are hints that the country has moved toward devaluing human life.

Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition tells OneNewsNow a January 23 survey suggests that assisted suicide has had savings of up to $138 million a year for the government.

Now considering the cost problems that we have with healthcare in Canada, he tells OneNewsNow, this is one more carrot before the people in order to now say, Well euthanasia's not only going to cause the deaths of people who supposedly are asking for it but on top of that, it's a social good because it saves money.

The savings is being compared to the cost of quality medical care, including pain management.

Just a few weeks ago, a study was released on the possibility of organs being donated from victims of euthanasia.

And so now you have the whole mixed up stew where we're talking about organ donation euthanasia and saving money for the health care system from euthanasia, and somehow this is going to be controlled? he asks.

The true issue is about doctors having the legal right to kill their patients, he warns "and it will soon be out of control in our country as well if we don't start turning the corner [to decide against euthanasia] soon.

The countries in Europe that have legalized euthanasia have seen a similar abuse of euthanasia. In the Netherlands, a woman with dementia changed her mind about accepting doctor-assisted suicide but was forcibly held down while the doctor went ahead with the lethal drug.

Schadenberg contends the only way to avoid that kind of downward spiral in the U.S. is to not legalize euthanasia to begin with.

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Original post:

Euthanasia's goals: save money, collect organs - One News Now - OneNewsNow

Published: Monday, February 06, 2017 @ 12:20 PM Updated: Tuesday, February 07, 2017 @ 8:37 AM By: Debbie Lord - Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Claiming President Donald Trumps ban on travel would unleash chaos again, lawyers for Washington state and Minnesota asked a federal appellate court to keep in place a restraining order that halts the ban and allows immigrants into the country.

The filings with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco came early Monday after the White House said it expected the federal courts to reinstate the ban.

According to The Associated Press, the filings claim that both Washington and Minnesota said their underlying lawsuit was strong and a nationwide temporary restraining order was appropriate. If the appellate court reinstated Trump's ban the states said the "ruling would reinstitute those harms, separating families, stranding our university students and faculty, and barring travel."

>>Watch the hearing from the 9th Circuit Court live here.

How did we get to this point with the executive order banning immigration? Heres a look at the ban, the court challenge and whats next.

First, what does the ban do?

The ban originally:

Suspended the U.S. refugee admissions program for 120 days

Indefinitely suspended Syrian refugees from entering the country

Banned entry for refugees from seven majority-Muslim countries Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days

Banned entry for 90 days of dual-nationals who are from those seven countries, but have an additional passport

Prioritized refugee claims on the basis of religious persecution, as long as the applicant is a member of a religion that is a minority in their country of origin

Lowered the total number of refugees to be accepted from any country in 2017 to 50,000

What happened Friday?

U.S. District Court Judge James Robart of Seattle issued a ruling Friday on a request for a restraining order brought by the state of Washington that would suspend sections of the travel ban signed by Trump on Jan. 27.

The state of Washington contended that certain parts of the travel ban are contrary to the Constitution and the laws of the United States. The state asked for a nationwide ban on the order.

Roberts decision did three things first, it recognized that Washington and a second state that joined in on the request, Minnesota, had standing to ask for a restraining order. In other words, they were being harmed by the ban, so they could ask a court for help.

Second, the ruling required that the section of the travel ban that called for a 90-day halt to immigration from the seven countries, and the section that called for an indefinite suspension of immigration from Syria be lifted.

Third, the order put a halt to prioritizing refugee claims of certain religious minorities.

The administration appealed to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to have the restraining order lifted, allowing the travel ban to continue. The court ruled against the administration on Sunday.

So its a done deal, the travel ban is lifted?

No, far from it. What happened on Friday was that a judge issued a temporary restraining order. That means the travel ban stops temporarily until a full hearing is held.

What happened on Sunday was that the Trump administration asked to have the restraining order lifted. The court did not lift the order, leading to the full court hearing which is taking place Tuesday in San Francisco in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

What did the Trump administration do after the order was issued in Washington?

The administration did what the court ordered, and suspended the ban.

"In accordance with the judge's ruling, DHS has suspended any and all actions implementing the affected sections of the Executive Order entitled, "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States," DHS said in a statement.

When could the ruling come?

