Medicine:Cervical dislocation
Cervical dislocation is a common method of animal euthanasia. It refers to a technique used in physical euthanasia of small animals by applying pressure to the neck and dislocating the spinal column from the skull or brain.[1] The aim is to quickly separate the spinal cord from the brain[2] so as to provide the animal with a fast and painless death.[1]
Technique
Firm pressure is applied at the base of the skull, along with a sharp pinching and twisting of the thumb and forefinger. At the same time, the tail is pulled backward.[3] This severs the spinal cord at the base of the brain or within the cervical spine area (the upper third of the neck).[2] According to the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC), cervical dislocation is normally only conducted on small animals.[1]
Ethics
The University of Iowa and some veterinary associations consider the technique to be an ethically acceptable method for killing small rodents such as rats, mice, squirrels, etc.[4]
See also
- Cervical fracture
- Blunt trauma
- Slaughter (livestock)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Glossary ." CCAC Programs. 2005. Canadian Council on Animal Care . Accessed 13 July 2007.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Extension "Cervical dislocation - eXtension". Archived from the original on 2008-01-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20080115072106/http://www.extension.org/pages/Cervical_dislocation. Retrieved 2007-07-13.
- ↑ Hogan, B., F. Constantini, and E. Lacy. 1986. Manipulating the Mouse Embryo: A Laboratory Manual
- ↑ University of Iowa. "Euthanasia ." Accessed 15 August 2007
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