Euthanasia Methods

ChunkyPiggies

Post   » Fri Feb 16, 2007 11:11 am


Actually, for surgical procedures, all animals are usually given a sedative (usually propofol or telazol, IV) first. Whn given IV, the animal goes down immediantly and they are intubated and connected to the iso before losing full conscienceness.

Iso smells awful and even cats and dogs struggle if you mask them with it fully awake.

The animal is scared as it is... and suddenly someone is holding their head against some smelly weirdness.

I have mixed feelings about the cathether. In all honestly, it is placed there for the sake of the vet and owner more so than for the animal. its so that once the owner is ready, all the vet has to do is to push the euthasol soln thru rather than struggle with a vein. Some vets can't find a vein if their life depended on it. I personally think a cathether placement is more stress than is needed. I believe in as little interaction if the animal as possible.

An IM injection does pinch, but when compared to nothing or gassing, I think it's worth is because 1) the pet never has to leave sight of the owner (and vice versa) and 2) the pain is over in a second. A sedative given SQ will take a bit too long to come into effect.

ChunkyPiggies

Post   » Fri Feb 16, 2007 11:13 am


because she said that it is a very painful injection to get. She said that it burns when being injected.

Well if you think about it... its a beating heart with a needle in it. Its really the only way to put all that solution into the pig's blood stream.
Last edited by ChunkyPiggies on Fri Feb 16, 2007 11:13 am, edited 1 time in total.

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mkkayla
Supporter in '14

Post   » Fri Feb 16, 2007 11:13 am


Exactly Lynx, I am sure they struggle with Iso for procedures as well, I guess it feels different though whe we are doing it for euthanization since when we are doing procedures on them we are doing it to make them better. They will, God willing, wake up and continue an enjoyable life.

klynne

Post   » Fri Feb 16, 2007 12:07 pm


I've had my bunnies I've had to euthanize done with IM sedation first. I would not do it any other way, now that I've seen the peacefulness of it.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Feb 16, 2007 12:13 pm


Lynx?

Anyway, I think I have had three guinea pigs heart sticked. I think the second time the vet missed it and had to do it again. I regretted causing any additional pain. The last time I had taken along an xray of a guinea pig at my large animal friend's request. She counted down the ribs to find the best place. It was very very quick.

This is such a hard subject to talk about because it is mixed with the pain of loss. None of us want to cause our pets any additional pain or fear at the end of their lives.

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Cindy in MI
Supporter in '05

Post   » Fri Feb 16, 2007 12:39 pm


If we know we are facing a euthanization, why can't we get an oral sedative to give the animal to make them really loopy even before we leave the house to take them in? Get them good and loopy first so they are minimaly stressed and hardly feel the IM or SQ sedation stick, then once under that, proceed? In the case of the one cat I had to have pts, it was going to be traumatic to just take him out of the house and ride in a car. I did give some oral acepromazine beforehand but he wasn't as loopy as I would have liked to have seen.

Why not do this and what med would work best?

With a hamster I had to have pts, once we got to the vet's, I requested oral sedation first. The poor little hammie was so sick that just that almost pushed her over the edge. She was agonal breathing just with the oral sedation. Then they gave her the euth solution. For her, it was probably about as least traumatic as possible.

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PiggieMamma
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Fri Feb 16, 2007 12:42 pm


This thread has been so helpful. If Roo doesn't improve - and if we've exhausted all avenues, my husband and I had agreed that we'd euthanize.

I'm certain that my dog/cat vet would come to our home to do it - but I'm also sure she's never put down a guinea pig - so this information will be helpful for the both of us.

Joannt
Wheekness for Pigs

Post   » Fri Feb 16, 2007 12:43 pm


I had to euthanize a hamster awhile back. The use of the isoflurane was pretty easy for the ham but she had already been anesthetized for surgery that discovered widespread abdominal cancer and she was on quite a bit of pain medication. Once my daugther made the decision to euthanize (it was her pet), the vet gave a bit more isoflurate and did the cardiac stick. In this case, it was very peaceful.

I understand where people are coming from and wanting to spare their pet any pain. It is also a draining experience to have to make that decision to help your pet pass. There have been some suggestions about carrying out euthanasia of a pet on one's own. I mentioned in some other thread that I have a friend who is an anesthesiologist and he is often approached about doing euthanasia for pets. You really have to know what you are doing in order to prevent putting your pet through a lot of additional suffering. He flatly refuses to help people with this because animals are so different from humans and their responses to drugs and procedures can be vastly different from their human counterparts. I cannot imagine how hard it would be to personally botch an attempt to euthanize your pet and put them through undue suffering.

If you are ever in a position where your pet is to be euthanized, I think it makes sense to share your concerns with the vet. Make it clear that you don't want your pet to experience any fright and perhaps together, you can come up with a solution that gives both you and your pet some peace.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Feb 16, 2007 1:19 pm


I think I said I brought an xray. I didn't have any of my own so I printed an xray from the site. Here are some on the site that show the heart:

https://www.guinealynx.info/photos/getshelly-1.jpg
https://www.guinealynx.info/photos/Laurie-5.jpg
https://www.guinealynx.info/photos/Laurie-6.jpg

It helps to know exactly where it is if you are unfamiliar with guinea pig anatomy.

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PiggieMamma
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Fri Feb 16, 2007 1:22 pm


Lynx - How do you get copies of the x-rays? I thought I'd take a picture of Roo's with my digital camera (once they were held up to the light to view them).

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Feb 16, 2007 2:04 pm


I am not sure what the best method is. For this purpose I do think a side view works best though. Since it's a digital camera, you can do some experimenting and report back.

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Kermie831

Post   » Fri Feb 16, 2007 4:21 pm


Ask your vet if they can make copies... mine does.

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