Is dog euthanasia medicated?

The drug used to euthanise a dog is usually potassium chloride, and the dog needs to be anaesthetised before any other drugs are administered. Euthanasia techniques are hardly ever completely pain and suffering free, but by improving the environmental conditions in which it is carried out and by becoming skilled in the technique it is possible to reduce the suffering of the animal. It is clear from the definition that euthanasia techniques involve two aspects: one is the reduction of pain and the other is the alleviation of suffering. Pain reduction requires the establishment of pain-free death techniques, and pain relief requires minimising animal perception (loss of consciousness).