This is the unfortunate reality of the animal healthcare business…we cannot provide medical care to sick animals without the financial commitment of an owner.

When an animal is brought in by a Good Samaritan it is checked for a microchip, and the appropriate Animal Control office is notified (based on where the animal was found). It is up to Animal Control to decide if the animal is to receive basic care – this usually consists of limited treatment to make the animal comfortable (pain medication, antibiotics) for animals that are microchipped or show some evidence of being owned (collar, flea collar, etc).

If an animal is debilitated or requires more intensive care, often times the animal is humanely euthanized because there are no funds available for extensive treatment. As much as this upsets all of us involved, this is the sad reality that we must deal with on a daily basis.

On the evening of August 11th, a stray cat was brought into our hospital by a Good Samaritan. The cat was injured and flea ridden. The Good Samaritan declined financial responsibility for the cat.

The cat was scanned for a microchip; he was examined by a veterinarian. Animal Control was notified; it was decided that the cat would have to be euthanized since the town did not have the funding to provide the required medical care.

The following evening, we received a phone call from the owner of the cat who had been contacted by the Good Samaritan who saw flyers that the owner had posted. We had the terrible task of informing the owner that the pet had, regrettably, been euthanized.

The CT Veterinary Management Team