Cervical Dislocation

Cervical dislocation is a method of physical euthanasia used on small animals, in which pressure applied to the neck dislocates the spinal column from the skull or brain, with the aim of separating the spinal cord from the brain quickly to produce a fast, painless death. It is normally performed only on small animals, and veterinary and academic authorities, including the University of Iowa, consider it an ethically acceptable method for killing small rodents such as rats, mice, and squirrels.