The University of Tennessee Health Science Center - Department of Comparative Medicine

Euthanasia

The following guidelines are based on the 1993 Report of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia. Students or technicians with job responsibility requiring animal euthanasia should be well instructed about theory and technique of the methods used. Consideration should be given not only to the use of humane methods, but also to the use of methods which produce minimal emotional distress to personnel carrying out the procedure. Any methodology used at variance with these guidelines will require a written justification for review and approval by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).

A. Acceptable Methods

• Anesthetic overdose - Barbitura anesthetics or nonflammable gaseous anesthetics.
  
  
• Carbon dioxide - precharge container, use compressed CO2 (the Animal Resource Division provides approved chambers at several campus locations).
  
  
• Commercial euthanasia agents, e.g. FP3 or T61 administered I.V. Cervical dislocation - Poultry, mice, and rats less than 200 gm.
  
  

B. Acceptable Methods Under Anesthesia

• Exsanguination
  
  
• Decapitation preceded by loss of consciousness (anesthesia, CO2 narcosis) or immediate freezing of head in liquid nitrogen Air embolism
  
  
• Potassium chloride
  
  
• Methods listed in next section
  

C. Methods Requiring Specific Justification - May be approved for a specific protocol by the IACUC with justification and demonstration of appropriate equipment and/or skills. With the exception of the captive bolt that may be approved for general use on large animals (pigs, sheep, goats) only scientific justifications will be considered. Cost or convenience are not acceptable justifications. Every consideration should be given to using methods listed above.

• Rapid freezing in liqud nitrogen - restricted to animals less than 40gm; prior anesthesia preferred. Stunning followed immediately by an irreversibly fatal procedure such as decapitation, bilateral pneumothorax, or exsanguination.
  
  
• Decapitation without prior loss of consciousness
  
  
• Captive bolt pistol - penetrating type.
  
  
• Electrocution
  
  
• Microwave irradiation

D. Unacceptable Methods - Obviously the following list does not include all possible unacceptable methods.

• Flammable anesthetic agents (E.G. ether, cyclopropane)
  
  
• Chloroform - hazard to user is too great
  
  
• Cyanide
  
  
• Choral hydrate - cerebral depression to slow
  
  
• Choralose - cerebral depression to slow
  
  
• Neuromuscular blockers
  
  
• Decompression - prohibited by state law
  
  
• Drowning
  
  

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