SENATE AMENDED
PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 394, 1431, 1884 PRINTER'S NO. 2289
No. 350 Session of 1983
INTRODUCED BY MURPHY, RYAN, COWELL, CALTAGIRONE, TRELLO,
MICHLOVIC, VAN HORNE, GREENWOOD, DAWIDA AND DONATUCCI,
MARCH 1, 1983
SENATOR HELFRICK, AGRICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS, IN SENATE,
AS AMENDED, DECEMBER 6, 1983
AN ACT
1 Relating to euthanasia of pet animals; prohibiting certain
2 methods of euthanasia; and requiring certain training in the <--
3 administration of drugs; PROVIDING FOR A LIMITED LICENSE TO <--
4 DISPENSE CERTAIN DRUGS; PROVIDING FOR REGULATION AND
5 ENFORCEMENT; and providing penalties.
6 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
7 hereby enacts as follows:
8 Section 1. Prohibited means of euthanasia.
9 No animal shall be euthanized by means of a high altitude
10 decompression chamber or decompression device.
11 Section 2. Methods of euthanasia.
12 (a) Required method.--The required method of euthanasia
13 shall be by the administration of an overdose of a barbiturate,
14 barbiturate combinations, drug or drug combinations approved for
15 this purpose by the Federal Drug Administration and in
16 accordance with guidelines established by the Pennsylvania
17 Department of Agriculture.
1 (b) Authorized method.--Nothing in this act shall prevent a <--
2 person or Humane Society organization from euthanizing a pet
3 animal by means of firearms. CHLOROFORM, ETHER, HALOTHANE OR <--
4 FLUOTHANE MAY BE USED TO PERFORM EUTHANASIA ON ANIMALS UNDER
5 SEVEN WEEKS OF AGE WHEN ADMINISTERED IN AN AIRTIGHT CHAMBER OR
6 TRANSPARENT PLASTIC BAG PROVIDING FOR SEGREGATION OF ANIMALS BY
7 SIZE AND AGE WHICH IS CAPABLE OF PERMITTING UNOBSTRUCTED VISUAL
8 OBSERVATION AND WHICH DOES NOT PERMIT DIRECT CONTACT WITH ANY
9 DEVICE CONTAINING CHLOROFORM.
10 Section 3. Administration of drugs.
11 The barbiturates, barbiturate combinations or other Federal
12 Drug Administration approved drugs or drug combinations shall be
13 administered by intravenous, intraperitoneal or intracardiac
14 injections or orally by a licensed veterinarian or by a person <--
15 trained in the proper restraint, handling determination of death
16 and injection by the methods approved in this section by a
17 licensed veterinarian. The training shall be at least four hours
18 in duration and the person shall be certified as competent, in
19 writing, by that veterinarian AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 5. <--
20 Section 4. Exclusions.
21 Sections 2 and 3 of this act shall not apply to a medical
22 school or school of veterinary medicine or a research
23 institution affiliated with a hospital or university.
24 Section 5. Use of carbon monoxide euthanasia systems. <--
25 (1) Carbon monoxide gas may be used to perform <--
26 euthanasia on animals seven weeks of age or older.
27 (2) Chloroform, ether, halothane or fluothane may be
28 used to perform euthanasia on animals under seven weeks of
29 age when administered in an airtight chamber or transparent
30 plastic bag providing for segregation of animals by size and
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1 age which is capable of permitting unobstructed visual
2 observation and which does not permit direct contact with any
3 device containing chloroform.
4 (3) Carbon monoxide gas systems shall consist of and be
5 equipped with:
6 (i) A tightly enclosed cabinet for the purpose of
7 containing the animals during the euthanasia process.
8 (ii) Internal lighting and a window for direct
9 visual observation in the cabinet at all times.
10 (iii) A gas generation capable of achieving a
11 concentration of carbon monoxide gas of at least 5%
12 throughout the cabinet.
13 (iv) A gauge or gas concentration indicator or
14 recording device.
15 (v) A means of separating animals from each other
16 within the cabinet, if the cabinet is of sufficient size
17 to facilitate more than one animal.
18 (vi) A means of fully removing the carbon monoxide
19 gas from the cabinet upon completion of the euthanasia
20 process.
21 (vii) If an internal combustion engine is used, a
22 means of cooling the gas to a temperature not to exceed
23 115 degrees Fahrenheit at the point of entry into the
24 cabinet and not to exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit at any
25 point in the cabinet as determined by temperature gauges
26 permanently installed at point of entry and inside the
27 cabinet.
28 (viii) If the gas is generated by an internal
29 combustion engine, a means of removing or filtering out
30 all noxious fumes, irritating acids and carbon particles
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1 from the gas before it enters the cabinet.
2 (ix) If an internal combustion engine is used, a
3 means of substantially deadening the sound and vibration
4 transmission from the engine to the cabinet, by placing
5 them in separate rooms or soundproof compartments
6 connecting them with flexible tubing or pipe at least 24
7 inches in length, so that the noise level within the
8 cabinet shall not exceed 70 decibels.
9 (x) If an internal combustion engine is used, a
10 means for exhausting the internal combustion engine gas
11 during the period of engine warmup.
12 (4) Upon completion of the euthanasia process, animals
13 shall not be removed from the cabinet until the carbon
14 monoxide gas has been fully removed from the cabinet.
15 SECTION 5. HUMANE SOCIETIES' AND ANIMAL SHELTERS' USE OF DRUGS. <--
16 (A) LIMITED LICENSE.--ON AND AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF
17 THIS ACT, A HUMANE SOCIETY ORGANIZATION OR AN ANIMAL CONTROL
18 ORGANIZATION MAY APPLY TO THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE BOARD OF
19 PHARMACY FOR REGISTRATION PURSUANT TO THE APPLICABLE LAW FOR THE
20 SOLE PURPOSE OF BEING AUTHORIZED TO PURCHASE, POSSESS AND
21 ADMINISTER SODIUM PENTOBARBITAL TO EUTHANIZE INJURED, SICK,
22 HOMELESS OR UNWANTED DOMESTIC PET ANIMALS. A LIMITED LICENSE MAY
23 BE ISSUED BY THE BOARD TO ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS. ANY AGENCY SO
24 REGISTERED SHALL NOT PERMIT A PERSON TO ADMINISTER SODIUM
25 PENTOBARBITAL UNLESS SUCH PERSON HAS DEMONSTRATED ADEQUATE
26 KNOWLEDGE OF THE POTENTIAL HAZARDS AND PROPER TECHNIQUES TO BE
27 USED IN ADMINISTERING THIS DRUG.
28 (B) REGULATION AND ENFORCEMENT.--THE PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT
29 OF AGRICULTURE SHALL REGULATE AND ENFORCE THE PROVISIONS OF THIS
30 SECTION.
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1 Section 6. Existing devices.
2 Any humane society organization or any other similar
3 organization which, on the effective date of this act, has in
4 its possession a chamber or device, the use of which is
5 prohibited by this act, shall, within 30 days of the effective
6 date of this act, dismantle and render inoperative the chamber
7 or device.
8 Section 7. Penalty.
9 Any person or organization found guilty of violating the
10 provisions of this act shall be fined not to exceed $250 per
11 violation day.
12 Section 8. Effective date.
13 This act shall take effect in six months.
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