Need help with putting hen down-edit it's done :(

[pen]

We had to do away with a injured chicken just yesterday. My son had to do it for me. All he did was pick up the bird and grab hold of its neck and swing it around a few times with just a bit of force. The chicken died pretty quickly and there was no mess at all. I hated to do this but I know the chicken was beginning to suffer. The nearest avian vet was an hour away and the minimal charge was going to be $65.00 just for a consultation. My husband was out of towna and he would have been really upset if I would have paid that for a chicken.

 

[mariel37]

Thank you for being there with her at the end. I have had to euthanize wonderful dogs in the past, and have always felt it my way of honoring them to be there when they pass.

 

[DTRM30]

It was very hard for me. We had to euthanize our dog several years ago - I swear he read my mind and knew. I cried for a week. He had tumors and was starting to be in pain and at 10 was too old for surgery ( he was a lab) - we were there with him and he left us with his head in our arms ( darn it now I'm starting to cry)
I feel horrible about doing this - And I know I'm going to cry over her too for a while

but I know it was in her best interest. Still hard though.
I can't believe it was me that did it - I've never intentionally hurt an animal my entire life. I'm the one trying to save them all . Even mice - but I owed her that - to feel safe and comfy.

My mother always says I should have been a vet - I disagree - I'd have a hard time with the ones I couldn't help.

 

[Chihuahuamom444]

Quote:
I Know I always get a lot of grief over this But I'd have to pay a vet to do it.....and people I have worked for 2 diff vets and an emergency clinic, it does Not have to be an avian vet, Any vet can euthanize and animal

 

[DTRM30]

Yes, I think any vet who would be willing would be fine. Unfortunately - most people can't justify the cost ($30-$40) to euthanize a chicken when it can be done easily at home via other means.

I think if I need to do this again in the future that I will still try to get a vet that would do it if possible. Time just wasn't on my side in this matter - I wanted to have this done as quickly as possible due to my son being involved - I didn't want him to agonize over the impending matter more than necessary with his anxiety issues. It has worked out good for both of them. He was comfortable with that it was quick and she was calm and peaceful and is relieved it's over.

I suppose I could have just done it without him knowing and just told him she died in her sleep - but I think I owed it to him as well to be honest - so he can learn to value life and understand that it was a decision made with compassion.

Though I will say the ether was faster than I had expected which was good. It literally was only a matter of seconds and she was gone. I feel comfortable in knowing that it was extremely fast and she was calm and content sitting on my lap when it happened.

While cervical dislocation is an excellent idea and probably even faster than the ether - I just didn't see myself having it in me to do that - I know I wouldn't have the strength mentally to do it that way (via twisting the neck or using a rake/broom handle). Maybe someday - but I'm too much of a sap.

 

[Chihuahuamom444]

Quote:
Sounds like it was a very peaceful painless way to go.....is that what the ether does I guess?, just makes them go off to sleep at first?

 

[DTRM30]

That is what it seems - she pretty much just passed out and stopped breathing. Didn't struggle, didn't complain, nothing. I know it doesn't smell the greatest but being a chicken I doubt she would have made the connection. The only thing she did was open and close her mouth twice and her wings twitched - but that was after she had stopped breathing and her body had gone limp - and I attribute that to the involuntary reflex of oxygen deprivation in her muscle tissue. Very unnerving - and glad my son didn't see it - but I knew she was gone and knew to expect a brief muscle spasm from reading other threads on the matter.

I will say - talking about this has helped tremendously - like a group counceling/therapy session.

 

[flowergirl60]

 

[DTRM30]

Quote:
Sounds like it was a very peaceful painless way to go.....is that what the ether does I guess?, just makes them go off to sleep at first?

I just did a little more research on the matter and Ether, though I don't think used anymore to date as such, was used as an anesthesia agent. So - in reading the article, it induces sleep first then respriatory arrest. So, in essence - she fell asleep, went unconscious, and stopped breathing. She never felt a thing. Glad I looked it up. She did not exhibit any of the first to "stages" - I got this info from a University of Minnesota web site - pertaining to research.


Stages of Anesthesia
These stages occur (when using inhalation anesthesia alone; other drugs added will modify these stages.


Stage 1 (Induction, aka voluntary excitement). Excitement and struggling are common. Usually accompanied by ephinephrine release with associated rise in respiratory rate and heartrate.


Stage 2 (delirium, involuntary excitement). Voluntary centers and loss of consciousness begin. Exaggerated reflexive responses to stimuli are common, as is vomiting (in species that can vomit). Breath holding may occur. Common hazard: self-injury.


