Statehouse News Bureau

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Bill Would Ban Potentially Inhumane Form Of Pet Euthanasia

By Jo Ingles

Published March 2, 2020 at 7:50 PM EST

When animals are put to sleep in Ohio, they are most often euthanized with medications administered by a veterinarian.

But there have been some cases where dogs and cats have been put down in gas chambers. Now there’s a new bill that would make that practice illegal.

Most veterinarians use drugs to euthanize animals, but Rep. David Leland (D-Columbus) said he knows of one Ohio county that has put animals down in gas chambers, which can cause animals to suffer before they die.

“Ohio has had a history of using gas chambers for euthanasia. So without this kind of ban that my legislation would create, there’s always a fear that Ohio could slide back and revert to using this kind of gas chambers and this ban will make sure that doesn’t happen," Leland said

The bill, which has yet to be formally introduced, already has bipartisan co-sponsors. Ohio is one of four states where gas chambers for animal euthanasia are still legal.