This will be a difficult battle to win. The Nanaimo bylaw manger thinks that gassing is acceptable. Neither the US or the Canadian veterinary associations have come right out and said that gassing animals is unacceptable.

It's difficult to believe that euthanyl is more traumatic than gas.

Nanaimo Daily News

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Nanaimo city council is looking at options to kill cats after some animal lovers expressed outraged over the use of carbon dioxide "gas boxes" at the city pound.

An online petition attracting about 1,300 signatures was launched demanding Coastal Animal Services in Duncan stop using carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide gas for euthanasia. Opponents say that it's a slow and painful way for an animal to die. The Nanaimo Animal Shelter, contracted by the city to provide animal control services, also uses this method.

Bylaws manager Randy Churchill points out that the use of carbon dioxide to euthanize the cats, which are often feral, is approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.

Staff at the Nanaimo Animal Shelter say that gas can be more humane than lethal injection, when operated properly. The shelter switched from gassing cats to having veterinarians inject them with chemicals years ago. But the shelter switched back because the process was too traumatic for the animals.

http://www2.canada.com/nanaimodailynews/news/story.html?id=b1eadd97-4be0-45fb-8445-ca255085d9c9