# Halothane - Fluothane



## Alethea (Jul 14, 2010)

It is sad to report that Diesel is doing very badly and having him taken to the vet to be put to sleep is out of the question, since it will cost over $150 and I am still paying for Ruca's bills. *sighs* 

I have been doing a lot of reading about a drug called halothane, otherwise known by its trademarked name as fluothane. This is a local anesthetic drug, that I have read can be used to humanly euthanize rodents, by that I mean a pet rat. I read that this liquid can be poured onto cotton balls/cloth/etc and placed inside of a jar. Making the rattie comfortable, you are supposed to place his head inside until he spots breathing and his heart ceases. They say to make sure, let the head remain steady in the jar for a short time period, just to make sure life has been fully ceased.

Now before people start getting rump-hurt or upset with this topic, one has to realize what is better for a rat, being as peacefully put to sleep as possible or dying a painful and miserable death.

Which leads me to my questions. Has anyone ever done this sort of thing at home? If so please explain what happened and how things went. I want to know if this is something I should seriously considering, using educated responses only. I want to know if this is going to be quick and painless for my baby and what are complications that could arise? 

I will be doing more researching when I get home, I just would like to hear first up from my fellow rat owners. Thanks everyone for your time.


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

I have never heard of this method... but I think if it was humane then vets would use it. Right now the vet has to gas the rat and inject it straight into the heart. So I'm sure if something like this was humane and effective... it would be the preferred method. I'm sorry to hear about poor Diesel... what is wrong with him exactly that he needs to be euthanized? 

Where are you located?


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## Alethea (Jul 14, 2010)

Okay, so rather then retyping all the things that this person has posted on another rat site, I will post the bits and pieces that I see as informational. 

"The normal method used for dogs and cats is by giving an injection of a euthanasia drug directly into a vein, but this cannot be done on a rat or mouse due to its size. Finding a vein large enough to inject into is not an option, so the injection is given either directly into the heart or into the peritoneal cavity (belly). Both of these injections are extremely painful, thereby making them inhumane. Yes, it is true that, in most cases, the pet will just go to sleep and dies within a matter of minutes, but why would you want your pet to have to go through that painful injection in its last moments when it is not necessary? (I have also heard of cases where a second injection was necessary!) It is enough that your pet has to go through the trauma of being taken from its comfortable home to the vet’s office in its final moments, so you should make certain that the rest is painless."

"Making euthanasia pain free is as simple as insisting that your pet be anesthetized using an inhalant anesthesia prior to being given any fatal injections. A fatal injection may not even be necessary if the rat or mouse is given an overdose of the anesthesia. Anesthesia overdose is also a method that can be used at home if you have a source of obtaining Halothane in your state."

"However, I would not even consider euthanizing a pet at home using any other method than anesthesia overdose. It is the only humane method, in my opinion. Let me explain this procedure.

When it is time, I settle down on the bed or the sofa with a nice, plush towel for the rattie to be comfortable on. I pour some Halothane onto a couple of cotton balls that have been placed in a clean and empty small baby food jar. I put the jar in front of the rat’s nose. Halothane is not unpleasant, but the rat usually moves away from the jar at first. After moving it back in front of the rat’s nose, he often sticks his nose into the jar and, in a short amount of time, just falls asleep while I am petting him, talking to him, telling him how much I love him, and making him feel completely comfortable. Slowly, and not afraid, he goes to sleep.

Once asleep, the rat needs to continue to breathe the Halothane until he stops breathing and his heart stops. To ensure that he has definitely gone and his heart does not start again, I leave the jar in front of the rat’s nose and walk away for about ten minutes. This method has been a comfort to both me and the rats I have used it on. It is never an easy decision to end an animal’s life, but I am at peace knowing that my pet did not have to suffer, and was surrounded by love in his last moments of life."
(Important bits from the posting, link below leads directly to the article.)

http://www.rmca.org/Articles/euthanasia.htm​






ema-leigh: Diesel has a large abscess under his chin, that for about the past week has stayed the same large size like that of a quarter. I think you had posted in my other health topic that explains about the abscess. I guess I could have posted this there, but it wouldn't get peoples attention, if they know the name of that drug I am speaking about. But anyway, Diesel has lost a bit of weight, even though he is still eating and drinking like normal, which means he is close to his time as it is. I just want to make sure I am doing the right thing and not allowing for him to suffer.


