More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Health Canada is warning that there will be a global shortage in euthanasia drugs for animals due to an explosion at a manufacturing plant overseas, but according to the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA), pet owners in Canada shouldn’t worry.
On Tuesday, Health Canada posted an alert for veterinarians, stating that they became aware earlier in 2021 that an incident at a manufacturing site would cause a global shortage of pentobarbital sodium, which is the “active ingredient used in most euthanasia products for animals,” the alert explained.
“A shortage is expected to impact the existing Canadian supply in mid-to late 2021 and continue until mid-2022,” the agency stated.
“Health Canada is working in collaboration with CAHI (Canadian Animal Health Institute), the CVMA, drug manufacturers, importers and distributors to mitigate the impact on the veterinary health system and Canadians requiring end-of-life care for their animals/pets.”
The CVMA told CTVNews.ca in an email that they had been aware of the shortage before Health Canada’s public announcement.
“Drugs shortages do occur from time to time so in that sense it was not a surprise, however given the importance of this particular drug to the welfare of animals in Canada it immediately became a matter of great concern,” the CVMA stated.
The exact products that are affected include Euthanyl, Euthanyl Forte and Dorminal, all of which are used with “dogs, cats, horses, cattle, laboratory animals and birds,” according to Health Canada. Euthanyl and Euthanyl Forte are also used with mink.
The shortage is concerning because being able to offer euthanasia is an important part of veterinary services.
“Euthanasia is an extremely important aspect of veterinary practice that allows pet parents and their veterinarian to ensure that a beloved animal has a gentle and painless end to its life,” the CVMA said. “It is (a) special privilege for veterinarians to oversee and manage the euthanasia of an animal and a responsibility that veterinarians take very seriously.”
CAHI also posted an alert about the situation in late May. They stated that the manufacturing site needed to recover from the explosion, which occurred in December 2020.
"As this manufacturing site works to restore operations, the shortage of the active ingredient is beginning to have an impact on the global supply of euthanasia products,” the release said.
Health Canada and CAHI did not provide any further details regarding the explosion. CAHI is a trade association whose members are responsible for the majority of the animal health products sold in Canada.
It asked for Canadian veterinarians to administer only the recommended amount of pentobarbital sodium, and to order only the amount of euthanasia drugs that they would need at their practice, avoiding stockpiling that could exacerbate shortage for other veterinarians.
It was advice that Health Canada and CVMA echoed.
The CVMA said that were “recommending that veterinarians conserve supplies to the extent possible and share supplies with their colleagues, in accordance with regulations, if the need arises.”
It added that it was working on guidelines for alternative methods of euthanasia that do not use pentobarbital sodium, in case alternatives are needed.
“The CVMA, through an expert advisory committee that includes veterinary pharmacists, anaesthesiologists, palliative care experts and species specialists is developing resources and guidance on products, methods and protocols that can be used as alternatives to pentobarbital sodium products for euthanasia that will be shared broadly across Canada’s veterinary health system,” they stated on their website.
The CVMA told CTVNews.ca that pet owners “shouldn’t worry” that there might not be a dignified end for their pet available.
“Existing supplies of pentobarbital are being managed prudently, alternate supplies are being sought, and veterinarians can employ alternative methods of euthanasia that are as humane and effective as pentobarbital sodium.”
Health Canada added in its statement that it is “currently assessing whether foreign authorized alternative euthanasia products could potentially be imported on a temporary basis to mitigate this shortage.”
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.
As if a 4-0 Edmonton Oilers lead in Game 1 of their playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings wasn't good enough, what was announced at Rogers Place during the next TV timeout nearly blew the roof off the downtown arena.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”