that's not true. I was forced to euthanize a neon and I used freezing cold water, he died in 3 seconds.
Best way to euthanize fish
- Thread starter lokel
- Start date
I use this method to euthanize small fish.
It is very quick IMO. There will always be a debate on the subject, but for small fish I believe this method is fine. I would not use this method for larger fish- I'd probably try clove oil, even though I know beheading would be the quickest, and most painless for the fish. I'm just not sure that I could bring myself to do it; thankfully, I've never had to do so. I definitely would not boil.
I think what some people are forgetting is that fish are cold blooded, and therefore are affected by temperature changes very drastically. Therefore, the freezing/boiling water methods for tropical/coldwater fish are very humane, because the internal temperature of the fish immediately becomes the same as the external temperature of whatever you are dropping them into. I also doubt this would change with fish size, unless you are taking about gigantic aquarium fish that are several feet in length.
okay people by the top voted thing what your doing is inhumane and isnt ever practiced in and animal hostipal and freezing and a fish is probley the most painful thing possible. here is the doc to that tells you how to kill your fish. and cutting its head off is about the best way.
http://www.avma.org/issues/animal_welfare/euthanasia.pdf
http://www.avma.org/issues/animal_welfare/euthanasia.pdf
Of course it isn't practiced at vet clinics. They don't even treat fish, for the most part.
The section on cooling only mentions amphibians and reptiles, and is vague at best with regard to fish. Clearly the process would be much different for those species as compared to fish; one wouldn't put a snake or turtle in a cup of nearly-freezing water.
As for clove oil: the panel chose not to recommend this method at the time because "adequate and appropriate clinical trials have not been performed on fish to evaluate its effects." The paper seems to have been written in 2001, so we can't say for sure without more information that this method is still considered "not acceptable" 6 years later.
"Decapitation with heavy shears or a guillotine is
effective for some species that have appropriate
anatomic features. It has been assumed that stopping
blood supply to the brain by decapitation causes rapid
loss of consciousness. Because the central nervous system
of reptiles, fish, and amphibians is tolerant to
hypoxic and hypotensive conditions,13 decapitation
must be followed by pithing.188"
I won't quote the whole section, but it goes on to say that
"Severing the spinal cord behind the head by
pithing is an effective method of killing some
ectotherms. Death may not be immediate unless both
the brain and spinal cord are pithed. For these animals,
pithing of the spinal cord should be followed by decapitation
and pithing of the brain or by another appropriate
procedure. Pithing requires dexterity and skill
and should only be done by trained personnel."
I don't consider myself to be "trained personnel", nor do I have access to the recommended chemical agents, as I am not a veterinary professional.
IMO this kind of takes us back to square one on the debate, eh?
This is not at all what the article says.
The section on cooling only mentions amphibians and reptiles, and is vague at best with regard to fish. Clearly the process would be much different for those species as compared to fish; one wouldn't put a snake or turtle in a cup of nearly-freezing water.
As for clove oil: the panel chose not to recommend this method at the time because "adequate and appropriate clinical trials have not been performed on fish to evaluate its effects." The paper seems to have been written in 2001, so we can't say for sure without more information that this method is still considered "not acceptable" 6 years later.
It doesn't; it's a report on ethical guidelines, and includes no detailed instructions or diagrams for the layperson. It is geared toward trained veterinary professionals, and assumes more than just a basic understanding of each process.
This is not at all what is stated, and again, does not specifically mention fish.
"Decapitation with heavy shears or a guillotine is
effective for some species that have appropriate
anatomic features. It has been assumed that stopping
blood supply to the brain by decapitation causes rapid
loss of consciousness. Because the central nervous system
of reptiles, fish, and amphibians is tolerant to
hypoxic and hypotensive conditions,13 decapitation
must be followed by pithing.188"
I won't quote the whole section, but it goes on to say that
"Severing the spinal cord behind the head by
pithing is an effective method of killing some
ectotherms. Death may not be immediate unless both
the brain and spinal cord are pithed. For these animals,
pithing of the spinal cord should be followed by decapitation
and pithing of the brain or by another appropriate
procedure. Pithing requires dexterity and skill
and should only be done by trained personnel."
I don't consider myself to be "trained personnel", nor do I have access to the recommended chemical agents, as I am not a veterinary professional.
IMO this kind of takes us back to square one on the debate, eh?
if you slowly freeze a fish, then yes that would be painful. as it is the same thing as frostbite in humans. large, pointy, sharp ice crystals form in the cells of the animal or person and destroy the cells around them. no one here said to slowly freeze them. if you quickly freeze a fish, it will instantly kill the fish with smaller, blunter ice crystals that cause almost no pain. how do you think they get the frozen food so perfect? they flash freeze them.
personaly, i have never had to euthanize a fish before, but if i had to i would use clove oil, as it seems the most logical and painless to me. i always saw it as the same as putting a dog or cat to sleep.
personaly, i have never had to euthanize a fish before, but if i had to i would use clove oil, as it seems the most logical and painless to me. i always saw it as the same as putting a dog or cat to sleep.
No, it is not instantaneous.
And according to the AMVA...(http://www.avma.org/issues/animal_welfare/euthanasia.pdf)
Freezing is ONLY acceptable IF the animal is under sedation.
It also states, that just deep freezing alone is NOT proven to cause no pain or stress, as crystals do form and are painful.