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has asked for both sides to file legal briefs before the court makes its final decision. Washington and Minnesota filed theirs Monday morning. The government has until 6 p.m. ET Monday evening to submit its briefs.

What happens if the court upholds the restraining order?

That means the travel ban is on hold unless or until the administration appeals the decision, which seems likely.

If the judges rule in favor of the administration, the restraining order on the travel ban is lifted and it goes back in force.

See the original post:

Evanger's dog food recalled after euthanasia drug found in one batch - WHIO

Evanger's Hunk of Beef.(Photo: Recalls.gov)

Evanger's is voluntarily recalling some of its dog food after a drug that is used toanesthetize or put down pets was found in it.

Michigan is one of 15 states affected by the Hunk of Beef Au Jus recall.

Pentobarbital was found inone lot of the dog food; five dogs got sick and one died, according to the Wheeling, Ill.-based company.

The 12-ounce cans were manufactured June 6-13 and sold in stores and online inWashington, California, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

As a precaution, Evanger's isrecalling Hunk of Beef products manufactured the same week, with lot numbers thatstart with1816E03HB, 1816E04HB, 1816E06HB, 1816E07HBand 1816E13HB and expireJune 2020. The second half of the barcode on the back of the labelsays20109. The ill and deceased dog ate from the1816E06HB13 lot.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is distributing information about the recall, as well.

All Evangers suppliers of meat products are approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the company said.

Related:

DETROIT FREE PRESS

Cat food recall for 9Lives, EverPet and Special Kitty

"We feel that we have been let down by our supplier, and in reference to the possible presence of pentobarbital, we have let down our customers," the company said in a news release on its website, adding that it's the first recall in 82 years of manufacturing.

Evanger's said it has terminated its relationship with that supplier after 40 years, though that company services "many other pet food companies."

Dr. Alan Lewis of DePorre Veterinary Hospital in Bloomfield Hills advised dog owners to take the recall seriously.

"I would be vigilantof any of those things," he said. "Call yourvet to see if they have any more information. In most cases, theyre just taking (an) abundance of caution."

Evanger's found out thatdogs became sick on New Year's Eve and began what would become a four-week investigation, which included sending samples from the lot to an independent lab"to test for any toxin or bacteria we could possibly imagine. All of those tests came back negative.It was not until Jan. 29th that we learned about the term 'pentobarbital.' "

The company saidpentobarbitalis more of an issue in dry foods that get their ingredients from rendering plants, which Evanger's doesn't do.

In researching the supply chain, Evanger'slearned that "pentobarbital is very highly controlled, and that, if an animal is euthanized, it is done so by a veterinarian.Once this process has been done, there is absolutely no regulation that requires the certified vet to place any kind of marker on the animal indicating that it has been euthanized and guaranteeing that product from euthanized animals cannot enter the food chain."

Consumers with questions may contact the company at 847-537-0102, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Central weekdays.

Pentobarbital can causedrowsiness, dizziness, excitement, loss of balance,nauseaand sometimesdeath, said the company.

Evanger's is paying the ill dogs' vet bills and makinga donation to a local shelter in honor of Talula the Pug.

Contact Zlati Meyer: 313-223-4439 or zmeyer@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @ZlatiMeyer

Read or Share this story: http://on.freep.com/2jVhU4R

Read the original:

Dog food recalled after discovery of euthanasia drug - Detroit Free Press

Taiwan has banned euthanising animals in shelters, which follows the tragic suicide last year of a vet burdened with the task of putting down animals.

The law came into effect Saturday, two years after it was passed by parliament a period meant to prepare shelters for the ban.

But during the wait, animal lover Chien Chih-cheng took her own life with euthanasia drugs, reportedly upset at having to kill animals at the shelter at which she worked.

Reports at the time said Chien was called a "butcher" by activists.

Her death sparked calls for authorities to improve conditions for animals and staff at shelters.

An animal welfare group, Life Conservationist Association, estimated more than 1.2 million animals not adopted from shelters have been put down since 1999.

"Animal protection in Taiwan has moved towards a new milestone," the association's executive director Ho Tsung-hsun said in a statement.

But Taiwan's Council of Agriculture warned the ban would lead to a deterioration in the quality of shelters through a surging intake or it may discourage the capture of strays.

"It's impossible for there to be no problems," said Wang Chung-shu, deputy chief of the animal husbandry department, according to The China Times.

