onychectomy
Sign in to savethumb|Close-up of a declawed paw thumb|Diagram showing location of amputation Onychectomy, popularly known as declawing, is an operation to remove an animal's claws surgically by means of the amputation of all or part of the distal phalanges, or end bones, of the animal's toes. Because the claw develops from germinal tissue within the third phalanx, amputation of the bone is necessary to fully remove the claw. The terms onychectomy (origin: Greek , 'nail' + , 'excision') and declawing imply mere claw removal, but a more appropriate description would be phalangectomy, excision of toe bone.
Article
22 sectionsContents
- Medically indicated onychectomy
- Elective onychectomy
- Risks from scratching
- Methods
- Recovery, health and behavioral effects
- Australia
- Brazil
- Israel
- Europe
- Austria
- United Kingdom
- North America
- Canada
- United States
- History of Legal bans in the US
- Ethical viewpoints on declawing in the US
- Alternatives to declawing
- Surgical
- Non-surgical
- See also
- References
- External links
thumb|Close-up of a declawed paw thumb|Diagram showing location of amputation Onychectomy, popularly known as declawing, is an operation to remove an animal's claws surgically by means of the amputation of all or part of the distal phalanges, or end bones, of the animal's toes. Because the claw develops from germinal tissue within the third phalanx, amputation of the bone is necessary to fully remove the claw. The terms onychectomy (origin: Greek , 'nail' + , 'excision') and declawing imply mere claw removal, but a more appropriate description would be phalangectomy, excision of toe bone.
Although it has been somewhat common in Canada and the United States, declawing is considered an act of animal cruelty in many countries, (see "Declawing practices" below) as it causes physical and psychological suffering to the animal (although the extent of this suffering is subject to debate).