Declawing Debate by The Cat Care Center

The Declawing Debate

by Dr. Sue A. Whitman, D.V.M.

Perhaps I am the perfect individual to take on a discussion of the declawing controversy, since I believe I've spent more time pondering this issue in my practice career than most psychiatrists would label "normal". In fact, there have been times when I quite frankly have been obsessed with declawing as a humane and moral issue. Do I do declaws in my veterinary practice today? Yes. Have I always done declaws in my practice? No. The reason for the change? READ ON!

You see, a declaw surgery can be done as many ways as there are veterinarians. When you call to schedule your cat's declaw surgery, don't just ASSUME that any vet can do a declaw humanely, and price shop for the cheapest surgery. I have seen some absolutely horrible disfigurement from poorly done declawing that resulted in pain and suffering for a cat's entire life! But the primary reason that I refused for years to participate in this surgery was due to the post-operative pain that I kept observing in hospitals around the country. The staff of these facilities seemed to just accept that declaws are painful and reasoned that it wasn't their fault that owners opted to put their cats through this painful ordeal; after all, they were just pleasing the public. I kept hearing "If we don't do it, they'll go down the road and get the cat declawed anyway, so why not?" So, I began my study of declaw techniques and post-operative pain management. When I discovered a more humane procedure and a more caring pain control program, then my real moral dilemma began.

It does seem to be true that, in many instances, owners find themselves in the situation where the options are to get their pet declawed or get rid of the pet. Whether I agree that these are truly the only options or not is irrelevant. If a cat owner feels that this is the corner they've been backed into by a landlord, new husband, pregnancy, etc., then it is a fact that they will go somewhere to get their pet declawed. If I believe their cat will have a less stressful and less painful surgery because of the research and efforts I have made to correct the declawing experience, then I am obligated to help as many cats receive this care as possible. So, here I am doing declaws, believing that I am aiding the kitty kingdom, and keeping the cats with owners that love them and don't want to part with them because of a new leather couch. Purists tell me that if the couch means more than the cat, then the people don't really love or need the cat. But, do they love and care for the cat more than the overcrowded animal shelter that will surely euthanize the pet when it is given up because of that new expensive couch? Ahhh, a cat-loving vet's dilemma! As always, I believe education is the key to making a decision regarding whether to declaw, and how to get it done humanely. So, HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

First of all, declawing is MUCH easier on kittens under 5 months of age because they bear less weight on their feet due to their small kitten bodies. Also, they are generally not fixated on grooming their toes yet, and have not become as emotionally aware of their nails at this young age. If you have just acquired a kitten, start thinking of your future! I don't mean whether you will pass finals next week- I mean, do you dream of one day having expensive furniture and curtains? Do you plan to marry and have children? Is this kitten going to be an indoor companion for you, or if you ever get that dream home on a 5-acre woodsy lot, are you going to let her outside? Think now about 10 years from now…

If your cat is older and events have somehow changed your situation, then he/she can still be declawed, but select your veterinary surgeon carefully! Ask about techniques used and pain management used. Ask if she is old enough that she may have problems coping with the loss of her nails (this occurs rarely, but more often in females). Will they have remedies for helping her deal with her loss if this complication occurs? If they really just want to make a dollar and will leave you cope with complications on your own, keep looking. If your cat is older than 5 years old, be willing to pay a consultation fee and make an appointment to discuss concerns; once the surgery is underway, it is too late to discover that you've made a mistake in vet selection. Make sure they care about your cat's total health, not just her toes! Ask about anesthetic options for an older cat, and pre-operative bloodwork prior to surgery.

So what declawing techniques are currently practiced in the United States? There are primarily three standard approaches:

The guillotine approach is unfortunately still the technique taught in many veterinary schools. I am told that this procedure is still taught because it is the method that employing veterinarians prefer that new graduates and future associates be proficient in. The reason that future employers choose this technique is primarily economical; the guillotine procedure can be done in 5-15 minutes, which makes the profit margin enticing. Also, most practitioners have used this declawing method for years and see nothing wrong with it. Many younger practitioners agree with me that it is brutal and painful, often taking a piece of the toe pad from each toe, and often crushing the bone ends. I am able to take radiographs of kitty feet years after the declaw has been done with this method and see bony fragments and spicules in the toes. Several veterinary clinics refuse to do declaws at all, which I commend if this was the technique they were using.
The second method of declawing is called blade excision. It does not fragment bone or harm the pads (which are critical for shock absorption). It is time-consuming, requiring anywhere from 25-45 minutes. Most vets feel that they cannot keep their prices competitive and use this technique due to the increased time required for anesthesia and surgery. Although I have seen this method done poorly so that it can be as painful for a few days post-operatively as the guillotine technique, I have never seen permanent scarring or bone damage that haunts the cat through an entire lifetime with blade excision declawing. I find that by using blade excision declawing, keeping a kitty hospitalized on 3" of padding, and managing pain for 2 days post-operatively in the hospital, a cat can go home happy from declaw surgery. If a cat is obese or very old, I will occasionally keep them for 3 overnights (with owners allowed to come visit of course!).
The third, and newest, method of declawing is the laser declaw. This technique uses the blade excision method, but uses a laser to do the incisions rather than the old fashioned, surgical blade.The laser approach offers two appealing advantages: less bleeding and less pain. Lasers cut and cauterize at the same time, which means every tiny blood vessel the laser cuts is instantly sealed so that little or no bleeding occurs. With less bleeding, there is less bruising and inflammation. The most exciting thing about the laser declaw is what occurs when a laser cuts a nerve! (Maybe not all vets are as excited as I am, but it has to at least be interesting to them). The laser's heat as it makes an incision "numbs" the nerves it travels through, and then the nerve endings withdrawl from the immediate incision. These actions really minimize the pain of the procedure! With the nerve "numb", the cat is much less painful immediately post-operatively. Also, the nerve endings that have moved back from the incision edges take about 10-14 days to regrow to the toe ends. By that time, most of the healing is complete, so the nerves do not transmit pain. The most common complication I see in my practice following a laser declaw occurs 10-14 days after surgery; some cats seem to feel a tingling sensation as the nerves regain their function, and owners report that their cat is shaking her feet a couple of weeks after surgery. This is a temporary event, and does not seem bothersome to the cat. Although I still keep my patients two overnights after a laser declaw, it is not primarily to manage pain as it was with other techniques. Now I keep my patients two overnights because they often don't feel the surgical pain, and if sent home to daily activities too soon, may cause bleeding by dangling from curtains or jumping off counters! Sometimes the older or overweight cats do need pain medications, but with laser declawing it is frequently not at all necessary.

Many owners have told me horror stories of cats being sent home from surgery the next day with bloody bandages on their feet that owners were instructed to remove at home, with no warning of what to expect when they tugged on bandaged and painful feet. I've heard of cats having to use stripped newspaper in the litter pan because the toe ends are open and can get clogged with litter. These things sicken me! I hope I've conveyed that these are NOT things that you must accept as part of a declaw. Please shop around, and if you have to pay twice as much or drive an extra half an hour to get a declaw done well, do it for your cat's future!

Sue A Whitman D.V.M.
8262 Switchboard Road
Spencer, Indiana 47460
812-876-0711
Emergencies call above number.