Deb Rebel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote >>Deb Adams > > >In college I worked in a lab which needed rats as experimental >subjects. There I was taught a quick and efficient method of >ending an animal's life, that didn't seem to have it linger or suffer >*IF DONE CORRECTLY* This is the problem. The authorities that set down the regulations for laboratories on animal welfare are quite strict in Europe and America. Manual dislocation of the cervical vertebrae is allowed but only be experienced people. (How they get experienced I don't know) > >You might inquire of your vet, they might give a discount as >a gerbil is such a small animal, and the owner removes and >takes care of the animal after the fact.... > Like Sue, we have found that if you use the same vets regularly, then minor things like euthanasia will often be free. When a course of treatment has failed and euthanasia is the only way of resolving the situation, this has always been free. I have always been present, and every time the gerbil has passed away peacefully following the injection. The only time there has been a problem has been with a rat which refused to die despite several doses administered by an experienced vet. The rat was unconscious before the procedure started, but it took a long time. -- Julian [EMAIL PROTECTED] National Gerbil Society http://www.gerbils.co.uk/
