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Euthanasia
By Debbie “The Rat Lady” Ducommun
The lucky rats who live out their full life spans and then die in their
sleep from old age probably do so from kidney or heart failure, or from a
massive stroke. But what about rats who seem to be
suffering as their lives come to an end? Fortunately, we have the option of
euthanasia to help our rats achieve a peaceful death.
When is the right time to end a rat’s suffering with euthanasia? This is
always a difficult and very personal decision. In my opinion, the time to help
your rat die is when there is no hope of improvement through the use of
medications or surgery, and he is no longer enjoying life..
If his illness takes all his energy and concentration; if he shows no interest
in food or physically can’t eat, even with help; if he seems to be
constantly in pain, distress, or misery; or if he has episodes of respiratory
distress that cannot be controlled with medication, this is the time to say
goodbye and let your rat go on to a better place. Although it hurts, you know it’s
the kindest thing to do as a last gift to a friend who has given you so much.
It is always most comforting for your rat if you hold or pet him as he gently
falls unconscious. Most vet hospitals and animal shelters can euthanize animals, but you should first discuss the method
they use for rats. If they won’t let you be present during the procedure,
go somewhere else. When euthanasia is done correctly, there is no reason why
you should not be present to comfort your rat.
Under no circumstances allow
anyone to administer an intracardiac (IC; in the
heart) injection to a conscious rat, even if the rat is sedated. Unfortunately,
this euthanasia method is commonly used, but it is not humane. In fact,
the “Report of the American Veterinary Medical Association Panel on
Euthanasia,” published in the March 1, 2000 issue of the Journal of
the AVMA and on that organization’s website at www.avma.org, states
that this method is inhumane. It is also illegal in
Here is the euthanasia method I like to
use as long as the rat is not in
respiratory distress. First, give
the rat diazepam orally or by SQ injection, either with a 1 cc tuberculin
syringe with a 27-29 gauge needle or an insulin syringe. When a SQ injection is
administered in the flank area , the rat rarely seems to feel it. Once the rat
is sedated, an intraperitoneal injection (IP; in the
abdomen) of the correct dose of sodium pentobarbital is administered, also with
a 27-29 gauge needle or insulin syringe. This injection should be given in the
lower right side of the abdomen in order to avoid causing pain by hitting the
liver or any other organs.
If the IP injection is administered
correctly, it will cause almost no discomfort. In fact, a rat will rarely even
flinch if a small enough needle is used and the skin at the injection site is
scratched with a fingernail first to distract the nerve endings. I also have
given the IP injection of sodium pentobarbital without any sedation without it
causing any obvious pain.
The euthanasia solution will be slowly
absorbed into the rat's system and loss of consciousness usually will occur
within 5-10 minutes, although it can take 15 minutes or longer for the heart to
stop beating. This gives you the opportunity to hold, cuddle and talk to your
rat as he gently slips away.
Many people prefer to euthanize
their rats with a gas anesthetic; however some rats do not like breathing in
the gas anesthetic. Also, you may not be able to hold and comfort your rat
during the process. To euthanize in this way, the rat must either be placed in a
small closed chamber, or a gas mask must be forced over his face. Do you want that to be the last thing he
experiences? However, giving your
rat his favorite treat might distract him enough so he doesn’t mind the
gas in the chamber.
Consider asking the veterinarian to
anesthetize your rat with the gas, inject the euthanasia solution in the
abdomen while the rat is anesthetized, and then let the rat wake from the gas
so the last thing your rat experiences is your cuddling him.
If, however, a rat is experiencing
respiratory distress, then euthanasia with gas anesthetic is the only
recommended method because an abdominal injection is slower and can cause
increased respiratory distress.
Home Euthanasia
Warning: Some people have reported that their
rats have reacted very badly to this method of euthanasia, while others have
reported that the method worked well.
Since posting this information, I have learned of research which shows
that some rats appear to suffer a feeling of breathlessness with relatively low
levels of CO2, while others seem to have no such feeling. Since you cannot anticipate which rats
will suffer, I now recommend only using this method if there is no other method
of euthanasia available. Perhaps it
would help if you are able to give the rat a sedative before hand. If your rat does seem to experience
respiratory distress during this method, you need to either
remove the rat from the aquarium and end the euthanasia attempt, or try
to add more CO2 as quickly as possible to shorten
the time to unconsciousness.
The only humane ways to euthanize a rat at home without veterinary help are with carbon
dioxide (CO2) or nitrous oxide. Euthanasia with CO2 is approved
by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).
