A supposedly healthy and young dog, Loki was allegedly put down by its owners over concerns regarding their newborn recently.

The death was announced by staff member from Exclusively Mongrels Limited on May 6 who was later accused of doxxing by Loki's owners.

Loki's death has sparked an outcry over the current "lax regulation" on animal euthanasia from animal-loving netizens and animal welfare groups in Singapore.

Some of them also alleged a vet from Mount Pleasant Changi was involved in putting down Loki.

After remaining silent for a week, Mount Pleasant Veterinary Group wrote a Facebook post on May 13 to address the public outrage.

In response to the outcry over animal euthanasia, the Mount Pleasant Veterinary Group shared their take on the issue and a statement on euthanasia, which was issued by the Singapore Veterinary Association.

Nothing "convenient” or “easy” about euthanasia: Mount Pleasant

In a post on May 13, the veterinary group explained that euthanasia cases are handled by vets, who are animal lovers.

As mentioned in the post, it was highlighted that:

"There is nothing 'convenient' or 'easy' about euthanasia cases handled by veterinary professionals, who themselves are animal lovers."

According to Mount Pleasant Veterinary Group, vets are health care professionals, who are trained to save patients from harm.

They added that euthanasia is emotionally stressful for vets and is not taken lightly and that vets abide for the current Code of Ethics for Veterinarians.

At the same time, vets are bound by a code of client confidentiality, and "do not participate nor have influence in prior agreements made between a rehomer and an adopter, which is a private matter".

"We are here also for our clients"

The veterinary group also highlighted the dilemma that vets face as they have to balance between the needs of their patients and their clients.

According to the veterinary group, euthanasia is considered for a pet, over weeks or months.

In their statement, they added that this is a "tremendous emotional burden placed upon veterinarians over the course of their career":

"We are here not only for our animals. We are here also for our clients. When a family is considering euthanasia for a pet, vets go through all necessary deliberations and alternatives with the owners, often over several weeks or months.

The decision for euthanasia is ultimately the responsibility and right of the pet owner, taking into account issues such as the presence of animal suffering and public safety and the absence of animal cruelty or mistreatment. We must also recognise the emotional distress of the owners themselves in making such a decision."

Statement from Singapore Veterinary Association

In the same Facebook post, the veterinary group shared the statement from the Singapore Veterinary Association (SVA) with regard to the euthanasia of pets.

SVA highlighted that euthanasia of an animal patient is "a stressful event for many pet owners and veterinarians, and is not taken lightly".

It added that the decision is a complex one, which is made after carefully considering all possible treatment options for the  patient.

The statement added that The Code of Ethics is developed by SVA and the veterinary regulators, including Animal Veterinary Service and National Parks board.

It also added that SVA is "not in the position to comment on specific cases including those that are under investigation" and  urged the public to refrain from further comments while investigations into the case are ongoing.

You can read both statements here:

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Top images via EML/Facebook and Mount Pleasant website