When I was a cop I had to dispatch deer or farm animals involved in wrecks. After the first one, I went to the vet and discussed it with him.
He told me looking down from the top, to draw an imaginary X from left ear to the right eye and the same for the other side. He emphasized that even if the animal is down on the ground to aim thru the intersection of the X down into the spinal column. This would dispatch the animal quickly. If that was not able, then behind the ear towards the opposite eye would destroy the brain.

I wouldn’t t use a 22. I used my issued 357sig, 9 mm, or 12 ga slug.

This thread made me think of the scene in Legends of the Fall.

If the animal is going to be used (I apologize about the pets, but I worked at a zoo for a bit) we could never accept any creature that had been humanely euthanized via chemical means due to the toxin risk.
A horse is a large animal; using beuthanasia would contain its own risk- have to bury deep to make sure this animal wasn’t predated upon for years.

Ok, let me ask. One lives 5-10 miles out of town, about how much $$ for the Vet to drive out and do the ‘pink juice’ or similar injection?

Yes, then you have disposal issues, if a firearm was used, in many instances, scavengers can have a meal.

I’m talking about an animal clearly at the end of life, there are no chances of recovery.

quote:

Originally posted by horsedoc:
I honestly have more experience with this than I'd like to admit. I obviously prefer the pink juice injection but it's not always available. My primary 2nd is a Winchester 9422 in 22lr. However I have used my daily carry, sig 229 in 357sig many times. Both are equally effective.

The key is shot placement. Draw an imaginary x between the eyes and ears and most importantly the shot needs to be perpendicular to the skull.

I hate that we even have to discuss this, but it's a necessary evil as a veterinarian.

Tommy

Mrs. DaBigBR is a DVM. All small animal now but did mixed practice for several years. She would agree with everything in this post.

I grew up on a farm where we raised over 600 head of cattle a year. I've lost count at all the critters that had to be put down. Anything from a .22LR and up will work for the job "IF" the bullet is placed right. However, in not every situation is that possible and the job just needs to get done. Any centerfire rifle or medium/larger caliber handgun will do the job with the correct ammo.

I'd go with a .22mag over .22LR and use solids. If she is going to carry a revolver for self defense, she could always pair that with a single shot rifle from Henry for some added thumping power and ease of aiming or a lever action.

For the record, we used everything from a .22LR to a .30-06, essentially whatever we had on hand at the time.

quote:

single shot rifle from Henry

That Henry break open in 357/38 seems like a great choice. $625 retail.

quote:

Originally posted by calugo:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by YellowJacket:
I would expect a large animal vet to keep euthanasia medicines in syringes for her patients and not have to shoot animals.

^^^This^^^

Why would a trained Vet need to use a gun to put a horse down instead of having the appropriate drugs available???? I could see using a gun for a rabid animal but not a horse that just needs to be euthanized.[/QUOTE

You probably haven't been exposed to a colicing 1200 pound horse flipping and flopping like a fish out of water. You risk significant injury and probably won't get an injection in it anyway. So do you let it suffer till it's close enough to dead to give it an injection instead?

As for other livestock it's frowned upon to use a controlled substance, which euthanasia solution is,in food producing animals.

I will add that with a center fire pistol cartridge use FMJ or solids, not Holowpoints, don't ask how I know.

Tommy

quote:

Originally posted by horsedoc:

quote:

Originally posted by calugo:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by YellowJacket:
I would expect a large animal vet to keep euthanasia medicines in syringes for her patients and not have to shoot animals.

^^^This^^^


Why would a trained Vet need to use a gun to put a horse down instead of having the appropriate drugs available???? I could see using a gun for a rabid animal but not a horse that just needs to be euthanized.[/QUOTE

You probably haven't been exposed to a colicing 1200 pound horse flipping and flopping like a fish out of water. You risk significant injury and probably won't get an injection in it anyway. So do you let it suffer till it's close enough to dead to give it an injection instead?

