Lethal dose of morphine for a cat

Mary wrote:

wrote:
"Mary" wrote:

While my cat did not like getting the shots, afterward she really did
seem
to just fall asleep.


I wonder if there is a dulled sense of panic between the heart stopping
and the final cessation of brain activity. It must be similar to a heart
attack.

I am curious--and of course if this is too personal I apologize and
retract--have you had a heart attack? I never have, and I wonder what it is
like.

One or both of you have "heart attack" (an uncomfortable to very
painful event, usually due to blockages in blood vessels to the heart,
and causing damage to the heart), confused with "cardiac arrest"
(heart stopping).

When not enough blood/oxygen is being pumped to the brain, one of
the first things that happens is loss of consciousness. (This is
why some people faint when they stand up quickly and blood pressure
doesn't correct quickly enough. Consciousness is shut-off, because
it's easier to get blood to the head when you're lying on the floor.)

It is my understanding that animals are typically given a sedative
and/or painkillers before the drug that stops their heart, so I frankly
doubt there is any sense of panic, dulled or otherwise, except for the
actual insertion of the needle. And since one typically euthanizes
an animal *because* it is in significant discomfort, I suspect the
last thing experienced by the animal is a sense of relief from that
discomfort.








--
jamie )

"There's a seeker born every minute."