He said Taiwan's ban was "quite idealized", adding that manpower was a problem because the vet's suicide had had a "chilling effect" on the sector, according to the report.

RELATED: 'Euthanized' Dog Rises from the Dead

Even before the legislation, the number of animals being put down had been steadily declining.

Last year, 12.38 percent of the 64,276 animals in public shelters were euthanized, according to official statistics.

That compares with 94,741 animals in shelters in 2014, of which 26.45 percent were put down.

WATCH VIDEO: China's Controversial Dog Meat Festival

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New Law in Taiwan Halts Euthanasia of Stray Animals - Seeker - Seeker

A Dutch doctor who ordered an elderly dementia patients family to hold her down as she was given a lethal euthanasia injection has been cleared of any wrongdoing.

The doctor at a nursing home in the Netherlands, where euthanasia is legal, was investigated following the death of the unnamed woman who had expressed a wish to die when the time was right.

The Catholic News Agency reported that the woman woke up despite the sleep-inducing drug she had been given in her coffee and tried to resist the procedure.

The doctor then asked the relatives of the woman, said to be aged over 80, to restrain her while she administered the lethal injection.

The senior doctor had determined the time was right because of a recent deterioration in the womans condition.

I am convinced that the doctor acted in good faith, and we would like to see more clarity on how such cases are handled in the future, said Jacob Kohnstamm, chairman of the Regional Review Committee, which considered the case.

The case will be further examined by the Dutch courts to clarify the laws around euthanasia and determine whether doctors who carry out the procedure should be prosecuted if they are found to have acted in good faith.

The Dutch Parliament is considering revising the euthanasia laws to allow anyone older than 75 who is tired of life to have the right to assisted suicide, widening the current restriction which limits the practice to the terminally ill.

The Netherlands was the first country in the world to decriminalise euthanasia and assisted suicide in 2002, but has had several high-profile cases of doctor-assisted suicide in recent years.

In 2015, there were more than 5,000 euthanasia deaths in the country which represents a leap of 50 per cent in the past five years.

Only four of these 5,306 deaths were found by officials to have involved irregularities.

Psychiatric patients can be put to death at their own request as can under 18s. Those aged between 12 and 16 wishing to die must also have the consent of their parents, but 16-18s can take the decision themselves.

This has led to fierce opposition from numerous groups, including church leaders and psychiatrists who do not believe young girls and boys or the mentally ill have the capacity to make such decisions.

Those opposed to euthanasia have highlighted the potential pitfalls of allowing doctor-assisted death for those with dementia or mental health conditions.

A new study has found that Canadas new euthanasia laws, which closely resemble those of the Netherlands, could save the state as much as 84 million from its annual health care budget, with lethal injections said to cost just 15 per patient.

Robert Flello, the Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent South, told the Catholic Herald the implications of the Canadian study were absolutely horrific.

It reinforces anecdotal evidence coming out of Holland that doctors are rationing health care by using euthanasia, said Mr Flello, a co-chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group.

Quite frankly, it terrifies me, he said. We have issues with bed-blocking and if we ever had euthanasia or even so-called assisted dying in this country then we would have a real issue with cuts to our NHS being softened by actually just killing people off.

Euthanasia has been debated in the UK Parliament, with the last right-to-die private members bill defeated in the Commons in 2015.

Public opinion in the UK shows the majority are in favour of the right to die, with the largest ever poll conducted on assisted suicide finding 82 per cent were in favour in 2015.

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Doctor who asked dementia patient's family to hold her down while she gave lethal injection cleared - The Independent

PHOENIX - In an ambitious effort to become a "no kill community" staff at Maricopa County Animal Care and Control are hoping to form an aggressive partnership with community groups, and help reduce euthanasia rates at the shelter.

Last year MCACC took in more than 35,000 animals, about 4,700 of them had to be put down. Melissa Gable, a spokeswoman for the shelter said those numbers were already a big reduction from five years ago, but they hoped to do even better.

"In order to get to that next level, we're going to need even more help," said Gable.

She admitted that it was unrealistic to say that the shelter would never euthanize an animal, as it would not be humane for them to let a dog they knew to be very aggressive go home with a family, but they wanted to get as close to it as possible.

With new leadership now at helm, Gable said they were committed to working with existing partners, and thinking outside the box to form new partnerships with the community.

