• DVM360_Conference_Charlotte,NC_banner
  • ACVCACVC
  • DVM 360
  • Fetch DVM 360Fetch DVM 360
DVM 360
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
By Role
AssociatesOwnersPractice ManagerStudentsTechnicians
Subscriptions
dvm360 Newsletterdvm360 Magazine
News
All News
Association
Breaking News
Conference Coverage
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Politics
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Digital Media
dvm360 LIVE!™
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspectives™
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 Insights™
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vetted
Clinical
All Clinical
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Behavior
Cardiology
CBD in Pets
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Emergency & Critical Care
Endocrinology
Equine Medicine
Exotic Animal Medicine
Feline Medicine
Gastroenterology
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Integrative Medicine
Nutrition
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Orthopedics
Pain Management
Parasitology
Pharmacy
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Hospital Design
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Conference Listing
Conference Proceedings
Resources
CBD in Pets
CE Requirements by State
Contests
Veterinary Heroes
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vet to Vet
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Advertisement
By Role
  • Associates
  • Owners
  • Practice Manager
  • Students
  • Technicians
Subscriptions
  • dvm360 Newsletter
  • dvm360 Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us
  • MJHLS Brand Logo

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Letters to dvm360: Readers share thoughts on declawing

March 29, 2018

Three veterinarians make a case for onychectomy in certain circumstances.

Dr. Robert Neunzig presented a very thoughtful and logical argument on why he declaws cats. I really appreciated his article. Believe it or not, declawing saves many cats' lives!

I recall a happy day when a proud grandfather brought in his two granddaughters with two kittens they had adopted at a local shelter. Upon the first visit everything checked out well for both kittens, and I will never forget the smiling faces of those two little girls and the joy their grandfather had given them through those kittens.

One month later, the same grandfather returned for the kittens' second visit with his granddaughters. This time both granddaughters had major scratches on both hands, arms and faces from the kittens. We discussed scratching posts, which the grandfather had responsibly invested in to no avail, and then our conversation led to declawing. That's when the grandfather cried, “You don't understand-the shelter made me sign a document stating I would never declaw the cats!”

When I heard that, I said I knew the head of that shelter, so please come with me-we are going call him and ask him what we should do.

The grandfather, granddaughters and kittens joined me in my office, where I proceeded to get the head of the shelter on the speakerphone. I explained to him what these new kitten owners were going through and asked for his advice since he had left the grandfather guilt-ridden about declawing the kittens.

I told the shelter owner that the grandfather was prepared to return these two kittens to his shelter, and you'd never guess what the shelter owner told the grandfather: Go ahead and declaw the kittens and never, ever return the kittens to his shelter!

I rest my case.

-Rick Campbell, DVM

Salt Lake City, Utah

Advertisement

Yes, I declaw. But only with my surgical CO2 laser. Obviously, complicated issues are not cut-and-dried; therefore I don't understand why the use of CO2 lasers hasn't been included in this debate. I performed declaws for several years prior to the development of surgical lasers. However, I began using a CO2 laser soon after they came onto the veterinary market. There is no comparison!

Personally I believe we would be doing the feline species, as domesticated animals, and their “family members” an injustice not to offer declawing. But I also believe that all declawing procedures should be performed with laser. I realize not all veterinarians have a surgical laser, but they could refer to a practice that does.

-Jeff Castle, DVM

Winchester, Kentucky

In the debate over declawing cats, many are asking the question, “Would the cat rather be declawed or keep its toes?”

Even if we are foolish enough to take this road, we are asking the wrong questions. In cases where the owner's health or the cat's behavior makes declawing a near necessity, the real question to ask the cat is, “Would you rather be declawed, euthanized or given to a shelter?”

The answers given would likely not be as strongly anti-declaw as the animal rights fringe wants us to believe.

-Drew L. Allen, DVM

Salt Lake City, Utah

Related Content:

SurgeryBreaking NewsFeline Medicine
UC Davis oral surgeons repair kitten’s severe cleft palate
UC Davis oral surgeons repair kitten’s severe cleft palate
FDA approves generic drug for managing allergic dermatitis in cats
FDA approves generic drug for managing allergic dermatitis in cats
Performing surgery on dogs with GDV
Performing surgery on dogs with GDV

Advertisement

Latest News

Morris Animal Foundation appoints new chief program officer

CDC issues warning over cat-transmitted sporotrichosis

An AI solution is speeding up insurance claims processing

3 categories of inappetence in dogs

View More Latest News
Advertisement