A question about euthanasia. PS all my babies are fine.

[Maia]

This thread, while very educational, made me feel like I got punched in the stomach. I think I'm just a big softie.

 

[Ash]

My vet uses an injected sedative then the heart stick.

 

[starleomach]

I have seen CO2 done with rats in a lab..I found it very disturbing. I have also seen guillotine in lab situations I understand necessity for studies but again the lab respected my love of animals and I was rarely around for either.

I have seen cervical dislocation and when done correctly I feel it is humane and is something I would like someone in my house to know how to do in an emergency situation. I would not be able to do it but I am not against it I can't squash a bug..But I do think if it was a necessity I could do it.

I have also seen a few heart sticks. My vet allows me to be there when it is done. They gas them first then do the stick. I think it is more disturbing for the owner than the animal it is done respectfully and the animal is pretty well gone by then. it is quick and they are gone in seconds.

To me quick is important. and all but the CO2 is quick. I personally thing the CO2 is cruel and will not go into details here but I have seen it once and it still breaks my heart years later

 

[GorillaJTA]

I personally thing the CO2 is cruel and will not go into details here but I have seen it once and it still breaks my heart years later

CO2 done incorrectly can very very long and painful (if the chamber is not sealed, or if the gas level is not regulated.) The animal will seek out higher oxygen areas and it gets ugly. But done correctly by displacing the oxygen, they just fall asleep.

CD is not supposed to be done on rats above 200g (which is very small), so I could not imagine it would be proper as a primary means of death for a chin that is 600-1000g.

But that is just from my experience.

 

[threewingedfury]

CD is not supposed to be done on rats above 200g (which is very small), so I could not imagine it would be proper as a primary means of death for a chin that is 600-1000g.

If you read the link that was given above, it states "Manual cervical dislocation is a humane technique for euthanasia of poultry, other small birds, mice and rats weighing < 200g, and rabbits weighing < 1kg when performed by individuals with a demonstrated high degree of technical proficiency."

Gonna group chins with rabbits here. Well, most of the chins do weigh less than 1kg - though I have quite a few over 1kg here in the herd. Most of the time when you're putting animals down, the chins have lost so much weight and are so frail, that it's probably more likely that the chin will be a lot smaller than 1kg.

 

[mrweaw]

I raised rabbits when I was a kid and had 2 different groups. I had my show rabbits and I had my meat rabbits. Part of raising the meat rabbits was killing and dressing them. I was young and not very strong so my Dad bought me a good quality pellet pistol. I used that to kill the rabbits by shooting them in the back of the head. It was immediate and relatively clean all things considered.

I have access to almost instant euthanasia at this point in my life but If I had to, I would still shoot an animal to put it out of its misery. We carry guns on long trail rides for that exact reason. If a horse goes down in the middle of nowhere, we need to be able to do what is best for it. I wouldn't recommend this as an everyday method, but it will work in a pinch if you have no other options. If you think you may ever have to do this though, do your research and know where you are aiming.

 

[3CsMommy]

I once used CO2 at home for a seizing mouse and it was very peaceful compared to what he was going through when I found him. (The only vet that could see him was an hour away, and at 7PM on a Saturday, the duty tech told me to put him in the freezer.) The trick seems to be keeping the chamber tall and narrow. Most of the instructions I've read suggest a small fish tank, but for poor Hrothgar, I opted for an applesauce jar. He had tissues and room to curl up and get comfy, but the heavier gas reached him sooner.

I've also had to euth a couple of fish, and for that 1/2 Dram (2.5 mL) of pure Clove Oil per inch of fish is added to 1 cup of tank water. It's a 50x overdose of the AVMA approved fish anesthetic used in surgical situations and acts in about 60 seconds. Once 'asleep', a secondary method is suggested, but not strictly necessary. (I couldn't *find* his spine for C.D. and I won't even mention their other suggested 'humane' method.)

 

[minrex]

If you read the link that was given above, it states "Manual cervical dislocation is a humane technique for euthanasia of poultry, other small birds, mice and rats weighing < 200g, and rabbits weighing < 1kg when performed by individuals with a demonstrated high degree of technical proficiency."

Gonna group chins with rabbits here. Well, most of the chins do weigh less than 1kg - though I have quite a few over 1kg here in the herd. Most of the time when you're putting animals down, the chins have lost so much weight and are so frail, that it's probably more likely that the chin will be a lot smaller than 1kg.

The thing is, most rabbits that weigh less than 1 kg (2.2 lbs.) are quite young (with the exception of Dwarf breeds), similar to a rat that weighs less than 200 grams. CD seems to be more acceptable as a method of euthanasia for young animals which don't have the strength in their musculature and skeletal systems that older animals have. I don't know that I'd attempt CD on an adult chinchilla, even if it was under 1 kg.

 

[threewingedfury]

The thing is, most rabbits that weigh less than 1 kg (2.2 lbs.) are quite young (with the exception of Dwarf breeds), similar to a rat that weighs less than 200 grams. CD seems to be more acceptable as a method of euthanasia for young animals which don't have the strength in their musculature and skeletal systems that older animals have. I don't know that I'd attempt CD on an adult chinchilla, even if it was under 1 kg.

Ranchers have been using cervical dislocation on adult chins for many years. Though this may not seem humane to many on this board, it has proven to be an effective means of putting an animal down with a quick loss of consciousness.

 

[Brittany_Lynn]

I believe what happened to Ivan qualifies as a(n accidental) cervical dislocation. I suppose this board would be a good place to ask this:: After I stepped on him he twitched violently/sort of seized...but he was totally limp when I picked him up, even though he was moving. It lasted for maybe 15 seconds at the most. Do you think he felt anything? Or was he totally gone by then?

 

[AZChins]

Oh man, Brittany...I am so sorry. I am sure he didn't feel it very long at all - that type of injury probably took away all the pain pretty fast. That's so sad and I am very sorry that you had to see that.

 

[Brittany_Lynn]

Oh man, Brittany...I am so sorry. I am sure he didn't feel it very long at all - that type of injury probably took away all the pain pretty fast. That's so sad and I am very sorry that you had to see that.

Thank you Susan. He has a memorial page in the chin chat area if you want to check it out. I miss him terribly
But it's good to know for sure that he didn't feel anything

 

[tunes]

I have to disagree with that Susan. I can't believe that the chin felt nothing when it was stepped on by a full sized adult. Was it done on purpose? No, I'm sure it wasn't, and I understand your wanting to make Brittney feel better about it, but stating that the chin felt absolutely no pain just doesn't ring true for me, especially given the fact that he seized violently before he died.

As far as this thread in general, I've had several people comment on the appropriateness of things discussed within it. I think what was said thus far is okay, even though some of it is upsetting to some of our members, but I also think it's been discussed enough. Children read this as well as pet owners who may feel overwhelmed with the information given here, so I think everything has pretty much been covered that needs to be and I'm going to go ahead and shut it down.

I appreciate everyone who gave information here, and I am going to stick the thread for those who want to know about euthanasia. I just think it doesn't need to continually come up under new posts.