Expert: Charlotte Sherrell, DVM - 7/3/2010

Question
My fiancé and I recently had to have our hamster put to sleep after he was suffering from a large cancer tumour. Although it was sad, we were sure we were doing the right thing until the actual event.
The vet nurse picked him up and stabbed him through the chest quite violently with the syringe. He appeared to be in terrible pain as she emptied the syringe into him, he was struggling but too weak to fight back and we were in complete shock as we've had pets put to sleep before and it was always a gentle and careful thing.
We are now scared that he was suffering and terrified. It took him 10 minutes to pass.

She used about 5mls of a blue liquid, but never told us what it was or whether or not it would allow him to pass gently.
I was trying to find out more online but am now worried as one site said he should have been sedated first and another said that there should have been two injections otherwise he would have just been deeply unconcious. It's now also giving me nightmares to think we might have buried him alive. He did show signs that he'd emptied his bladder afterwards, but there was no rigamortis.

I just need to ask someone, so we can put our minds to rest, if she really had hurt him as badly as it looked, how that chemical would have worked, whether it would have allowed him to die peacefully in the end and that he was definetely gone when we buried him (about 25 mins after the injection).

Many thanks for your time.

Answer
Kayleigh -

Please let me extend my sympathies for the death of your hamster.  I am also sorry for the unfortunate experience you had as you were putting your pet to sleep.  What you experienced no pet parent should ever have experienced and hopefully you never will again.  

From what you have described, it seems as though the pet nurse might have injected the medicine directly into the abdomen - called an intra peritoneal injection.  If the needle was dull or dulled by pulling up the medication,  the injection may have been painful as the needle punctured the skin and the abdominal wall.  

Most medications used for euthanasia are barbiturates that suppress the respiratory system and cause death in that manner.  Death usually does not appear to be painful and the animal does not usually appear to be suffering. Most pets seem to go to sleep peacefully without any worries.  However, there are some instances that the pets may make noises or may move involuntarily as the body shuts down.

If it took your pet ten minutes to pass away one of two things may have happened - not enough   medication was used, or your pet's circulatory system may have been not functioning properly  which slowed down the effects of the medication.  

The pet nurse should have taken the time to explain what she/he was going to do and what you should have expected to happen.  Some veterinarians prefer to sedate animals before the euthanasia process because it makes it easier on the pet and the pet parents.  

I cannot tell you if he was definitely gone when you buried him because I was not there to make sure the heart had stopped beating before he was buried. There are certainly ways to determine if the pet was not alive - there should have been no heart beating. no evidence of respiration.

Take the time to speak to the veterinarian about what happened instead of the pet nurse.  Let the veterinarian know what happened and  put it in writing.  The vet should respond to you with changes that will be made in the euthanasia process at his/her vet clinic.  NO animal should experience pain as you have described and no pet parents should experience what you have experienced as you attempted to relieve your pet of pain.  

Again, I am sorry for your loss.

Best Regards,

Charlotte Sherrell, DVM