Euthanasia

[andywg]

As for one of the other posters who recommended freezing - the AVMA report does NOT recommend this method and someone on this forum cited a personal experience where a 'frozen' fish actually survived some hours later.

From a previous post from Steelhealr:

Oil of cloves is a topical anethestic and was used in the past to treat toothaches. Lidocaine (like at the dentist's office is a topical anesthetic as well). When we operate on people we really want to achieve 2 things, analgesia and anesthesia, that is, relief of pain and unconsciousness. IMO, when a fish is immersed in oil of cloves, it is essentially 'topically anesthetized', paralyzed, but, I am NOT convinced that the fish is unconscious.....none of us will really know for sure. We don't know if the oil of cloves causes stinging to the mucus membranes, eyes, etc on initial contact nor if the fish is motionless, painless but aware.

Extreme cold is an anesthetic. When applied to skin, you can actually cut the skin and feel no pain. Cold also can cause rapid unconsciousness. In fact, hypothermia is reported to cause a state of euphoria and clouding of consciousness. Fish, at least most of the types that we keep (tropical), are extremely small and rapid immersion in extreme cold water, in my opinion, causes rapid pain relief and rapid unconsciousness. I have never seen any of my fish shows signs of what I consider suffering. They stop moving immediately and appear lifeless. Some have stated that since fish are ectothermic, this doesn't apply....perhaps in cold water fish I would agree.

I choose to euthanize my fish this way, rather than oil of cloves. One must either make an educated decision for themselves, or, choose what is currently accepted by the masses as what is humane.

Added: although I would never use blunt force to euthanize my fish, nor advocate it, one fact is for sure: death is instantaneous

Note that there is the possibility (though certainly not proven) that the fish are actually suffering while the clove oil takes effect. The hypothermia treatment would appear vry good for smaller fish. I have used it with great success (if one can call it that) a couple of times. I only revert to Clove Oil if one of my larger fish needs to be put down (thankfully only once so far). SH later replied:

Many people are posting here that they like the oil of cloves because it is an 'anesthetic' and that the fish 'goes to sleep'. I reiterate that it is a TOPICAL anesthetic and may reduce pain but MAY NOT induce unconsciousness in the fish, ie, paralyzed and aware. The oil may initially burn, coat the gills, topically stop pain, but, I am not convinced that it causes rapid unconsciousness. I think of it as paralysis and suffocation. This is my opinion. There have been no studies to my knowledge that test for cessation of heart or brain function during euthanasia

I will say that rapid deep hypothermia and oil of cloves BOTH cause death. It is just my medical opinion that the former is more rapid and more convincing to me that it brings on unconsciousness. SH

The whole thread is found here.

How is being pinned down and having your head sliced off less painful than simply going to sleep? You would also use drugs to put a kitten or puppy to sleep, so why not a fish?

Because the drug being used is completely different to those used on mammals at vets and may not actually bring on unconsciousness quickly.

Imagine being paralysed (and so unable to feel anything) but being strangled as SH mentions above. Hardly a nice way to go...

The decapitation is swift, within ten seconds of removing the fish it is dead. From that moment on it can feel nothing. It is not an easy way of doing it, but is certainly the quickest and most humane way on larger fish (think 12" plus).

 

[poopsydrew]

Just a thought, and i am in no way experienced in this. But from reading the debates on this thread, what about really really cold clove oil? Would that not kill the pain and cause unconsicousness? Just a though....I hope i never have to make that choice though

 

[borissimo]

Forgive me if I am being ignorant, but if there is no gill movement the fish cannot be breathing and will therefore die very quickly? The reason I believed that my fish was not being suffocated with the clove oil method is that I have seen fish with very open mouths when dead after freezing, and also when I had an accident and there was no oxygen in the tank.

The previous posts have now worried me and I am back to square one!

 

[borissimo]

Also, once we had put the initial dose in slowly, to make sure the fish didn't look distressed, we then (once he was very still) put a heavy dose in. Then we left him there until the next day before removing him. His eyes looked dead, not asleep, by that point.

I know this is an unpleasant discussion but it worries me a lot and I would like to be confident of a non-violent (ie not decapitating etc) way of killing a fish should I need to do it again in the future.

 

[kewskills]

this thread has made me think now, i have always favored the freezing cold water method. now im not so sure.