On-farm euthanasia – providing a good death

Abstract

Decisions involving compromised cattle include treatment, slaughter or euthanasia. The American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) Guidelines for the Humane Euthanasia of Cattle contain a helpful list of considerations to aid decision making.1 Rather than repeat what you can easily find yourself in the aforementioned guidelines, I will outline some ideas to consider to support euthanasia decisions and make the process go as smoothly as possible.