“Declaw”
To provide the highest quality care for your pet, the staff at Rush Animal Care Clinic feels that you should be fully informed about the procedure, risks, and benefits involved with an onychectomy. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have concerning today’s procedure. Pain control is of utmost importance following this procedure. With the measures taken in-house, your cat will be quite comfortable while those toes are in the immediate post-op period. Remember, toes will still be sensitive for 2-3 weeks following surgery.
Procedure:
- Prior to surgery, your cat will receive an injection of sedative. He or she will receive an injection of an anti-inflammatory to aid in comfort—this will last 24 hours. During surgery, we will use a cocktail of local anesthetics around each foot. These medications all work together to make your cat more comfortable after surgery.
- The surgical procedure involves the removal of the last bone on each toe. This is necessary since the nail grows from the end of the last bone. After thorough inspection for bone fragments, skin-adhering glue is used to close the incision. Each foot is given an application of laser therapy following closure—this helps to reduce inflammation.
- Your cat is allowed to rest and vitals are closely monitored.
- We will apply a medication for pain control prior to the start of surgery. This will last for 4 days.
Possible Complications:
- Anesthesia complications, such as prolonged recovery, vomiting, diarrhea, drop in or loss of appetite.
- Infection of wound
- Delayed closure of surgical incision
- Self-inflicted trauma to the wound
- Circulatory disorder due to use of the tourniquet and bandages
- Hemorrhage (caused by ruptured vessels)
- Lameness due to wound infection
Benefits:
- The removal of the claws can make cuddling with your cat a more pleasurable experience for you.
- Claw removal reduces the severity of damage to your furniture and other belongings.
- This procedure reduces the probability of self-inflicted injuries.
- During play with people and other pets the likelihood of scratches will be decreased.