Stage 3 General Anesthesia

Plane 1—Light anesthesia. Most reflexes (pedal, corneal, palpebral) are still present.
Plane 2 – Medium anesthesia. Most surgeries are conducted at this level. Muscles are relaxed. Most reflexes (pedal, palpebral, corneal) are absent.
Plane 3—Deep anesthesia. Intercostal muscles are relaxed; ability to maintain respiration is endangered. Pupillary light reflex may be slow or absent.
Plane 4—Too Deep. All muscles, including diaphragm & intercostal muscles, are paralyzed.

Stage 4 Irreversible Anesthesia—respiratory arrest, followed by circulatory collapse. Death within 1-5 minutes.

Inhalation Anesthetics

General
Inhalation anesthesia is superior to most injectable forms of anesthesia in safety and efficacy. It is easy to adjust the anesthetic depth. Because the anesthetics are eliminated from the blood by exhalation, with less reliance on drug metabolism to remove the drug from the body, there is less chance for drug-induced toxicity. Inhalation anesthetics are always administered to effect, because the dosage can vary greatly among individual animals and different animal species. The disadvantages to inhalant anesthesia are the complexity and cost of the equipment needed to administer the anesthesia, and potential hazards to personnel. All inhalant drugs are volatile liquids. They should not be stored in animal rooms because the vapors are either flammable or toxic to inhale over extended periods of time. In particular, ether must be stored in a proper hood or cabinet for flammable materials.

Inhalant Agents Drug MAC Response Toxicity Comments
Ether 3.2 slow liver Pre-medication with an anticholinergic may be necessary to reduce excessive respiratory secretions. Induction and recovery can be rough. Flammable and can become explosive with prolonged storage. Ether must be used according to appropriate safety guidelines.
Chloroform A hazardous agent (carcinogenic) and cannot be used at U of M.
Methoxyflurane 0.2 slow nephrotoxicity- is potentiated by tetracyclines It has good analgesic activity, but there is significant metabolism, ++ respiratory depression and + cardiac depression. This drug is not currently being manufactured. For a replacement, consider ether or diluted isoflurane.
Halothane 0.9 moderate hepato- and nephrotoxicity if the animal is hypotensive ++ cardiopulmonary depresssion, and a risk of malignant hyperthermia in some breeds/strains
Isoflurane 1.5 fast none ++ respiratory depression and + cardiovascular depression
Enflurane 2.0 fast none ++ cardiopulmonary depression and minimal respiratory depression
Nitrous Oxide 180 very fast hepatotoxic Cannot be used as a sole anesthetic agent. Do not exceed a 50% mix w/ oxygen and other inhalant agent to prevent hypoxia. Moderate analgesia is provided by nitrous. In general, use of nitrous oxide in animals is discouraged.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) 50-70 very fast cerebral anoxia Can be used as an anesthetic for brief procedures and as a euthanasia agent. It has antinociceptive activity and causes unconsciousness prior to hypoxia. It is necessary to monitor carefully and work quickly, as animals die quickly (1-2 min) after losing consciousness, and likewise they wake up quickly when exposed to room air. Appropriate for quick procedures such as tail snipping, ear marking and orbital bleeding. Poses minimal hazard to personnel and can be used in laboratories or animal room


MAC: This is the % concentration of the drug needed to anesthetize 50% of animals. It does vary somewhat by species and by individual. 1.2X MAC is an approximate vaporizer setting for maintenance of anesthesia. Induction generally requires 2-3X MAC. MAC listed here is for rats (ether), mice (CO2), goat (enflurane) and dogs (all others).

Response. This refers to how rapidly concentrations in the blood change when the lung alveolar concentration is changed. Slow anesthetics have slow induction and recovery times.

Toxicity: Drugs that are metabolized by the body can cause toxicity, especially if a pre-existing organ dysfunction exists.


http://www.ahc.umn.edu/rar/anesthesia.html

 

[Chihuahuamom444]

Quote:
Sounds like it was a very peaceful painless way to go.....is that what the ether does I guess?, just makes them go off to sleep at first?

I just did a little more research on the matter and Ether, though I don't think used anymore to date as such, was used as an anesthesia agent. So - in reading the article, it induces sleep first then respriatory arrest. So, in essence - she fell asleep, went unconscious, and stopped breathing. She never felt a thing. Glad I looked it up. She did not exhibit any of the first to "stages" - I got this info from a University of Minnesota web site - pertaining to research.


