Methods of euthanesia?

Niele da Kine

Loving the herd life
Joined
Sep 5, 2020
Messages
259
Reaction score
432
Points
113
Location
Moku Nui Hawaii
Several days ago a friend called me asking if I had any medications for putting a bunny to sleep. She had an eleven year old doe who showed up with wry neck and she wanted to humanely put it to sleep. Is there any readily available medication for that? Panacur (Fenbendazole) would possibly be for the wry neck? Although, as an eleven year old rabbit, it's beyond geriatric and putting it to sleep is probably the best answer.

If one does have a bunny that should be put down, what's possible methods are there for the pet bunny people? When it is a pet bunny, breaking the neck or bopping it on the head is just too hard when it's a pet. I have a friend who eats rabbits, but she was hoping to just let the rabbit go quietly to sleep and anyway I'm not sure if anyone should eat a rabbit with wry neck or an eleven year old rabbit, either.

Someone suggested a bucket with dry ice although that's smothering the rabbit which can't be all that peaceful and the place to get dry ice is 45 miles away. Same with drowning, although we wouldn't have to go 45 miles away to find a bucket of water.

She tried three different vets and two different shelters. None of them would talk to her without an appointment unless she wanted to pay the vets an 'emergency' fee of around three hundred dollars plus another $150 to put the rabbit down. One of the shelters was closed because of the virus and the other wasn't taking in rabbits.
 

secuono

Herd Master
Joined
Oct 16, 2010
Messages
8,551
Reaction score
11,751
Points
623
Location
Virginia is for Pasture Farmers!
Drowning is highly cruel.
Broomstick is fast and humane, as well as readily available and cheap. Bullet would be next, but can be hard to find a skilled person with a gun and ammo not so large it explodes the poor thing. Also noisy and dangerous.
Wry neck could be ear infection, since it doesn't sound like it was born with it? Either way, should be fine to eat it. Same with it being old. But if its drugged to kill or medicated in the last 3mo or so, best to just bury it.

Can someone else come by to break the neck so the owner doesn't have to cry through it and botch the job?
 

Alaskan

Herd Master
Joined
May 9, 2017
Messages
5,366
Reaction score
12,588
Points
553
Location
Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Might be easiest just to hand the rabbit over to a friend that can butcher, and then once the friend is home, and the owner not watching... the rabbit can be killed quickly and humanely.

A gun, or broomstick method is very humane... even if it looks grewsome.
 

Beekissed

Herd Master
Joined
Aug 3, 2008
Messages
3,634
Reaction score
5,546
Points
453
Location
mountains of WV
She tried three different vets and two different shelters. None of them would talk to her without an appointment unless she wanted to pay the vets an 'emergency' fee of around three hundred dollars plus another $150 to put the rabbit down. One of the shelters was closed because of the virus and the other wasn't taking in rabbits.
Unfortunately, sentimentality costs a lot in this world. Always. I agree with handing the rabbit off to someone who can kill it humanely and either give it back for burial or dispose of it properly for this person.

Gun, dislocation of the neck, or a sharp knife to the throat are all equally fast, humane deaths....drowning, freezing and smothering, not so much.
 

Niele da Kine

Loving the herd life
Joined
Sep 5, 2020
Messages
259
Reaction score
432
Points
113
Location
Moku Nui Hawaii
She used to work at a shelter where they had some sort of injection for putting the animals to sleep. She said they went to sleep and then died, some sort of overdose on tranquilizer, I think it was. But, as an ordinary citizen, she can't get any of whatever it was they were using as an injection. She's hoping for something like that a gentle lights out and away sort of thing.

Yeah, I generally give the rabbit to someone who eats rabbits, they're pretty good at quick and humane. However, my rabbit eating friend has moved about seventy miles away down really slow roads (it's an island, if we went too fast, we'd fly off) so getting rabbits to him isn't easy anymore.
 

Alaskan

Herd Master
Joined
May 9, 2017
Messages
5,366
Reaction score
12,588
Points
553
Location
Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
She used to work at a shelter where they had some sort of injection for putting the animals to sleep. She said they went to sleep and then died, some sort of overdose on tranquilizer, I think it was. But, as an ordinary citizen, she can't get any of whatever it was they were using as an injection. She's hoping for something like that a gentle lights out and away sort of thing.

Yeah, I generally give the rabbit to someone who eats rabbits, they're pretty good at quick and humane. However, my rabbit eating friend has moved about seventy miles away down really slow roads (it's an island, if we went too fast, we'd fly off) so getting rabbits to him isn't easy anymore.
Ah... I understand the want... but I don't think us normal folks can get that stuff.
 

Beekissed

Herd Master
Joined
Aug 3, 2008
Messages
3,634
Reaction score
5,546
Points
453
Location
mountains of WV
Wouldn't we ALL like to have access to that? I know I would for animals that were suffering a traumatic injury. Not happening in the private sector, but it would be nice.
 

Niele da Kine

Loving the herd life
Joined
Sep 5, 2020
Messages
259
Reaction score
432
Points
113
Location
Moku Nui Hawaii
Hmm, there is a need and there should be a way. I once ran over my own cat and my landlord at the time had a gun so he shot the cat. I'm not sure which was more traumatic, the poor cat being massively injured or the shot to the head. Now when I have a cat, I make sure to know where it is before moving the car.

Maybe in a murder mystery somewhere will be a clue as to a method for putting them to sleep peacefully? Some sort of magic powder they can eat and just go to sleep. Although, if it's an injured or sick animal, a shot may be easier to administer. Some sort of substance that ordinary folks can get.

She took her rabbit to three different vets and none of them could help her. Several of them just flat out said they don't euthanize animals anymore. I think that would be one of the worst parts of being a vet, but it is a mercy to an animal that needs it.

Anyone remember the movie 'Soylent Green'? The euthanasia centers for humans were a good idea, the horror of the movie was that they were then sending the remains off to become edible cakes of 'soylent green'. Kinda a pity that many folks lumped the ethanasia centers in with the cannibalism as both bad ideas.
 
Top