Euthanasia

From The Aquarium Wiki

Euthanasia is the deliberate ceasing of an animals life functions in a painless way so as to relive the suffering of the animal when medical aid has not helped. It is also used when culling fish that have a malformation or are not up to standards when breeding.

In the aquarium hobby various methods are used. Here is a current list.

Contents 1 Anesthetic Overdose 2 Carbon dioxide 3 Clove oil 4 Freezing or Boiling 5 Alcohol 6 Physical violence 7 Flushing down the toilet 8 Links

Anesthetic Overdose

These include: Finquel, Tricaine methanesulfonate (TMS), Benzocaine hydrochloride, MS-222, etc. Pros:

Easy, and painless.

Cons:

Can be difficult to find.

If animal is removed too soon they can be revived.

Carbon dioxide

This can be put into the water via airstone, Sodium bicarbonate (Bicarbonate of soda, baking soda), health salts (Alka-Seltzer). It is not recommended for amphibians.

Pros:

Easy, and painless.

Cons:

Certain species of fish and amphibians can survive in extremely low oxygen environments so the use of CO2 may not be a quick method for anesthetizing.

Clove oil

Pros:

Quick, easy, and painless.

Cons:

Some may have trouble finding it.

Freezing or Boiling

Pros:

Easy.

Cons:

May not be painless. Freezing not recommended for cold water species.

Alcohol

Pros:

Easily available.

Cons:

May not be painless.

Physical violence

Examples: Sudden blunt trauma, Decapitation, Pithing, feeding to larger fish, etc.

Pros:

If done properly can be quick.

Cons:

If not done properly can cause the animal to suffer.

Most methods require the animal to be removed from the water first which stresses them.

Flushing down the toilet

Pros:

No special equipment needed.

Cons:

Akin to putting a puppy in an outhouse.

Can introduce disease to your septic system and the environment.

Animal may not die.

Links

• Wikipedia
• The Gab on Euthanasia
• FishDoc on Euthanasia Treatments
• Euthanasia guidelines PDF file from the American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA)
• RSPCA and the use of CO₂
• The Krib on Euthanasia
• Fish Slaughter, Killing, and Euthanasia
• University of Washington Policy for the Euthanasia of Fish Species
• Euthanasia for Amphibians
• Don't Flush That Fish!