Stages of Anesthesia
These stages occur (when using inhalation anesthesia alone; other drugs added will modify these stages.


Stage 1 (Induction, aka voluntary excitement). Excitement and struggling are common. Usually accompanied by ephinephrine release with associated rise in respiratory rate and heartrate.


Stage 2 (delirium, involuntary excitement). Voluntary centers and loss of consciousness begin. Exaggerated reflexive responses to stimuli are common, as is vomiting (in species that can vomit). Breath holding may occur. Common hazard: self-injury.


Stage 3 General Anesthesia

Plane 1—Light anesthesia. Most reflexes (pedal, corneal, palpebral) are still present.
Plane 2 – Medium anesthesia. Most surgeries are conducted at this level. Muscles are relaxed. Most reflexes (pedal, palpebral, corneal) are absent.
Plane 3—Deep anesthesia. Intercostal muscles are relaxed; ability to maintain respiration is endangered. Pupillary light reflex may be slow or absent.
Plane 4—Too Deep. All muscles, including diaphragm & intercostal muscles, are paralyzed.

Stage 4 Irreversible Anesthesia—respiratory arrest, followed by circulatory collapse. Death within 1-5 minutes.

Inhalation Anesthetics

General
Inhalation anesthesia is superior to most injectable forms of anesthesia in safety and efficacy. It is easy to adjust the anesthetic depth. Because the anesthetics are eliminated from the blood by exhalation, with less reliance on drug metabolism to remove the drug from the body, there is less chance for drug-induced toxicity. Inhalation anesthetics are always administered to effect, because the dosage can vary greatly among individual animals and different animal species. The disadvantages to inhalant anesthesia are the complexity and cost of the equipment needed to administer the anesthesia, and potential hazards to personnel. All inhalant drugs are volatile liquids. They should not be stored in animal rooms because the vapors are either flammable or toxic to inhale over extended periods of time. In particular, ether must be stored in a proper hood or cabinet for flammable materials.

Inhalant Agents Drug MAC Response Toxicity Comments
Ether 3.2 slow liver Pre-medication with an anticholinergic may be necessary to reduce excessive respiratory secretions. Induction and recovery can be rough. Flammable and can become explosive with prolonged storage. Ether must be used according to appropriate safety guidelines.
Chloroform A hazardous agent (carcinogenic) and cannot be used at U of M.
Methoxyflurane 0.2 slow nephrotoxicity- is potentiated by tetracyclines It has good analgesic activity, but there is significant metabolism, ++ respiratory depression and + cardiac depression. This drug is not currently being manufactured. For a replacement, consider ether or diluted isoflurane.
Halothane 0.9 moderate hepato- and nephrotoxicity if the animal is hypotensive ++ cardiopulmonary depresssion, and a risk of malignant hyperthermia in some breeds/strains
Isoflurane 1.5 fast none ++ respiratory depression and + cardiovascular depression
Enflurane 2.0 fast none ++ cardiopulmonary depression and minimal respiratory depression
Nitrous Oxide 180 very fast hepatotoxic Cannot be used as a sole anesthetic agent. Do not exceed a 50% mix w/ oxygen and other inhalant agent to prevent hypoxia. Moderate analgesia is provided by nitrous. In general, use of nitrous oxide in animals is discouraged.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) 50-70 very fast cerebral anoxia Can be used as an anesthetic for brief procedures and as a euthanasia agent. It has antinociceptive activity and causes unconsciousness prior to hypoxia. It is necessary to monitor carefully and work quickly, as animals die quickly (1-2 min) after losing consciousness, and likewise they wake up quickly when exposed to room air. Appropriate for quick procedures such as tail snipping, ear marking and orbital bleeding. Poses minimal hazard to personnel and can be used in laboratories or animal room


MAC: This is the % concentration of the drug needed to anesthetize 50% of animals. It does vary somewhat by species and by individual. 1.2X MAC is an approximate vaporizer setting for maintenance of anesthesia. Induction generally requires 2-3X MAC. MAC listed here is for rats (ether), mice (CO2), goat (enflurane) and dogs (all others).

Response. This refers to how rapidly concentrations in the blood change when the lung alveolar concentration is changed. Slow anesthetics have slow induction and recovery times.

Toxicity: Drugs that are metabolized by the body can cause toxicity, especially if a pre-existing organ dysfunction exists.


http://www.ahc.umn.edu/rar/anesthesia.html

Interesting......and it certainly sounds like the way to go, just fall asleep and Im glad she didn't have any reaction that some might, that helps....so sounds like you did the right thing for her and now she is up in chicky heaven running around