ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses questions on the topic of euthanasia. The chapter is organized into eight sections: General Guidelines and IACUC Policy; Endpoints; Inhalant and Other Chemical Methods; Physical Methods; Adjunctive Methods-Stunning, Pithing, Exsanguination; Pre-Natal and Neonatal Rodents; Field Studies; and Other Euthanasiarelated Questions. In addition to the Guide, PHS Policy, and AWAR, the major ‘regulatory’ (see 17:2) reference for this chapter is the 2013 AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals. This newest iteration of the AVMA Guidelines was just released just prior to the third edition of The IACUC Handbook going to press and some of the questions in this chapter reect issues related to the application of the 2007 AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia that were clari-ed or changed in the 2013 iteration. Note also that, at the time this third edition of The IACUC Handbook went to press, NIH/OLAW was in a public comment period concerning the new AVMA Guidelines, and updated guidance may be posted near the time the Handbook is published. The reader is urged to consult the most recent guidance from NIH/OLAW and APHIS/AC prior to making decisions regarding acceptable techniques and policies for euthanasia. The Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) also has published several guideline documents that address various issues related to euthanasia. Although U.S. and other non-Canadian readers are not required to adhere to the CCAC guidelines, these documents include some excellent information that should be of interest to all readers. Where pertinent, this information is summarized in the Regulatory and/or Opinion parts of this chapter.
