Veterinary Ethics in Practice: Euthanasia Decision-Making for Companion and Street Dogs in Istanbul

This article examines how veterinarians in Istanbul experience and navigates the ethical, emotional, and institutional complexities of performing euthanasia on dogs, with partic-ular attention to differences between companion and street dogs. Drawing on 29 in-depth interviews with private practice veterinarians in Istanbul, the study employs qualitative analysis using NVivo 12 Plus software and reflexive thematic analysis to identify key pat-terns in moral reasoning, emotional labor, and clinical decision-making. Findings indi-cate that euthanasia of companion dogs is often framed through shared decision-making with guardians, emotional preparation, and post-procedural grief rituals. While still emo-tionally taxing, these cases are supported by relational presence and mutual acknowl-edgment. In contrast, euthanasia of street dogs frequently occurs in the absence of legal ownership, institutional accountability, or consistent caregiving, leaving veterinarians to bear the full moral and emotional weight of the decision. Participants described these cases as ethically distinct, marked by relational solitude, clinical ambiguity, and height-ened moral distress. The article identifies six key themes—including emotional burden, ethical strain, and resistance to routinized killing—that reveal how euthanasia becomes a site of both care and conflict when structural support is lacking. By foregrounding the role of institutional absence and relational asymmetry in shaping end-of-life decisions, this study contributes to empirical veterinary ethics and calls for more contextually attuned ethical frameworks, particularly in urban settings with large populations of street dogs and culturally entrenched practices of collective guardianship and caregiving.