It’s never a good day when on-farm euthanasia is required. But unfortunately, it is a necessary part of raising livestock.
In a video from Penn State University, considerations for euthanasia in dairy cattle are addressed by Elizabeth Santini, veterinarian with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and Chet Hughes, Director of Animals Programs for Penn State.
They noted the main reasons to consider euthanasia are:
- Debilitation – An animal that is unable to rise or too weak to walk.
- Quality of life – Significant loss of production and/or suffering due to advanced age, injury, or disease.
- Disease – When no effective treatment is known, or there is a threat to human health and the animal should not be sent to market.
- Inability to eat or drink – Euthanasia is a more humane option than starvation.
- Medical treatment – When an animal has been treated with medication but not responding, and the drug withdrawal time has not yet cleared.
The National Dairy FARM program also provides a highly useful Dairy Cattle Euthanasia Decision Tree, which was developed in cooperation with the. American Association of Bovine Practitioners
The document outlines the three recommended cattle euthanasia methods, which are:
- Gunshot – Using an appropriate firearm, ammunition, and anatomic site to cause physical disruption of brain activity by direct destruction of brain tissue.
- Penetrating captive bolt – As part of a 2-step process, the captive bolt renders the animal unconscious. The euthanasia is then completed via either exsanguination (bleeding out); injecting a saturated solution of either potassium chloride or magnesium sulfate; or destroying the brain and spinal cord (pithing) to ensure death.
- Chemical – A veterinarian administers an intravenous barbiturate drug or IV anesthetic agent to induce unconsciousness, again followed by a secondary method such as exsanguination. When chemical agents are used, those animals should not be rendered.
The decision tree also walks through the consideration steps that may lead to euthanasia, such as whether or not an animal has been non-ambulatory for 24 hours or more, and if she can sit upright on her own. It is a useful document to review with the herd veterinarian, and even print out and post on the farm.
While an unpleasant task, there are times when proper euthanasia is the best course of action to relieve an animal of pain, suffering, or debilitating injury or disease. It’s best to approach euthanasia with rationale and methods that are humane, effective, and safe.
And, as Hughes noted, “It’s better to euthanize a day too early than a day too late.”