Right now MCACC works with more than a 100 different groups and has a wide foster network of families who help rescue many dogs, but they hope to recruit more.

"These groups will drop everything they're doing and come to the shelter and pick up those dogs and make them available through their network," said Gable.

Foster orientation takes place once a month. Gable said they were alsowilling to work individually with those who were interested in fostering animals.

She encouraged the community to continue spaying and neutering.

The shelter faced some controversy in December when they had to euthanize pregnant female dogs. Gable said the decision to euthanize animals was never easy.

"I know that's difficult for people to hear. It's not something we want to do but the reality is there are so many animals coming into the shelter. If no one is able to step up and take those dogs, we don't have the ability to house pregnant moms in our facility because we're taking in 100 animals almost every single day," said Gable.

She said some of thestaff and volunteers took the criticism personally.

"I guarantee you there's not a single staff member that wakes up in the morning and says okay, I'm off to kill animals today. It's not something anyone wants to do," said Gable.

"It's tough. Some of the employees here are young kids. For them to be called 'murderer' on Facebook, it's hard to hear," she added.

MCACC had started several programs to get more dogs into forever homes.

They were socializing dogs considered aggressive, and seeing big changes in their personalities.

"Because of that we're already putting down less animals," said Gable.

They were also working with the group Lost Dogs Arizona to help find the owners of all the lost dogs in the shelter. Gable estimated there were hundreds of lost dogs housed at MCACC. She said they were instructing staff to consider every dog as a "lost dog" and not as a stray.

Cindy Goetz with Lost Dogs Arizona said their social media page gave a lot of exposure to lost animals. They posted almost thirty new pictures a day and tens of thousands of people were liking and sharing the posts.

"We've had over 10,000 reunions since we've been around. Some amazing ones. A dog found a year and half later, a dog found at a campsite by another family, it's just amazing," said Goetz.

A town hall meeting is set to take place Wednesday between MCACC and community groups involved in the effort. It begins at 6 p.m. at Memorial Hall at Steele Indian School Park, at 300 E. Indian School Road.

If you would like to help you can contact MCACC athttps://www.maricopa.gov/pets/adopt.aspx

Gable said everyone in the community could also help by simply sharing photos of shelter dogs, lost dogs, and encouraging others to adopt or rescue from the local shelter.

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County animal shelter aggressively working to cut euthanasia rate - ABC15 Arizona

Our task is difficult but urgent: to show that people who are old and ill nevertheless have value

There has been a new but entirely predictable development in the practice of euthanasia in Holland, as this magazine reports. A woman suffering from dementia has been executed by lethal injection, having first been sedated with drugged coffee, and then having been held down by her relatives when she attempted to struggle.

It is very hard to see how anyone can justify this sort of behaviour, which not only goes against the law of God, which commands us to respect all life, but even goes against the usual practices of those who support euthanasia, who generally stress its voluntary nature. There was nothing voluntary here. All the victims actions indicated that she was not co-operating with those trying to kill her; and as a demented person, she was not capable of making an informed choice to die. It is true that she had expressed a preference for euthanasia four years previously, but in the meantime she might well have changed her mind.

The same article also gives us another chilling piece of information, this time from Canada:

A new study has predicted that Canadas new euthanasia laws, which closely resemble those in the Netherlands, could cut as much as 84 million from its annual health budget.

Researchers from the University of Calgary identified the substantial savings that could be made from reducing end-of-life care. The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, said that health care at the end of life was intensive and could go on for months. Euthanasia, however, would cost the state just 15 per patient.

As always, the old adage follow the money has a lot of wisdom in it. If we see old people, and demented people in particular, simply as useless mouths and a drain on resources, then this sort of argument becomes a powerful one. The Church now has an urgent task, and a difficult one: to make people realise that people who are old and ill, and who add nothing to the economy, nevertheless have value, intrinsic value; and that to kill these people off not only harms them, but harms all of society. In other words, the Church has to stress the intrinsic worth of every human being, something which transcends their economic productivity.

If we were to see people purely in terms of what they can produce, what sort of society would that makes us?

Given that we all know that the funds for social care in this country are limited, we need to prepare to defend society from the threat of euthanasia here in Britain. We could be the next Canada or Holland. Above all, as this case, and others like it, has made clear, euthanasia, which starts as voluntary, soon becomes compulsory. As such it is a threat to us all.

