Euthanizing Geckos

[Skiploder]

Wouldn't a bigger body hold heat longer?

Would a man with large hands and feet require more material for his gloves and shoes?

Your not cooking a roast, you're inducing a state of torpor into an animal prior to killing it.

Check on it every so often until you can see that it's responses to stimuli are nil.

[mackynz]

Would a man with large hands and feet require more material for his gloves and shoes?

Your not cooking a roast, you're inducing a state of torpor into an animal prior to killing it.

Check on it every so often until you can see that it's responses to stimuli are nil.

Is the purpose just to keep them from panicking or moving during pithing? I'm curious because I have always felt that instant destruction of brain matter would be the most painless way to go.

Its a grisly way to do it and I'm not sure I could myself, it's selfish of me.

[SnowShredder]

Is the purpose just to keep them from panicking or moving during pithing? I'm curious because I have always felt that instant destruction of brain matter would be the most painless way to go.

Its a grisly way to do it and I'm not sure I could myself, it's selfish of me.

I agree with what you're thinking.
The best way to go (to me) would be instantly, painlessly, with ignorance. I don't want to know I'm dying.
Freezing and CO2 and definitely out of the question. Refrigeration to me is a possibility but only if you can't handle doing it otherwise.
I'm just thinking of what I would want. I wouldn't want to slowly die. I would want it over before I knew that it was happening

[Skiploder]

Is the purpose just to keep them from panicking or moving during pithing? I'm curious because I have always felt that instant destruction of brain matter would be the most painless way to go.

Its a grisly way to do it and I'm not sure I could myself, it's selfish of me.

Both.

Think of cooling them down as sedating them.

The destruction of the brain is painless if you hit the brain - a big "if" with some people.

[Mike41793]

I get it now lol.

[Skiploder]

I get it now lol.

[Mike41793]

This is just an opinion, but i would think that refrigerating, decapitation and/or pithing all done by the owner would be a lot less stressful/painful than taking it to the vet for euthanization.

[olstyn]

I had to have a vet euthanize a gecko once. It was actually an injection into the main body cavity (sorry, I don't recall what substance was used), and in the case of an underweight, severely sick leopard gecko, at least, it worked almost instantaneously. If there was any pain, it didn't show; there was no reaction except that he had obviously changed states from alive to dead. I was emotionally messed up about it for quite a while, but I can say with certainty that my little guy didn't suffer in that moment. In point of fact, his suffering was over; his health had been declining for some time, and the prescribed treatments weren't bringing him back to health.

IMO, long term, at least, you won't be worried about the $50; you'll feel better that you gave your scaly friend an easier end.

[SaintTawny]

I had to have a vet euthanize a gecko once. It was actually an injection into the main body cavity (sorry, I don't recall what substance was used), and in the case of an underweight, severely sick leopard gecko, at least, it worked almost instantaneously. If there was any pain, it didn't show; there was no reaction except that he had obviously changed states from alive to dead. I was emotionally messed up about it for quite a while, but I can say with certainty that my little guy didn't suffer in that moment. In point of fact, his suffering was over; his health had been declining for some time, and the prescribed treatments weren't bringing him back to health.

IMO, long term, at least, you won't be worried about the $50; you'll feel better that you gave your scaly friend an easier end.

The market name for at least one of the veterinary solutions used is Beauthanasia-D. It's a bright pink liquid. It stops the heart and brain activity within seconds. Sadly we use it an average of three times a week on elderly or seriously ill patients. I can tell you its the most peaceful death I could ever imagine. Even when we do heart sticks on cats, they rarely fuss. Many times if we have concerns about the patient getting fidgety we'll give a dose of surgical anesthetic and let that take effect first. I doubt many vets approach it differently, even for reptiles. My preference if I had a very sick animal that for whatever reason I could not treat would definitely be euthanasia by injection. It never gets easier to see but it's the one of the most humane deaths.

[Archimedes]

The market name for at least one of the veterinary solutions used is Beauthanasia-D. It's a bright pink liquid. It stops the heart and brain activity within seconds. Sadly we use it an average of three times a week on elderly or seriously ill patients. I can tell you its the most peaceful death I could ever imagine. Even when we do heart sticks on cats, they rarely fuss. Many times if we have concerns about the patient getting fidgety we'll give a dose of surgical anesthetic and let that take effect first. I doubt many vets approach it differently, even for reptiles. My preference if I had a very sick animal that for whatever reason I could not treat would definitely be euthanasia by injection. It never gets easier to see but it's the one of the most humane deaths.

When our 21-year-old cat finally had to be coaxed from the world, this was what the vet used-- I remember the pink color of the injection. It was put into a vein into his front leg, not directly into the heart, but it took affect within seconds, and he experienced zero outward pain. I couldn't imagine a more peaceful death for a cat that had been our unwavering companion. He deserved that procedure as the best possible way for him to go.

this thread has been remarkably informative and sensitive, and thanks to all who've provided insight in the unfortunate event that we need to help our beloved creatures from this world.