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

Thats really interesting, I had always been told there was no humane way to do home euthanasia. You could try posting this thread on www.ratshackforum.com as you may get quicker responses there for this particular topic. I for one would be very interested in following this up with some research, as I always feel taking them the vet office really stresses them out in their final moments and would be good to have around in an emergency . Where are you located? And have you found a source you can purchase the Halothane/Fluothane from?

Do you have any photos of him? Some weight loss could be considered normal because hes an older guy, but he should be able to heal from an abscess. It may be the sort of abscess that needs the vet to flush it to get everything out... but I know you can't afford that right now.. but I still think with time and persistence you could deal with that abscess at home.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

I don't think halothane is something you can easily get at home. :-\ Rofl.

And even then, it's been replaced by other more stable anaesthetics like isoflurane, which is used to put rats under anyways. That article is OLD.


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

So I contacted my vet last night to try find out more about this method.

Jaguar is right, its illegal for a vet to give you the Halothane without a prescription... so if you do find someone selling it its highly unlikely to contain much, if any, of the drug itself - so who knows what else you are dosing your rat with at the same time. He said studies shown that the drug immobilizes them... but theres no evidence to suggest its humane... or even what the 'right' dose to give your rat would be... of course they will look peaceful if their whole body goes limp. If it were a good method, a lot more vets would use it as it would be much cheaper than the gas and injection used in their current method. Inhalants have been linked to burning, so straight away the fact that article doesn't give a specific amount depending on weight of rat and doesn't tell you to administer it a bit at a time.. ie. put the rat to sleep then overload their system with the drug... should be enough to tell you its not a reliable source. I think its very irresponsible for that site to have that sort of information up..


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## Alethea (Jul 14, 2010)

Then let me ask this, the ways the vet does their method with the needle through the heart or stomach, doesn't method overload their system with the normal drugs too? I read this out of an article: _"Unconsciousness, respiratory then cardiac arrest follow rapidly, usually within 30 seconds"_ Thirty seconds or not, respiratory and cardiac arrest do not sound like a kind thing, even if it is seconds before passing. (I don't know all that much about such things, which is why I am asking ) 

Seeing that my other post relating to Diesel's health is stating he is at the end of his ropes, I will not be choosing any method to put him to sleep, he will be passing comfortably at home. I am just curious to the ways these sorts of things work for future reference, since I have five more babies to worry about.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

That article is Debbie D...and the reason I will never take her seriously ever again. Telling people how to humanely euthanize at home is just WRONG. Gassing down before a final heart stick or abdomen injection is really the most humane way, its over very quickly and its usually very peaceful.

As for the $150, does this include disposal of the body? Can you take the body home to bury it or ?.

If you truly cannot afford the euthanasia, I would recommend calling animal shelters or humane societies, as they often will do the euth at a much much lower cost, but you basically just hand them over.


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## Alethea (Jul 14, 2010)

Well at least she was offering a method that is trying to be humane. I am sure people do a lot worse at home when they do not have the money. But that does make sense, I think I was taken by the article, because of her wording and how 'nice' she made the process sound.

I am not sure what that would entail as far as the disposial. Either way, any animal I would take to the vet I would want to come home with me and be buried where I can visit the gravesite.

And as for putting him to sleep... That is no longer a concern as he passed sometime during the day while I was at work. I have posted a thread in the rainbow bridge section for his memory <3


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

The injection itself that the vet gives would not be humane if given by itself, but they gas them first with isoflurane so they won't feel the needle. The isoflurane is what they would use to put them under for surgery, so you know that anything they do after the rat is out... they won't feel or even know about. They are pretty much gone consciously after being gassed and therefore won't suffer with that method. Yeah the drugs overload their system, but they are already asleep.


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## Alethea (Jul 14, 2010)

Ah I see now. I didn't know they used the gas to put them to sleep first. At least they are in a deep enough sleep to not feel the needle. At least that is nice to know for the future. Thanks.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

yes, they are first put under with isoflurane before the lethal injection, which is what i meant by my post. 

i take most of what debbie d takes with a grain of salt, too. her care articles are ridiculously outdated and some of the things she swears by are questionable at best.


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