For those of you who are not familiar with the term, euthanasia is the act of putting an animal to death. Within our laboratory, we euthanize for two purposes:
- To obtain the rat brain for cryostat utilization
- Lack of resources and funding to continue supporting the animal until natural death
As it is a sensitive topic, I will not go into any details regarding the process of euthanasia. However, I would like to make a few points regarding my experience observing and my knowledge from my animal handling and maintenance curriculum.
Animal euthanasia is highly regulated, especially in the laboratory. Animals do not suffer; rather, the process minimizes, or even eliminates, pain and distress. Although it may seem rather cruel to some that these rats are obtained so that they can be experimented on and then euthanized, all animals are treated with dignity. I cannot stress it enough, all researchers who euthanize have humane dispositions. Meaning, they ensure the animal is treated with its due respect, and they complete the process quickly, to minimize suffering.
Euthanasia is humane death. It minimizes or eliminates suffering, pain, discomfort, and distress for the animal, inducing a rapid loss of consciousness. Although I can say it is not a pretty sight to behold, it is important to understand and recognize that every animal is respected and treated with dignity, even in its final moments.
Hi! As you know, I love animals, so reading this is rather comforting. It's really nice that these animals don't feel pain even though they are used for research, so it's good that their lives are put to good use and that it is all very humane!
ReplyDeleteHi Liz!
DeleteIt is a common misconception that animal research is 'cruel' to animals, but all animals are handled and treated respectfully. We make sure to respect and be grateful that these animals help us identify answers, such as in my project, where we try to identify the effect of various stimuli on behavior and thermoregulation modification. If an experiment can be performed without an animal, it is. Thanks for reading!
Rohini,
ReplyDeleteI find it ironic that I am reading this post, right after we were talking about the movie "Temple Grandin". Her research and graduate work on animal husbandry was focused on redesigning cattle slaugther houses for this very reason; to treat the animals humanely and with dignity. I would definitely recommend watching the movie; I think you would enjoy it.