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Animal Declawing Research Paper

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Declawing your cat is one of the most controversial topics within the veterinary field. Onychectomy, widely known as declawing, is an elective surgery that removes the claws of an animal by means of amputation on all or part of the distal phalanges of all the animals toes. The procedure is mainly performed using either a laser, scalpel, or nail trimmer (often referred to as the guillotine method). There is no medically necessary reason to perform this surgery, it mainly falls on feline owners not wanting household items damaged or to help prevent scratch-related injuries. An additional procedure would be tenecomy, the surgery provides evidence of overall better behavioral problems. Although there is no evidence that proves onychectomy is a procedure guaranteed to harm cats, studies have shown some felines will experience short to long-term complications from the procedure. It falls on the owner whether to have this surgery done on their felines, veterinarians usually do not recommend performing it unless it is medically needed, which are usually rare cases. …show more content…

It is the veterinarians’ obligation to educate owners about feline declawing; how it will be performed, what method is recommended or will be used, alternatives to declawing, proper pain management, and of course the risk and benefits that come along with the surgery. Onychectomy is a controversial procedure due to the plethora of short and long-term complications. Short-term complications occur in about 50% of cases, and these complications include: pain, lameness, hemorrhage, decreased appetite, personality change, infection, lethargy, and cystitis. Long-term complications are infrequent, and include: claw regrowth, chronic pain, sore paws, flexor tendon contraction, increased biting, and behavioral

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