Sad Day - How Do You Euthanize?

:( On my way to work, I found an eastern garter snake in the street. It was still alive and barely moving. Its entire tail, up to about 1/3 of its body length, was flattened due to somebody running it over. How it got in the road in 39 degree weather is beyond me. Anyway, I put it in a cardboard box from work and it's now sitting in the office with me. There's a bit of blood and I'm pretty sure some organs were run over. Just when I think the snake has died, it moves in the box a little bit. I don't want this poor thing to suffer any more, and I don't have the money to get it to a vet. So, I think the best thing to do is to put the animal out of its misery. I know that beheading works, but I've seen snakes live for several minutes after losing their heads, so I don't think is a fair way.

Is there a quick, painless way of euthanizing a snake that obviously isn't going to live much longer and is in misery? :please: Thanks.

Well I guess you would put it in the freezer...

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Originally Posted by Enser54

Well I guess you would put it in the freezer...

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I've heard that you can put them in a Tupperware container and set it in the fridge, then the freezer. However, this seems like a slow way to die.

Couldn't you use dry ice like they do to euthanize feeders?

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Originally Posted by Enser54

Well I guess you would put it in the freezer...

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No, freezing is very painful for all animals, except for some very young mammals. You could, however, put it in a container with air holes in the fridge, which will render the snake unconscious. The you may put it in the freezer to kill it painlessly.

Or, you could flatten the head. This is OK if done instantaneously. The body may still move, but the snake isn't making it move, it's just normal post-mortem movement, which happens in many animals.

I suppose so, I just figured it would shut them down rather quickly being it so cold.

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Originally Posted by Enser54

I suppose so, I just figured it would shut them down rather quickly being it so cold.

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It doesn't. Ice crystals form in the blood and throughout the body often before the animal stops feeling pain. Can you imagine how ice would feel inside of you?

From what I have heard if you put them in the fridge first that will cool them down like they are hibernating in a way and it just slows them down and then put them in the freezer and that would finish the job. I'm not sure if that is the most humane way to most but it makes sense to me. I haven' tried it before but one of my friends that owns a lot of snakes said that is what he does if he gets a deformed baby snake or a snake that is beyond vet care.



edit- wow everyone beat me to it.

I found the snake about four hours ago and I decided that it's been through enough pain. Far be it from me to "play God" but this poor animal wasn't going to live and a quick, painless death seemed like the only fair thing to do.

I took care of it, although I'll spare you the details. I assure you the snake didn't feel any additional pain. I'll bury it in the garden outside the parking lot when I get off work :tears:

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Originally Posted by JNieporte

I found the snake about four hours ago and I decided that it's been through enough pain. Far be it from me to "play God" but this poor animal wasn't going to live and a quick, painless death seemed like the only fair thing to do.

I took care of it, although I'll spare you the details. I assure you the snake didn't feel any additional pain. I'll bury it in the garden outside the parking lot when I get off work :tears:

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I don't mean to sound like a freak, but could you give us the details? I would feel much more happy knowing you did it humanely.

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Originally Posted by patm1313

No, freezing is very painful for all animals, except for some very young mammals. You could, however, put it in a container with air holes in the fridge, which will render the snake unconscious. The you may put it in the freezer to kill it painlessly.

Or, you could flatten the head. This is OK if done instantaneously. The body may still move, but the snake isn't making it move, it's just normal post-mortem movement, which happens in many animals.

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I am pretty sure most users on this site euthanize their snakes using the freezer method. I am not sure the reason why, but it is very quick. Snakes are exothermic, they will die very fast in a freezer because they can maintain no heat whatsoever. The colder they get, the slower their body functions get, until they completely stop. I am pretty sure this is a relatively painless process.

Is there any reason why reptiles can't be euthanized in the same manner as dogs and cats at the vet's office? I'm sure most vets wouldn't charge for this or at the very least just the cost of the dose. I haven't had to deal with this yet, but I just don't think I could do the head bashing, decapitating, or freezing.

