Hello6 (and other animal lovers)

[vraiblonde]

Curious how you feel about tail and ear cropping for dogs? I, personally, think it's barbaric - I've never had a pet that it occurred to me to alter them cosmetically. I did have my cats declawed and neutered/spayed but, to me, that's different.

What say you?

 

[Hello6]

Cosmetic alteration for pets is retarded. A dog uses body language to communicate, ears and tails say a lot about what an animal's intentions are. Alter the ears and take away the tail, and it takes alot away from what the animal is saying.
I had one cat declawed. I watched the country vet pull the nails out with a pliers and I will NEVER do that to a cat again. I don't care how humane they do it today, I'm just not gonna be a party to cutting off the tips of their fingers again. So many of the declawed cats end up in the pound because their poor little paws get sensitive and they don't like the feel of the litter box so they say" EFF YOU for taking my claws" and pee elsewhere, then "Precious" ends up discarded.

 

[Ken King]

Hell no I wouldn't do that to an animal, not even a two legged one, well maybe one or two of them but that's all, swear.

 

[virgovictoria]

I've thought about this before and, like you, I've never had a dog that "required", for lack of a better term, a reason for cosmetic options. I worked for a vet a lifetime ago and witnessed it performed on many. They went through the surgeries, the splinting, the sutures, the Elizabethan (sp?) collars, the irritation, the infection, the crying, the multiple visits for re-splinting, and so on, for them to stack up appropriately - and all for virtually no real reason except show and breeding. But, I guess some do find that as a means of their livelihood. (my spelling really sucks these days).

On the other hand, I understand declawing cats. What is the worse of two evils? Saving the lives of cats? Or becoming so frustrated at the damage done by indoor cats that you turn them over or turn them loose?

The next thing that disturbs me is not removing dewclaws from dogs. The dewclaws serve no purpose and are routinely removed at such an early age (day 2-5 of age) that they aren't painful nor remembered. At best, they snag, bleed, cause tearing and infection and are much more painful to remove from adult dogs. To me, it is not an elective surgery and shows a sign of a bad breeder. It is inexpensive and indicates care.

Opinion.

 

[RoseRed]

My cat spends most of her time indoors anymore and she is not declawed. I bought a "scratch box" for her and she uses that instead of the furniture. I couldn't put her through the stress of being declawed.

 

[SamSpade]

Curious how you feel about tail and ear cropping for dogs? I, personally, think it's barbaric - I've never had a pet that it occurred to me to alter them cosmetically. I did have my cats declawed and neutered/spayed but, to me, that's different.

What say you?

It depends.

Cat de-clawing, to me, IS barbaric. They don't just remove the claws - they take out the whole top of the toe. This leaves a fairly weak animal completely defenseless.

Ear and tail-cropping on the other hand - and this is just from experience - can be humane. Some breeds have some genetic problems, due to their inbreeding. We had a Doberman whose tail and ears we did NOT crop. Late in adulthood, her tail began to rot, as did her ears. It might have happened even with a crop, but it became clear to me at that point that such procedures aren't totally cosmetic.

I also used to be against spaying and neutering of animals I intended to keep inside, on the presumption that that is how they were meant to live, as non-neutered animals. My vet said while that is true, they were also meant by nature to *breed*, and by restricting that part of their life while NOT neutering them, I was actually injuring their long-term health - neutered animals lived longer healthier lives. He was very convincing. So sometimes what seems obvious may have other reasons.

 

[jwwb2000]

I don't agree with the cropping but if you have a dog you are going to be showing and it is in the breed standard to have the ears cropped and the tail docked, then so be. The dewclaw issue~~~I have a pug who still has his. I notice him using the claws to hold things as he chews or plays. I haven't had a problem with his yet and I do not forsee any problems either. Now the declawing cats I am all for. I had my cat all four paw declawed. I wasn't there all day to keep an eye on him to tell him not to scratch up the furniture or carpet. Although he was pissed because we did that, he has not retailated against us for doing so. Guess we were lucky in that aspect.

 

[mAlice]

I had to have my cat declawed, not because he scratched the furniture, but because he was vicious.

 

[pixiegirl]

My kitty little has been declawed in the front. I wouldn't have it any other way. I got her from the vet I worked for and watched it being done. It was done the same time as her spay and done with a lazer. As soon as she woke up she was on her feet. The lazer seals the nerve endings and blood vessels so there is very little discomfort. It's not like the old days where the feet bled a ton and had to be bandaged afterwards. No blood at all and she didn't seem to experience any pain upon waking.

