For research to provide meaningful information, often tissues must be analyzed in laboratory equipment.  Many times this means that tissues from research animals, which requires that the animal must be euthanized.  

The American Veterinary Medical Association, the national professional society for graduate, licensed veterinarians, has provided a set of guidelines for proper killing of animals in a pain free and distress free manner.

Duke University recognizes that euthanasia is distressing, but still required for many animal studies.  When possible, data collection methods which allow the animal to live is used.  In other situations, the animal must die for proper collection of animal tissue.  Duke University adheres to the guidelines of the American Veterinary Medical Association. A copy of this report is available in pdf format by clicking here. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open this file.  The Reader program is a FREE program.  Click here to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader.

When any Duke animal is being euthanized, the techniques must be reviewed and approved by the Duke Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). 

General guidelines for euthanasia at Duke include:

• Animals will be euthanized only when necessary
  

• Gentle, careful handling of subject animals is of the utmost importance.
  

• Euthanasia must be carried out by personnel properly trained in the procedure being used.  Many of the approved methods of euthanasia require technical proficiency for proper conduct and should not be attempted without prior training. Other methods may only be used with properly designed equipment. Trained personnel are available to perform or assist in the performance of animal euthanasia.  Contact a Duke Veterinarian if you will need assistance in performing euthanasia in an acceptable manner.
  

• Measures should be taken to ensure that euthanasia is performed in a way that minimizes distress.
  

• No other animals may be present during euthanasia of another animal.
  

• Personnel perceptions and experimental requirements will be considered when a method of euthanasia is chosen.
  

• Anesthesia / sedation will PRECEDE euthanasia in all cases.  An unconscious animal does not perceive pain. Appropriately conducted procedures which render the cerebral cortex nonfunctional by means such as hypoxia or drug induced anesthesia eliminate perception of pain. Reflex motor activity may be present in an animal with a nonfunctional cerebral cortex, but pain is not perceived.
  

• Proper euthanasia technique includes a follow-up exam to confirm the absence of a heartbeat, which is a reliable indicator of death. Monitoring respiration is not considered sufficient since with some euthanasia techniques heartbeat may be maintained after visible respiration has ceased. Ni cases where tissue collection will not occur, thoracotomy of the euthanized should be used to insure that animals do not revive.

For more information on the agents and medicines used for proper euthanasia, click here.

For specific species recommendations of euthanasia, click here.

Adapted from the report of the American Veterinary Medical Association Panel on Euthanasia (J. Am. Vet. Med. Assn. 218:5, 2001). The JAVMA article provides the rationale for these recommendations.

The Duke Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee has reviewed and approved these guidelines.

These methods are in accordance with humane euthanasia as defined by the Federal Animal Welfare Act (54 FR 36112-36163).