Armed Forces: Dogs
(asked on 16th June 2015) - View Source
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of his Department's military dogs were euthanised in each month in 2014-15; and what the reasons were in each case.
Decisions to euthanise any animal in military service are only taken by a veterinarian officer after all possible treatment avenues have been exhausted and where it is considered to be the most humane option for the animal. The only other scenario where an animal would be euthanised is where it is considered to pose a risk to public safety.
The numbers of dogs euthanised by the Ministry of Defence in each month during financial year 2014-15 is provided below. The figures shown have been updated to reflect additional records received from worldwide locations which were not available when my predecessor answered the hon. Member’s Question (214615) on 24 November 2014.
Military Working Dog Euthanasia Statistics by Month: April 2014 – March 2015
Reason | April 2014 | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | January 2015 | February | March |
Abdominal Catastrophe | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
Aged - Welfare | 2 | 1 | 9 | 1 | ||||||||
Chronic Stifle Disease & Osteoarthritis | 1 | |||||||||||
Dangerous Temperament | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
Chronic Medical Pathology | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
Failing to Maintain Standards (Welfare)[1] | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||
Hind limb Paresis welfare grounds | 1 | |||||||||||
Hip Dysplasia | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
Joint Injury | 1 | |||||||||||
Multiple Chronic Disease Process | 1 | |||||||||||
Neoplasia | 1 | |||||||||||
Neurological Disease | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
Osteosarcoma | 1 | |||||||||||
Osteoarthritis | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |||||
Spinal Osteoarthritis and Neurological Deficits | 1 | |||||||||||
Total: | 6 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Note 1. Where the animal is not suitable for re-homing based on behaviour and temperament, with potential consequences for its welfare