As for other livestock it's frowned upon to use a controlled substance, which euthanasia solution is,in food producing animals.

I will add that with a center fire pistol cartridge use FMJ or solids, not Holowpoints, don't ask how I know.

Tommy

I recall many times holding the IV bottle for a neck injection on horses and cows. Some horses did notlike it. Cows were usually down with what Dad called milk fever

Speaking of hard to treat animals [fortunately not all for putting down] I recall a few very dangerous but still somewhat humorous times an adult chimp needed a shot. Especially the older ones.

The vast majority of us don’t like to think about such things. That said, sometimes you get to the end of the road, no options available.

Kel Tec sub 9 in 9MM for $320 at PSA might be a good and inexpensive option.

It’s wild reading people justify this and then also say they had a terrible experience where it didn’t work cleanly. If a vet has time to show up it can easily be injected. If people have called the vet then family members are there because it’s no different than the family dog. Maybe even more since it might have been a family member for 30 years.

Imagine showing up with a firearm and the entire family is there in tears and you walk up and have one of those seemingly common “ask me how I know” situations while the family looks on. Totally unacceptable in 2026. Before the usuals come in the exemption doesn’t make the rule.

quote:

Originally posted by horsedoc:

You probably haven't been exposed to a colicing 1200 pound horse flipping and flopping like a fish out of water. You risk significant injury and probably won't get an injection in it anyway. So do you let it suffer till it's close enough to dead to give it an injection instead?

In all seriousness, how do you shoot a horse that is flipping and flopping about? Seems like quite the moving target to try and hit some imaginary X on it's forehead, or the head at all. Wouldn't some sort of tranquilizer gun be needed to "calm it down", regardless of whether a lethal injection or a bullet was used in the next final step?

Every circumstance is different. But it is way easier to deal with using a firearm than to try and get an IV into a vein.

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:
It’s wild reading people justify this and then also say they had a terrible experience where it didn’t work cleanly. If a vet has time to show up it can easily be injected. If people have called the vet then family members are there because it’s no different than the family dog. Maybe even more since it might have been a family member for 30 years.

Imagine showing up with a firearm and the entire family is there in tears and you walk up and have one of those seemingly common “ask me how I know” situations while the family looks on. Totally unacceptable in 2026. Before the usuals come in the exemption doesn’t make the rule.

I’ve never said this before, but please take your sanctimonious bullshit elsewhere. Start your own thread on how wrong it is to use a firearm for euthanasia.

I started this thread to ask a serious question about a serious matter. The vet schools teach euthanasia by gunshot, and the veterinary associations accept it. In response to you and others horsedoc and others have already said that it is acceptable, necessary, and at times the preferred method. Yet you won’t accept that and presume to know more than those with proper training and experience.

I spoke to my niece again, and she was taught in vet school how to use a firearm for euthanasia. They just didn’t teach anything about how to use the gun itself. That was the reason for her request for me to teach her, and the reason I reached out here for advice from those with experience.

It’s no surprise that I got good answers from knowledgeable people. I guess it’s also no surprise that I got ignorant people who can’t help commenting anyway.

I’d rather error on the overkill side than need several shots. Another issue could be location, some areas a larger round may be more problematic.

A few years ago my son hit a cow in rural Utah. The cow was injured but alive, later dispatched by the rancher, rifle.

The above is an example where a vet would be very impractical. I’ve seen deer injured but alive along the highway, mostly dealt with by police.

I kinda hate this story, but here it goes:

A few years back we had a horse kick the door open on its trailer and jump out at 60+mph in the middle of a busy 4-lane highway. When we got there it was in the grass median with a broken leg and other injuries. It was scared and in pain, and worse, trying to get up. There was a very real possibility that it was going to get out into traffic.

The owner was on scene and requested that we put it down. One guy had a trainee with him and decided that this would be a good opportunity for him to learn about the shotgun. His shot placement was poor, and it didn't get the job done. Another officer ended it quickly with a 9mm to the head, which IMO is what should have happened in the first place.

