Cervical dislocation is a common method of

animal euthanasia Animal euthanasia ( euthanasia from el, εὐθανασία; "good death") is the act of killing an animal or allowing it to die by withholding extreme medical measures. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditi ...

. It refers to a technique used in physical

euthanasia Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different eut ...

of small animals by applying pressure to the neck and dislocating the

spinal column The vertebral column, also known as the backbone or spine, is part of the axial skeleton. The vertebral column is the defining characteristic of a vertebrate in which the notochord (a flexible rod of uniform composition) found in all chordates ...

from the

skull The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, th ...

brain A brain is an organ (biology), organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as Visual perception, vision. I ...

.Glossary
." CCAC Programs. 2005
Canadian Council on Animal Care
. Accessed 13 July 2007. The aim is to quickly separate the spinal cord from the brainExtension so as to provide the animal with a fast and painless death; however, research on this method has shown it does not consistently concuss the brain and may not cause instantaneous insensibility.

Technique

Firm pressure is applied at the base of the skull, along with a sharp pinching and twisting of the thumb and forefinger. At the same time, the tail is pulled backward. This severs the spinal cord at the base of the brain or within the cervical spine area (the upper third of the neck). According to the

Canadian Council on Animal Care The Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) is a Canadian organization that is responsible for "setting and maintaining standards for the care and use of animals in science" within the country. The organization provides ethical standards for the ...

(CCAC), cervical dislocation is normally only conducted on small animals.

Ethics

The

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 co ...

and some veterinary associations consider the technique to be an

ethical Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ma ...

ly acceptable method for killing small rodents such as rats, mice, squirrels, etc.University of Iowa. "
Euthanasia
.''" Accessed 15 August 2007

References

Animal euthanasia Medical terminology {{Veterinary-med-stub

Technique

Ethics

See also

References