unconsciousness and coma - key to a peaceful death

[ksp]

humanity is much more focused on humane euthanasia for animals
actual death doesn't have to be the end result, as it can be forced through an irreversible coma
many scientific studies are done for large animals, and we can benefit from these advantages:

CONSCIOUSNESS AND UNCONSCIOUSNESS

Consciousness refers to the subjective or inner qualitative experience of an animal in question. In humans, consciousness is common during both sleep and anesthesia, as evidenced by dreaming. One defining feature of dreaming is that, even while conscious, we do not experience our environment—we are disconnected from it. Ideally, general anesthesia prevents the experience of surgery and pain (connected consciousness), as well as producing behavioral unresponsiveness, either by inducing unconsciousness or by disconnecting consciousness from the environment.

Unconsciousness, defined as loss of individual awareness, occurs when the brain's ability to integrate information is blocked or disrupted. In humans, onset of anesthetic-induced unconsciousness has been functionally defined by loss of appropriate response to verbal command; in animals, by loss of the righting reflex.This definition, introduced with the discovery of general anesthesia more than 160 years ago, is still useful because it is an easily observ- able, integrated whole-animal response.

Anesthetics produce unconsciousness either by preventing integration (blocking interactions among specialized brain regions) or by reducing information (shrinking the number of activity patterns available to cortical networks) received by the cerebral cortex or equivalent structure(s). Further, the abrupt loss of consciousness that occurs at a critical concentration of anesthetic implies that the integrated repertoire of neural states underlying consciousness may collapse nonlinearly. Cross-species data suggest that memory and awareness are abolished with less than half the concentration required to abolish movement. Thus, an anesthetic state (unconsciousness and amnesia) can be produced at concentrations of anesthetic that do not prevent physical movements.

Measurements of brain electrical function have been used to objectively quantify the unconscious state. At some level between behavioral unresponsiveness and the induction of a flat EEG (indicating the cessation of the brain's electrical activity and brain death), consciousness must vanish. However, EEG data cannot provide definitive answers as to onset of unconsciousness. Brain function monitors based on EEG are limited in their ability to directly indicate presence or absence of unconsciousness, especially around the transition point; also, it is not always clear which EEG patterns are indicators of activation by stress or pain.

main acceptable methods for animal euthanasia:
- nitrogen / argon (Inhaled Agents)
- carbon monoxide
- sodium pentobarbital (Nembutal) with local anesthetic agents
- ultrapotent opioids (Etorphine hydrochloride and carfentanil)
- dissociative agents
- etc (many more listed)

unacceptable agents:

Strychnine, nicotine, insulin, caffeine, cleaning agents, solvents, pesticides, disinfectants, and other toxicants not specifically designed for therapeutic or euthanasia use are unacceptable for use as euthanasia agents under any circumstances.

Magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride, and neuromuscular blocking agents are unacceptable for use as euthanasia agents in conscious vertebrate animals. These agents may be used for euthanasia of anesthetized or unconscious animals as previously described.



source: AVMA guidelines for the euthanasia of animals (AVMA = American Veterinary Medical Association)
(View AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals: 2020 Edition)

ps. researched using 'best method for euthanasia' on DuckDuckGo

 

[don't want it]

I don't understand how coma be painful?

 

[ksp]

I don't understand how coma be painful?

coma is the most peaceful death (not painful)

 

[locked*n*loaded]

This takes a lot of methods off the table if one is looking to achieve unconsciousness or coma before death.