Need Advice

[SSSSnakes]

Crush it's head with a sharp blow from a brick. Quick and painless.

[Shanty]

I'm sure we can agree that we all have a personal philosophy on this issue. Good. I'll respect yours; you can respect mine even if you disagree. Etc, etc, etc. And, yes, a debate is a good thing. This thread made me think about an article I've read before. Here it is for your perusal:

Perception of Pain in Reptiles

Shannon

[joeysgreen]

Saj, I am not a veterinarian but an animal health technologist. I am working towards specialization in exotic companion animals.

The problem with euthanasia by trauma is if it is done with error, it is by far the most painful. Hesitation, poor aim, movement of the snake, poor device (stepping on a snake may press it into the ground but not cause instant death) all can lead to inhumane demise. At the vet clinic they will inject an overdose of barbiturate into the coelom, keep the animal warm, and allow it to slowly fall asleep. This compromises in that the snake feels a needle puncture, but risk of anything more painful is not present.

[chris-uk]

I'm sure we can agree that we all have a personal philosophy on this issue. Good. I'll respect yours; you can respect mine even if you disagree. Etc, etc, etc. And, yes, a debate is a good thing. This thread made me think about an article I've read before. Here it is for your perusal:

Perception of Pain in Reptiles

Shannon

That's a good article.

[Saji]

Great article!

I just posted the article I had for people that don't have access to a vet or one that specializes in exotics. If I had a snake that was in any type of pain and was going to die I would love to shell out a few hundred bucks to put it down in the most humane way. Some of us just dont have that option.

I euthanized 2 puff adders one by injecting it with phenobarbital and one through the method I posted. I could definitely see if it was done wrong how terrible it could be. I just got lucky that he he went fast. Both went fast.

I hope I didnt offend anyone. My field of work is so far out of this realm its not even funny, so its awesome to have people like you guys around.

Saji

[joeysgreen]

It is a good article. I first noticed it was outdated, 1999, but after reading it (I probably last read it in 1999) see that it's for the most part timeless. The drug tables could use an update but are a mere "FYI" for the target audience anyway. I can say that nowadays pain management is an every case, non-negotiable part of invasive procedures, illness or injury.

Ian

[Rayzen]

Well, thanks to all of you for your time & effort in responding to my request for advice. Posting the question was a good thing, because I wasn't totally sure about the possibility of, perhaps, central nervous system regeneration in such a reptile as a garter snake. Although nobody seemed to have a for-sure answer to that question, the lack of one, in itself, is pretty good assurance that such regeneration is not possible, or one of you would probably have known about it. I suspected as much, really.

Additionally, I was prepared to just chop its head off, but d_Virginiana's (sp?) response regarding the possibility of there being residual pain associated with such an act dissuaded me from that method.

So, in the end, I just took SSSnake's (Jerry?) advice and put the poor thing out of its misery with a quick, crushing blow to the head with a chunk of 4" x 4" board, after placing the snake on a flat rock. It was very quick and I'm sure there couldn't have been any pain. I hated to do it, but it seemed kinder than allowing it to slowly die of hunger.

The poor thing hadn't eaten in at least three weeks, for sure.

By the way, Saji, Chris is right about that whole issue of CO2 and a related respiratory stress. People who belong to euthanasia groups, such as The Hemlock Society and Final Exit, are quite adamant about suicide via CO2 as being an unpleasant way to end one's own life, and many of them opt, instead, for breathing in helium. In that way, the body's built-in CO2 "sensor" is effectively bypassed, and the person dies without the desperate gasping for air associated with suffocation. Thanks, anyway, for your consideration and effort.

By the way, I was impressed with the group in this forum. It seems to be a rare thing, now, to find a group of people who, although strangers, can give their differing opinions about things without becoming hostile and rude toward each other, focusing, instead, on the problem at hand.

[SSSSnakes]

By the way, I was impressed with the group in this forum. It seems to be a rare thing, now, to find a group of people who, although strangers, can give their differing opinions about things without becoming hostile and rude toward each other, focusing, instead, on the problem at hand.

Even though I am part of this group, we have a great group of people who seem to want to help, instead of arguing. Other forums should take note of how well people here get along.

[Shanty]

I agree with these assessments, and I'm NEW to this forum. I wouldn't stay EXCEPT for this very reason. What a refreshing change from the other hundred forums I've visited and contributed to. There are a few similar, good forums, but they are iris and chicken forums, alas.