Dew claws on dogs. Taking them off of some dogs does serve a purpose. Hunting dogs that run through brush especially. The dew claws can catch and tear, get infected, etc. House pets, there is no reason to take them off. Mily has dew claws and I've never had and don't forsee a problem with them.

Ear cropping, tail docking. I don't care for it. From what I understand there are some purposes beyond cosmetic ones for tail docking. This is all hersay but what I was told was that the tail is an extension of the spine and the tail of certain breeds of dogs will curl up right between their legs and under them instead of sticking out from the body. Thus getting in the way of them using the bathroom. Not that it would prevent them from using the bathroom, it just made things messy.

 

[cattitude]

I don't have a problem with docking tails and removing the dew claws. Both are done at just a few days and it doesn't really cause pain. I hate the ear cropping. That is painful. And it's not necessary any longer in order to show Boxers in the U.S. (been that way for a long time in Europe) and I think a lot of the other cropped breeds are getting away from the standard as well. Not that I plan on showing.

As for declawing cats..nope. I don't care what methods there are now.

 

[pixiegirl]

As for declawing cats..nope. I don't care what methods there are now.

Don't be skeerd. It'll only hurt for a minute. I promise.

 

[cattitude]

Dew claws on dogs. Taking them off of some dogs does serve a purpose. Hunting dogs that run through brush especially. The dew claws can catch and tear, get infected, etc. House pets, there is no reason to take them off. Mily has dew claws and I've never had and don't forsee a problem with them.

I thought it was beneficial for the "bug-eye" type dogs..pekes, bostons, pugs, etc.? Thought is that if they are playing with each other, or even if scratching their face, they won't snag the eye with the dew claw. :shrug:

 

[Big Dreams]

I have a Rottie.... I really never thought of it..... Since i had her its been done.

 

[pixiegirl]

I thought it was beneficial for the "bug-eye" type dogs..pekes, bostons, pugs, etc.? Thought is that if they are playing with each other, or even if scratching their face, they won't snag the eye with the dew claw. :shrug:

I'd more more worried about the eye popping out. I've seen that. Well it hadn't come all the way out but part way. It was enough to keep me from ever wanting one of those bug eyes....

 

[mAlice]

I have never had a cat de clawed but I have seen many problems after customers and friends had them done...They usually get a bad litter box habit and they become bitters...

I guess I was lucky with Jack. After I had him declawed, he bit less because he couldn't hold on to you, and his litter habits didn't change at all.

 

[pixiegirl]

I guess I was lucky with Jack. After I had him declawed, he bit less because he couldn't hold on to you, and his litter habits didn't change at all.

Nala has never bitten either nor do we have litter box issues. I got her done as a kitten (3 months). She's never really known life with claws so I don't think it's a big deal for her. I'd probably kill her if she did have claws. She kneeds a lot; she'd be tearing up everything.

 

[Club'nBabySeals]

Cat declawing---even now with the new technology that makes the surgery itself less painful---is still detrimental to the cat. The procedure involves removing the first toe joint from the cats paw...unfortunately, in the natural world, the cat WALKS on the first toe joint. Declawed cats must them compensate for the missing joint by walking on improper parts of its paws, which can eventually lead to severe muscle pain throughout its legs and back. Some states have even banned the practice.

I think it's a terrible thing, and I'd never have it done. I have four indoor-only cats, and they all have their claws. They have scratching posts, and I've yet to have a problem with them utilizing their claws in a destructive fashion elsewhere.

 

[oldman]

Adopted a declawed cat years ago as strictly a house cat. She eventually decided she wanted outside and would rush out the door if it was open. Then she'd climb a tree to the top. Problem with that was not having claws, she couldn't climb back down. I had to climb the tree to get her down on more than once. Just FYI.

 

[jwwb2000]

I thought it was beneficial for the "bug-eye" type dogs..pekes, bostons, pugs, etc.? Thought is that if they are playing with each other, or even if scratching their face, they won't snag the eye with the dew claw. :shrug:

I haven't had a problem with my puggy and his dewclaws. As long as you keep the nails trimmed, there is less of a risk of the snagging the eye. I worry more about him running into a branch and getting his eye poked than I do with the normal grooming he does to himself.

 

[Club'nBabySeals]

Adopted a declawed cat years ago as strictly a house cat. She eventually decided she wanted outside and would rush out the door if it was open. Then she'd climb a tree to the top. Problem with that was not having claws, she couldn't climb back down. I had to climb the tree to get her down on more than once. Just FYI.

More than that, a declawed cat cannot defend itself should it be attacked. They should never, EVER be let outside.