Basic pistol calibers are more than adequate, but even a 12ga slug won't do the job if you don't put it in the right place.

I've never shot a horse, but I've ended the suffering of a bunch of injured deer, and a 9mm properly applied to the brain is instantaneous and humane. They may twitch and kick for a bit, but you can see the lights go out and they're not feeling a thing. It's quick and expedient (no need to wait hours for a vet to show up while the animal is in pain), can be applied from a safe distance so as to limit the risk of getting injured by a flailing animal, and involves no toxic chemicals so the animal can be used for feed (or human food) after it's put down.

I understand the emotions involved with a pet. I sat up all night with my last dog as she was dying waiting for the vet to open, and actually contemplated shooting her just to end her suffering, but in the end I couldn't do it. The drug cocktail that the vet used was undramatic and humane, but ultimately I think that was more of a comfort for me than it was for the dog, and I undoubtedly prolonged her suffering by waiting. Whatever route you take isn't going to be easy, but IMO one is not morally better than another, and the decision needs to be made based on the circumstances with minimizing the suffering as a priority.

ETA: Killing things is always ugly, and the older I get the less I like doing it. I used to hunt but these days I get my venison from fresh roadkill and most of my time in the woods is spent with a camera rather than a rifle. I get a lot more excitement and joy from shooting big animals with a camera than I ever did with a gun. And camera season is year-round!

A couple of weeks ago a buddy and I rescued a deer that was trapped inside a fence. It wore itself out running around in there and ultimately it just laid down. I managed to get ahold of it and pet it like a dog to calm it down, and we were able to lift it over the fence and set it free. That experience was so much more fulfilling and memorable than any time I've spent in a tree stand.

I'm not saying that I've become some tree-hugging hippie, and I'll still kill stuff when there's cause to, but my perspective on it is different than it once was.

I'm not sure how widespread the news was, but does anyone remember the Smokehouse Creek fire and the Windy Deuce fire of Feb 2024? An estimated 12,000 cattle were lost to that fire that covered 1.2 million acres. Couldn't tell you how many horses, sheep, goats, hogs, or other animals were involved.
That fire was here in the TX Panhandle. There was a whole lot of those animals that had to be put down by firearms. I can't imagine letting a critter suffer with burnt eyes and horrible burns while waiting on the medical approach.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 1s1k:
It’s wild reading people justify this and then also say they had a terrible experience where it didn’t work cleanly. If a vet has time to show up it can easily be injected. If people have called the vet then family members are there because it’s no different than the family dog. Maybe even more since it might have been a family member for 30 years.

Imagine showing up with a firearm and the entire family is there in tears and you walk up and have one of those seemingly common “ask me how I know” situations while the family looks on. Totally unacceptable in 2026. Before the usuals come in the exemption doesn’t make the rule.[bee/QUOTE]

Been doing this for 29 years, one week I euthanized over 20 animals, I seriously considered changing careers, even though all were justified. 99.9 percent of all the euthanasia I've done have been by IV injection but it's not always possible.

Walk.a mile in my shoes before you judge.

Tommy

I’m going to add one more comment here that perhaps none of you have thought about - you’re talking about carrying around a scheduled drug on a whim or the possibility of .. these days typically those drugs have to be under lock and key with a paper log. What a PIA for the vet, one more layer of concern to add to their load. It’s one thing if it’s planned, and maybe today it’s routine to have a lockbox in the vehicle, but if it’s something you hadn’t planned for and you find an animal that’s agonal when you were told something different on the phone.
Once upon a time I had to do a monthly inventory all of our scheduled drugs at a major research facility - if even 1cc was missing, we had a problem, and I had to start tracking all the euthanasias for all the animals in the last month.
When I worked at a medical school and had to go and get this type of drug from the hospitals, the chain of custody log was ridiculous.
Something to consider.