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Once euthanasia is voluntary, it will become irresistible. Just ask the ... - Catholic Herald Online (blog)

An intensive care unit in Belgium. Labour MP Robert Flello said: 'I think we face a real humanitarian crisis in those countries which have euthanasia or assisted suicide' (Photo: AP)

The case will be examined by Dutch prosecutors to see if a crime has been committed

Dutch prosecutors are being asked to examine the case of an elderly woman who was reportedly drugged and then pinned down while a doctor pumped lethal drugs into her body.

A female doctor has been formally reprimanded for performing the act of euthanasia because the patient was suffering from dementia and could not properly consent.

When the woman was first diagnosed with dementia four years ago she had indicated that she was willing to end her life by euthanasia but not now.

Her nursing home decided the moment had arrived when her condition deteriorated and she began to wander the wards at night and behave aggressively.

The doctor reportedly drugged the womans coffee to calm her down, an act the regional euthanasia assessment committee decided was wrong.

The doctor also allegedly asked the womans family to hold her down when she reacted negatively to the procedure, and ripped out the drip carrying the euthanasia drugs.

The assessment committee said the doctor had crossed a line and has passed the case to prosecutors who will decide if a crime has been committed.

The forcible euthanasia represents the first case involving a doctor to be referred to the Dutch prosecution service.

Dutch law, which dates from 2002, permits euthanasia only in cases of unbearable and untreatable suffering but it is increasingly used on people with dementia and mental health problems.

The latest euthanasia figures from Holland show that the number of mental health patients killed by euthanasia has quadrupled in just four years.

Last year it emerged that an alcoholic and a victim of child sex abuse were killed by euthanasia.

The latest figures also show that the 2015 total of euthanasia deaths some 5,306 cases represents a leap of 50 per cent in the last five years.

The case has emerged as a new study has predicted that Canadas new euthanasia laws, which closely resemble those in the Netherlands, could cut as much as 84 million from its annual health budget.

Researchers from the University of Calgary identified the substantial savings that could be made from reducing end-of-life care.

The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, said that health care at the end of life was intensive and could go on for months.

Euthanasia, however, would cost the state just 15 per patient.

Robert Flello, the Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent South and a Catholic, said the implications of the study were absolutely horrific.

It reinforces anecdotal evidence coming out of Holland that doctors are rationing health care by using euthanasia, said Mr Flello, a co-chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group.

Quite frankly, it terrifies me, he said. We have issues with bed-blocking and if we ever had euthanasia or even so-called assisted dying in this country then we would have a real issue with cuts to our NHS being softened by actually just killing people off.

I find the prospect simply terrifying.

Mr Flello also severely criticised the forcible euthanasia of the elderly dementia sufferer in Holland, adding: I think we face a real humanitarian crisis in those countries which have euthanasia or assisted suicide and quite frankly I dont want that appalling situation here.

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Doctor 'asked family to hold down struggling euthanasia victim ... - Catholic Herald Online

ATLANTA, Georgia An animal control captain in Georgia is setting the record straight after rumors circulated on social media suggesting workers at a shelter were planning tokill any dogs that had not been adopted when the shelter temporarily closes for repairs.

Clayton County Animal Control Captain Anthony Thuman saidonline talk of mass euthanasia is absolutely not true.

The department as a whole is very committed to these animals, Thuman said.

WGCL received emails from concerned dog lovers across the nation worried that more than 50 dogs would be put down. The controversy was sparked shortly after animal control officials put an alert on Facebook, warning that one of their shelters would be temporarily closing for renovations, which meant they needed to find new homes for more than 130 dogs.

We have been very fortunate [and] received a great response from folks to find adopters, Thuman said.

Avolunteer with the Ginny Milner Rescue saidworkers within animal control stressed to them that any dogs left behind would be killed.

Not true, saidThuman.

We will find alternate placement for the dogs, whether they be at a secondary facility, or reaching out again to some of the rescue groups, Thuman said.

As of Friday afternoon, February 3rd,officials posted on Facebook that the shelter had been emptied.

The renovation is expected to shut the shelter down for at least two weeks.

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Mass euthanasia rumors prompt adoptions en masse at animal control shelter in Georgia - fox6now.com