In 2004, a group of animal shelters met to try to standardize categorization of animals. Their work product is called the Asilomar Accords. The goal was to establish uniform definitions of “Healthy”, “Treatable” and “Unhealthy & Untreatable.”
However, they stopped short of concrete definitions. Instead, they wanted each community to determine what the definition was for their own geographic region.
Community Standards
Asilomar Accords deferred to each community to create its own “Pet Evaluation Matrix”, which has enabled some traditional shelters to justify their euthanasia by setting broad standards on what is Unhealthy & Untreatable.
Maddie’s Fund recommends a Model Pet Evaluation Matrix developed at the Iowa State University.
To see the difference, take a look at the Pet Evaluation Matrices from Iowa State University and a Chicago traditional kill shelter, stipulating what they considered “Unhealthy & Untreatable.”
Unhealthy & Untreatable Conditions in the Iowa Model Pet Evaluation Matrix
- Autoimmune disease (severe)
- Cardiomyopathy (severe)
- Chronic renal failure (severe)
- Clinical FIP
- Congestive heart failure (severe)
- FeLV or FIV infection (moderate to severe clinical signs)
- Neoplasia (severe)
- Osteoarthritis (debilitating)
- Spinal cord injury
- Dominance aggression (severe)
- Elimination disorder (severe)
- Fear/Pain aggression (severe)
- Inter dog or cat aggression (severe)
- Territorial/Protective/Resource Guardian aggression (severe)
Unhealthy & Untreatable Conditions in a Kill Shelter in Chicago
Anti-Cruelty Society website’s definitions - www.anticruelty.org/ops
| Addison’s disease | Cancer | FIV | Newborn – failure to thrive | Rabies |
| Aggression | Cardiomyopathy | Foreign body in GIT | Organ failure | Ringworm |
| Allergies – severe | Compulsive behaviors | Heartworm – severe | Pancreatitis - severe | Sarcoptic mange |
| Amputee – 2 or more | Conflict related aggression | High prey drive | Panleukopenia | Seizures |
| Arthritis - severe | Cushing’s disease | History of biting | Paralysis - severe | Special diet/irritable bowel |
| Auto-immune disease – severe | Dehydrated with organ failure | Housetraining issues | Parvo | Thyroid |
| Blind dog | Diabetes | Incontinence | Pelvis, crushed | Tick fever |
| Blind and deaf | Distemper | Internal bleeding | Pica, recurring | Underage – unweaned, orphan |
| Bloat | Dysplasia – severe | Intestinal blockage/intussysception | Pneumothorax | Unsocialized |
| Broken jaw – severe | Escaping | Luxating patella – severe | Poisoning | URI – chronic |
| Broken limb – severe | FeLV | Massive head trauma | Prolapse – rectum or uterus | Urine marking |
| Burns, 3rd degree | Feral | Mast cell tumors | Pyometra | |
| FIP | Murmur – severe |