Excerpted from the 2000 Report of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia –

Decapitation

"[Decapitation] is conditionally acceptable if performed correctly, and it should be used in research settings when its use is required by the experimental design and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. The equipment used to perform decapitation should be maintained in good working order and serviced on a regular basis to ensure sharpness of blades. The use of plastic cones to restrain animals appears to reduce distress from handling, minmizes the chance of injury to personnel, and improves positioning of the animal in the guillotine.

"Those responsible for the use of this technique must ensure that personnel who perform decapitation techniques have been properly trained to do so."