Concentrated CO2 is a
central nervous system depressant and actually causes anesthesia. You know how
you yawn when you’re sleepy? This
is the body’s way of getting rid of excess carbon dioxide in your system
which is making you sleepy. CO2 does not cause suffocation. The rat will be able to
breathe normally, will become anesthetized and will then die.
The key to using CO2 humanely is
its concentration. The normal concentration of CO2 in the air
is only 0.038%. According to the 2000 Report of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia,
breathing concentrations of 7.5% increases the pain threshold, and
concentrations of 30-40% cause anesthesia (unconsciousness) within 1-2 minutes.
However, concentrations of 50% or higher irritate the eyes and respiratory
tract and cause pain. Your goal is to create a concentration of 30-40% CO2 and hold it
there until the rat is unconscious.
Until now I have been using a cylinder of
compressed CO2; however, with this method, the concentration of CO2 can easily
get too high. (Using dry ice is not recommended because the CO2 amounts
cannot be controlled and it also can cause severe burns.) Recently I learned of a website written
by Eric Lee of Maralee Rattery
in
The vinegar and baking soda method is
quite simple and even better than using compressed CO2 because the
concentration of the CO2 can be more precisely controlled. I have modified
Eric’s method so it is suitable for rats. I recommend that you practice
the entire procedure at least once before you need to use it on a rat. I have euthanized 6 rats with this
method so far.
WARNING: These instructions require a 10-gallon
aquarium to create the proper concentration of CO2. If you must use a container of a
different size, you must adjust the amounts of vinegar and baking soda
proportionately.
If you
have a rat who weighs more than 1 ½ lbs, you should use an additional
cup of vinegar and 1 ½ additional tablespoons of baking soda at the end.
You will need a 10-gallon aquarium in
order to follow these instructions and to create the right concentration of CO2. You also
will need:
An airtight plastic garbage bag at least
12" X 16"
4 feet of ½ " vinyl tubing
A strong rubber band
1 two-cup measuring cup and 2 one-cup
measuring cups
4 cups of white vinegar
5 tablespoons of baking soda (be sure to
use fresh baking soda, not old stuff!)
A cover for the aquarium or a heavy bath-sized towel
Set the aquarium on a chair next to a
table with another chair for you to sit on. For the right CO2
concentration, you need to slowly create about 3 gallons of CO2 until the
rat is unconscious, and a total of 5-6 gallons to cause death. Put 5
tablespoons of baking soda in the bottom of the plastic bag and set the bag on
the table next to the aquarium.
Put vinegar into each
measuring cup up to the top line and set the three measuring cups inside the
bag next to the baking soda, but don’t pour them out yet. Put the rubber band tightly around the
neck of the bag and then insert one end of the tube into the bag through the
rubber banded neck so the tube is tightly secured. Place the other end of the
hose inside the aquarium. The
aquarium doesn’t need a lid because CO2 is heavier than air and will
stay inside as long as there is no strong air movement. This means you can put
your hand down in the aquarium to pet and comfort your rat during the process
(but don’t move your hand around a lot or put it in and out a lot.)
Put a thick layer of cloth in the bottom of the aquarium and run the end of the
hose underneath the cloth to disperse the gas coming out of the tube. Place
your rat in the aquarium at the end opposite from the end of the tube, and give
him a treat if you want. Pet and talk to your rat.
While you pet your rat with one hand,
pour the 2-cup measuring cup of vinegar into the bottom of the plastic bag with
the other hand (or you can have someone else assist), making sure that the hose
stays above the liquid. When the fizzing in the bag begins to slow down (about
1-2 minutes), pour out one of the other cups of vinegar.
If your rat seems distressed,
pinch off the bag to prevent more gas coming out, and gently blow in the
aquarium to disperse some of the CO2. When
your rat relaxes, continue the process.
Usually within 1-2 minutes your rat will
become groggy, lay down, and go to sleep. Gently touch the inside corner of
your rat’s eyelids to test if he is unconscious. A conscious rat will
blink, but there will be no blink reflex when a rat is unconscious. An unconscious rat is not aware and
cannot feel anything. You may see muscles twitch or labored breathing but these
are just reflexes and your rat is not aware of them.
Once your rat is unconscious, pour out
the rest of the vinegar and mix it well with the baking soda solution in the
plastic bag. Gently compress the bag to force more CO2 into the
aquarium. Cover the aquarium so it won’t be disturbed and leave your rat
there for at least 20 minutes. You can confirm death by feeling the chest for a
heartbeat. The most reliable method to determine death, however, is to wait
until the body stiffens.
If you try this method of euthanasia,
please let me know about your experience.
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