Question about .22 bullets and a quick kill? Warning, graphic.

J

JD Powell

New member
Rough morning here. Got a call that one of my dogs had been hit by a car. Three year old male Siberian husky roughly 70lbs. Broke his hip and spine. Brought him home to put him down.

I keep my H&R 999 loaded with 1200fps CCI copper plate round nose. But thought the rem subsonic hollow points I had would be a better choice and swapped out.

Put three rounds in through the forehead. Midway between the eyes and ears. with the muzzle about 3 inches away. Watched him stop breathing, and felt for heartbeat. Went to get the tractor to dig a hole. When I returned,(20-30 min) he was laying there whining!? I quickly put 4 of the CCI rounds directly behind the right ear, and that finished it.

Replaying the scene in my mind I have to wonder if bullet choice was my mistake? I remember trapping as a teenager. Where I dispatched many a coon and fox with a single .22 short. Only one coon ever required multiple hits, and he was in the end stages of rabies.

Sorry if this is a bit gruesome, didn't really know where to post it. Just trying to make sure this never happens again.
 
I had to put my mom's deaf and blind dog down after she died ..... I was afraid of not using enough gun, so I used a 30/30. It was quick. And messy. I washed up and bawled like a baby.
 
Very sorry to hear that sir. As Art suggested, I think your problem was shot placement more than ammo choice.

I've seen a number of large-ish animals (sheep, goats, cows, pigs) dispatched cleanly with a single bullet directly behind the ear with a 22LR using generic WalMart type ammo.

I hope you never have the misfortune of trying again.
 
As a "country boy" for all my life, I have lived with stock and pets now for 55 years.

I have had to kill MANY animals over the years, and some were dearly loved pets.
The mistake most folks make is to want to make a "small mess" more then to dispatch the animal instantly. It's a concession we make to ourselves, because we don't want to see gore when killing a beloved pet in mercy. As I said, IT'S A MISTAKE!
Use enough gun. Yes it can be more gory. So what? It's not being done for us! It's a mercy to the pet. So put your feelings aside completely and use something that you KNOW will kill with one shot.
I typically use a 357 mag on dogs and cats, and I use a 44 mag, a 454 Casull or a 30-06 with 180 or 220 grain bullets on large stock from 150 to 2000 pounds. On big bulls I have used a 375H&H in the past.

Can I kill cattle with a smaller caliber? Sure. I have done it. As small as a 22 LR.
But I have never seen any suffering with a larger caliber and I HAVE seen it with smaller ones. Perfectly placed, a 22 LR dropped cattle in their tracks. So does a hard 357 Magnum. There in NO disadvantage with using a but more then you need, but sometimes there is in using a bit less.
 
I will also chime in with BTDT and as I was told by my late FIL after a similar situation to USE ENOUGH GUN to get the job done!
And Here is to hoping to never have to do that again!
 
Um, no idea what BTDT means. Care to clarify?

Shot placement seems to be the consensus here. That sucks. Behind the ear shots from now on.

Also going to try out the 60grain SSS ammo from Aguila. Think the heavier slower bullet may be more suited to the use this revolver will see. Just got the revolver for Christmas to hunt rabbit and squirrel. Crappy that the first kill with it was a botched job on my own dog.

Wyosmith, Unfortunately my only larger caliber is 12ga. So that was not ideal either. I am now considering a .38spcl might be the ticket for this particular type of work. As it was not the first or last pet I've had to put down.
 
It may well have been the sub-sonic rounds. A dogs brain pretty well fills their skull, so its doubtful all three shots would miss the brain.

.22 LRs rounds to the brain have killed untold thousands, upon thousands of animals, hogs, calfs, wounded deer, etc, etc. So I don't think you were wrong in assuming it would cleanly do the job.
 
I've put several animals down, from diary cows to deer to cats. If you can get them to stay still long enough, put the barrel of a 5 inch of long bbl 22lr in its ear lined up with the ear canal. They drop instantly without a whimper.

If they won't stay still, I've found the 38spcl round nose lead bullet to the back of the head just above the neck does the job too. It is a little messier, but it's kind to the animal.
 
Seen a lot of guys do this, get a bigger gun on a loved pet. I use a 22 mag or larger on a dog. Nothing worse than seeing a dog you love get back up and make a bigger mess flinging blood around.

Had to put down a few animals in my life, if I use a 22 it is a fmj.

I did use a 30-30 once on a pit bull, no mess, he died right there no suffering.
 
How horrible.
Click to expand...

Yes, horrible ...... but less horrible than toting a suffering animal off to the place that he associates the smell of with pain, fear, and isolation.

.......and certainly less horrible than admitting to yourself that you don't have the intestinal fortitude to do what is necessary, and paying someone else to do what is your duty.



* or in my case, an aged, blind deaf and arthritic dog- same thing
 
Jimbob, excellent point! You just touched a nerve. My dear old friend, Bridger the lab, had reached the end and couldn't get out of bed a few years back. I took him to the vet and they did their work.

I have never been able to forgive myself for not taking him to the ranch and letting him be in his favorite spot while "I did my duty". Live and learn.

I will use the .22 mag next time! Sorry for the loss of your dog JD.:(
 
thank you Jimbob

and next time I will use the .38
Having my hands on Fergie I used all 8 shots (.22) and there was still quivering.
I'm inclined to think a lot of DRT isn't really:(
 
Very sorry to hear your misfortune,



I have never put a close pet down but I have often contemplated on the fact that I will have to do it some day. I wouldn't want it to be too messy, but I definitely would want to get it done quickly. I think that a 22 would do the trick, but no shot can be 100% predictable. But in the urgent task at hand you would have to use whatever is available.

Many domestic dogs are quite resilient and they can linger for some time after suffering horrific injuries.

Again I have been no help, but I am very sad for your loss. I have a few dogs and some are very close buddies.
 
When both legs and a spine are broken, this doesn't apply, but one of the reasons why I really, REALLY like our vets office is that they go to great lengths to make it a HAPPY place for animals. Our dog (and even cats) aren't the least bit nervous about being there. The dog (new puppy) acts like we're taking her to Disney Land.

Our last little dog, a Maltese that was my wife's constant companion, had developed heart failure and could not be saved within reasonable means. We had little choice but have her put to sleep. The vet said that she wasn't in pain and would just get more and more "tired" until we would know when it was time.

When the time came, my wife took her to the office. The dog was calm and "happy" the entire time. It was very sad but she seemed to know what was happening. Near the last few minutes, she was on the table and actually walked over to my wife, put her paws and head on my wife's shoulders, sighed, slid down, walked over to the vet and laid down.

As I said, when they've been hit by cars and need to go NOW, it's one thing, but I wouldn't have a vet that my dog couldn't go to peacefully, for exactly the reasons of how it went with our last dog.
 
Maybe we're just wired differently..
But I could never take one of my animals in for lethal injection. I would sure rather myself to be taken down by the creek and shot in the head than poisoned that way.

I had put a fair number of smaller animals down with a single .22 round. Just didn't think I could screw it up. Normaly death is instant. And if its over before the dog knows whats going on I don't go to bed feeling like Judas. At any rate, this is a lesson I intend to learn exactly once. The mistakes will not be repeated.
 
I guess we must be. Lethal injection causes no more pain than a rabies vaccine (I've never even seen a dog react to the needle) and frees me from the blood, gore and the life-long memory of shooting my animal (and yes, I've done it). Lethal injection is as merciful as it gets, so long as the animal is not left in excruciating pain on the trip to the vet's.
 
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