Cervical dislocation


Cervical dislocation is a common method of animal euthanasia. It refers to a used in physical euthanasia of small animals by applying pressure to the neck and dislocating the spinal column from the skull or brain. The aim is to quickly separate the spinal cord from the brain 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. According to the Canadian Council on Animal Care, cervical dislocation is normally only conducted on small animals.

Ethics

The University of Iowa and some veterinary associations consider the technique as an ethically accepted method for terminating the life of small rodents such as rats, mice, squirrels, etc.