Robbin

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Originally Posted by patm1313

I don't mean to sound like a freak, but could you give us the details? I would feel much more happy knowing you did it humanely.

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This is an exerpt from Melissa Kaplan's "Euthanasia of Reptiles" article located here... http://www.anapsid.org/euth.html

"Decapitation is an easy way to kill a reptile in that no special equipment or drugs are necessary. Nevertheless, the brain of a decapitated reptile may remain active for up to an hour, so decapitation by itself is inhumane...

Euthanasia can be done by destroying the brain with a sharp blow to the head, on the middle and just posterior to the eyes. This can be done in an emergency, as when an animal is found hit by a car, grievously injured but not yet dead and no other method is available. This is among the most common methods of euthanizing feeder rodents. Care must be taken to perform this method properly, as a soft or misdirected blow could injure the patient without killing it..."

I used the latter method and it worked immediately. The snake has been deceased for about 20 minutes now; no movement, no heavy breathing, no violent thrashing, in the same position as it was when I performed the euthanasia. I'm confident that the blow killed it instantaneously and it didn't feel any more pain. I'll be burying it tonight. I still feel really bad.

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Originally Posted by patm1313

I don't mean to sound like a freak, but could you give us the details? I would feel much more happy knowing you did it humanely.

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He said he did it humainly, and he has no reason to tell a falsehood. Just let it drop.

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Originally Posted by RobbinRN

Is there any reason why reptiles can't be euthanized in the same manner as dogs and cats at the vet's office? I'm sure most vets wouldn't charge for this or at the very least just the cost of the dose. I haven't had to deal with this yet, but I just don't think I could do the head bashing, decapitating, or freezing.

Robbin

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Any Vet that I have seen seems to adhere to the philosophy of the great Walt Disney which anyone that has stayed at Disney Land or Disney World knows is "Walt don't do nothin' for free." I am glad that your problem is behind you and the snakes suffering has ended.

The vets around my area charge 25$ for this......then you have to carry the animal down there and it has to suffer more.....my way since I live in Alabama is a little .410 gauge pistol I carry. It might sound bad but it's instant. I came upon a raccoon a few years ago that had been hit by a car with it's spinal cord showing and after that I started using the .410 method of course only for animals that have no chance at all. If you remember....there are a lot of animals that eat other dead animals too and I would not want to keep nature's course from running so I leave the body. Understand a pet is something all together and I would never do this to a pet without having a vet look it over unless it's very obvious it wouldn't make it.

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Originally Posted by patm1313

No, freezing is very painful for all animals, except for some very young mammals. .

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THis is BS. We are talking about cold blooded snakes. A trip to the freezer puts them to sleep and kills them... This IS the most humane way to put down a snake.

If I had found the snake, their would have been a very simple, immediate solution. I would have hopped back in the car and ran its head over.... Ceasing all brain function instantly.

Keep it simple stupid. (not saying the origional OP or anyone else is stupid!... It is a poplular saying!)

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Originally Posted by Mike Cavanaugh

THis is BS. We are talking about cold blooded snakes. A trip to the freezer puts them to sleep and kills them... This IS the most humane way to put down a snake.

If I had found the snake, their would have been a very simple, immediate solution. I would have hopped back in the car and ran its head over.... Ceasing all brain function instantly.

Keep it simple stupid. (not saying the origional OP or anyone else is stupid!... It is a poplular saying!)

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Ah, the KISS principle from the military; I remember that. I think your solution of running over the head is valid, but I was on foot (I guess I forgot to mention that). I had researched various "humane" ways of killing the snake, and the article that I cited seemed to be the best. I just wanted to make sure the animal would die right away, rather than just severing its head and having it live for another 10-15 minutes or more. Had I been in a vehicle, I might have done the same thing you suggested.

Oh... didn't realize you were on foot. In that case, although it would have been more difficult to stomach, It would have been a strong karate stomp to the head.


It would be gross and sad... but knowing that you put helped it find an end to the suffering would make it worth it.

POOR baby ..thanks for relieving a living animal of uneccesary pain!