happy_hoppers
Active Member
Im very sorry for your loss 
It is so heartbreaking to loose a pet even when ou know it is coming. ((((HUGS for you))))
Naturestee, the vet injected Caspian directly into the abdomen without any form of prior sedation. It took him nearly four minutes to lose consciousness and even longer for his heart to stop beating. He ground his teeth intensely during the time he was conscious....he was not doing this before the Pentobarb was administered.
The vet checked an ear vein before hand and because he only checked one I assumed a suitable vein had been identified. He then pulled Casp towards him and administered the Pentobarb into his abdomen before I had a chance to stop him. He was not near death or collapse (which waould cause the vein to collapse) and due to other events that followed I can only assume the vet was in a hurry and did not want to waste time locating a vein or waiting for sedation to take effect.
Previously I had always had an IV Pentobarb injection as my preferred method but some vets struggle to find a vein and it can stress the rabbit. Other vets prefer to 'gass them down' before hand so they are semi-sedated, however the smell of the gas is awful and many rabbits panic and have even been known to scream. It also means your rabbits last lucid moments are not spent with you but a stranger.
After consulting my rabbit savvy vet (as opposoed to the emergency vet that performed th procedure) Judith Brown at the RWA and other experienced owners and veterinary nurses I now have it on my records that my rabbits may only be euthanised AFTER an intramuscular injection of Domitor (Drug used in GAs and IM means no fiddling to find a vein) which renders them totally unconscious. This takes a few minutes extra but literally means they drift of to sleep without fear or pain in the owners arms.
I will then allow the pentobarb to be administered abdominally.
Both PETA, Judith Brown and many other vets agree there is absoluely no reason why a intracardial pentobarb injection should be neccesary especially in a conscious rabbit as should the vet miss the heart death is slow and painful.
I hope this post does not upset anyone but I think it is VERY important people are aware about the correct method for PTS on a rabbit as it differs so greatly from larger animals and its not a topic people like to discuss due to the difficult emotions it raises.
It is so heartbreaking to loose a pet even when ou know it is coming. ((((HUGS for you))))Naturestee, the vet injected Caspian directly into the abdomen without any form of prior sedation. It took him nearly four minutes to lose consciousness and even longer for his heart to stop beating. He ground his teeth intensely during the time he was conscious....he was not doing this before the Pentobarb was administered.
The vet checked an ear vein before hand and because he only checked one I assumed a suitable vein had been identified. He then pulled Casp towards him and administered the Pentobarb into his abdomen before I had a chance to stop him. He was not near death or collapse (which waould cause the vein to collapse) and due to other events that followed I can only assume the vet was in a hurry and did not want to waste time locating a vein or waiting for sedation to take effect.
Previously I had always had an IV Pentobarb injection as my preferred method but some vets struggle to find a vein and it can stress the rabbit. Other vets prefer to 'gass them down' before hand so they are semi-sedated, however the smell of the gas is awful and many rabbits panic and have even been known to scream. It also means your rabbits last lucid moments are not spent with you but a stranger.
After consulting my rabbit savvy vet (as opposoed to the emergency vet that performed th procedure) Judith Brown at the RWA and other experienced owners and veterinary nurses I now have it on my records that my rabbits may only be euthanised AFTER an intramuscular injection of Domitor (Drug used in GAs and IM means no fiddling to find a vein) which renders them totally unconscious. This takes a few minutes extra but literally means they drift of to sleep without fear or pain in the owners arms.
I will then allow the pentobarb to be administered abdominally.
Both PETA, Judith Brown and many other vets agree there is absoluely no reason why a intracardial pentobarb injection should be neccesary especially in a conscious rabbit as should the vet miss the heart death is slow and painful.
I hope this post does not upset anyone but I think it is VERY important people are aware about the correct method for PTS on a rabbit as it differs so greatly from larger animals and its not a topic people like to discuss due to the difficult emotions it raises.
