Speaking of pets.....

[campgottagopee]

Tail docking, ear cropping and feline declawing are three procedures that are constant fodder for debate.

Ear cropping is done for no reason other than the cosmetics of it. In 25+ years of being a veterinarian, I have never cropped a dog's ears. The few dogs that I do see with cropped ears anymore have usually had the procedure done by the "breeder"-and more often than not, it looks like it was done on someone's work bench with an old scissor.

Tail docking has more of a functionality, based on a dog's breeds intended original purpose. The procedure is typically done when a pup is but days old and results in one or two absorbable stitches being thrown.

Declawing is the most controversial of the three procedures. There is one school of thought that says that it is a procedure that does not benefit the cat at all. I am a strong advocate of cats best kept as inside pets. I have no doubt that cats live longer, healthier lives as house-kept pets. I constantly see injury and disease that the cats would not have had the opportunity to succumb to had they been indoor pets. Many cats can be shown from the get-go that inappropriate scratching in a house is just that-inappropriate. These cats can be encouraged to take their scratching behavior to acceptable places such as scratching posts, boards and boxes. Some cats don't quite buy into this program, either due to their own obsinance or because they weren't properly trained. In that case, I accept declawing as an option. I believe that the temporary perception of discomfort that the cats may experience is far outweighed by the benefit of the cat being kept indoors. Too often people make the choice of allowing a cat that is thought to inappropriately claw things to go outside, even though they may have originally intended for the cat to be kept indoors.

Hey Doc, what's your thought on having dew claws removed in K9.....The breeder we got our 2 from was very persistant on having them removed, but I refused to have it done. I just don't see how removing a digit from a pup is a good thing...???? I've seen dogs without them having hard time holding bones and even cornering while playin' frisbee. I understand they do it so it doesn't tear while traveling over certain terrain but I've never seen it happen. What you think.

 

[Dr Skimeister]

Hey Doc, what's your thought on having dew claws removed in K9.....The breeder we got our 2 from was very persistant on having them removed, but I refused to have it done. I just don't see how removing a digit from a pup is a good thing...???? I've seen dogs without them having hard time holding bones and even cornering while playin' frisbee. I understand they do it so it doesn't tear while traveling over certain terrain but I've never seen it happen. What you think.

Dewclaw removal is optimally done when pups are days old. At that time, the digit is but cartilage. Soon afterward sufficient calcification has occured to make removal a much more involved procedure and unwarrented and borderline cruel. The rare dog that I see with the dews removed are typically in the breeds that have had concurrent tails docked. Rarely are pups presented just for dewclaw removal.

I'm not sure that the dewclaw (thumb) has any function in dogs. I see bunches of dogs every year that have avulsed the claw from that 1st digit or have had the claw grow around into it's pad because the claw hasn't been kept properly nipped. It has to be remembered that that claw isn't getting the wear that the claws on the other digits get because it's not making contact with the ground as the dog walks.

 

[ed-drum]

No not new, but a lot older and wiser.:smile:

 

[campgottagopee]

Dewclaw removal is optimally done when pups are days old. At that time, the digit is but cartilage. Soon afterward sufficient calcification has occured to make removal a much more involved procedure and unwarrented and borderline cruel. The rare dog that I see with the dews removed are typically in the breeds that have had concurrent tails docked. Rarely are pups presented just for dewclaw removal.

I'm not sure that the dewclaw (thumb) has any function in dogs. I see bunches of dogs every year that have avulsed the claw from that 1st digit or have had the claw grow around into it's pad because the claw hasn't been kept properly nipped. It has to be remembered that that claw isn't getting the wear that the claws on the other digits get because it's not making contact with the ground as the dog walks.

Thanks, it is true I have to clip that nail more than any other.....I find trimming nails can be VERY difficult at times...lol....it's funny how diff dogs act....our lil girl Pica could care less and in fact I think she likes it. Now Bode, well youd think I was trying to perfrom chinese tourture on him. They only way I can trim his is to back him in a corner while my wife feeds him some kibble to distract him. Never a dull moment with that one.

 

[hammer]

Thanks, it is true I have to clip that nail more than any other.....I find trimming nails can be VERY difficult at times...lol....it's funny how diff dogs act....our lil girl Pica could care less and in fact I think she likes it. Now Bode, well youd think I was trying to perfrom chinese tourture on him. They only way I can trim his is to back him in a corner while my wife feeds him some kibble to distract him. Never a dull moment with that one.

Mona's like Bode...get near her nails with trimmers or a dremmel and she freaks out. Treats don't work, she ignores them.

Didn't help that the last time I did the nails I hit the quick on every other nail. :sad:

 

[ComeBackMudPuddles]

I get what you're saying Greg, but cutting off a bit of skin is way different than basically chopping off 10 finger tips. IMHO.

A bit of skin maybe. But think of the sensitivity of that area.

Uhhhh, this seems to be getting kinda personal, guys....Maybe you want to talk about your members in private?

 

[riverc0il]

I'm not sure that the dewclaw (thumb) has any function in dogs. I see bunches of dogs every year that have avulsed the claw from that 1st digit or have had the claw grow around into it's pad because the claw hasn't been kept properly nipped. It has to be remembered that that claw isn't getting the wear that the claws on the other digits get because it's not making contact with the ground as the dog walks.

Our breeder had the dewclaw removed prior to her being taken home. We clip her nails regularly but S (who used to groom) had horror stories from her grooming days about dogs that had dewclaws growing back around.

I can't see much reason to declaw a dog with exception of the dewclaw.

 

[deadheadskier]

....never knew dew claws were removed from some dogs. Guess it's kind of like tonsils or an appendix...if you remove them, no big deal :lol:

 

[wa-loaf]

....never knew dew claws were removed from some dogs. Guess it's kind of like tonsils or an appendix...if you remove them, no big deal :lol:

We adopted our dog when she was 4 yrs old and who only had a dew claw on one leg. We figured it never came in or was ripped off somehow. At some point she really start chewing at the "missing" dew claw. Took her into the vet and it turns out it never came, but had started to grow out under the skin. We wound up having it removed, but not before there was an operating room mix-up and they took the good one out. :smash: So she wound up having the both removed.

 

[krisskis]

I had a cat <RIP baby girl> and she was 100% indoors. She was an idiot....nothing and i mean nothing would stop her from destroying our furniture. We had her declawed and she was fine and dandy. We were worried how she would be with our Mini Pinscher as he loved to torture her. No problem. She just rolled on her back and scratched the shit out of him with her back paws

Now, both of my Mini Pins came to us docked and cropped. To be honest, i dont care either way. Yes, they do look better...you know...textbook look...but if i got another one, i wouldnt care either way.

 

[Hawkshot99]

We had our cat's front paws done when it was about a year old. It was destroying furniture. I was supposed to be a inside cat, but she tore a hole in the screen door, and kept doing it every time we replaced it. So we gave up on the indoors.

The cat can still climb trees real easily, still hunts.(has brought live snakes, live rabbits, and many other friends in the house) It can even defend against our dog when they start playin.

 

[cbcbd]

Not really a fan of altering animals for my own needs.

If you love your furniture so much then don't get a cat if you think it might destroy it. You know, one can find older pets who need homes - if you go that route you can find out about their tendencies before hand better than with a kitten.

As for indoor vs outdoor. I have no problem keeping cats indoor but will not keep a cat in who truly shows he wants to be outdoors. I've had a cat like that and I can completely relate, so I let him out.