Anesthesia, Analgesia, and Euthanasia

Anesthesia and analgesia are two of the most important tools in biomedical research. They enable veterinarians and researchers to perform an incredible array of procedures on animals safely, while preserving animal welfare by preventing pain and distress in the animals. Anesthesia provides the reversible loss of consciousness, analgesia, immobility, and amnesia during surgical and imaging procedures as well as allowing the safe handling of potentially dangerous species. The provision of analgesics provides relief from pain for animals due to either experimental manipulations or spontaneous disease. One important aspect of both anesthesia and analgesia is the need for careful monitoring of the efficacy of the drugs and treatments, as underdosing in both can result in significant pain and distress for the animals, while overdosing can result in toxic side effects, unexpected impact on data, or even death of the animal.
Most animals in biomedical research ultimately require humane euthanasia to end their lives, and it is imperative from an animal welfare perspective that this be done as humanely and peacefully for animals as possible. This chapter provides an overview of anesthesia and analgesia and then a discussion of anesthesia, analgesia, and euthanasia for the most commonly used species in biomedical research. The expectation is that trained individuals will be able to safely and effectively anesthetize and provide analgesia for these species when the animals are healthy and have no underlying complications complicating the anesthetic procedure. Additionally, it addresses the current recommendations for the humane euthanasia of the species.