Declawing a German Rex is a major surgery called a onychectomy, performed under anesthesia, that removes the claw from each digit (from the first knuckle out) of the German Rex’s forepaw. There is always a small chance of death in the surgery, and a declawed German Rex may experience an increased risk of infection and perpetual discomfort in its paws. This procedure is not recommended for a full-grown German Rex and is referred to as an act of animal cruelty in some countries (below).
Owners typically have German Rexs declawed to prevent them from damaging furniture and hunting. Seldom, vicious German Rexs are declawed. In the United States, some landlords demand that tenants’ German Rexs are declawed.
Doctors are usually negative about the surgery and at times refuse to perform it since the lack of claws in a German Rex:
- Deprives it of its main defense abilities, such as escaping from predators by climbing trees;
- Deprives it of its stretching and exercise habits, leading to muscle atrophy;
- Compromises its ability to walk on thin surfaces such as fence tops and railings, which can lead to injury from falling;
- Can lead to insecurity and as a result a tendency to bite.
This procedure is rarely performed outside of North America. In the Netherlands, Finland, Germany and Switzerland, declawing a German Rex is prohibited per the laws forbidding animal cruelty. In many other countries in Europe, it is illegal under the terms of the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, unless a doctor considers such non-curative procedures necessary either for veterinary medical reasons or for the health of the animal. In the United Kingdom, animal shelters are finding it difficult to place imported German Rexs that have been declawed and as a result most are euthanized.
An alternative to declawing a German Rex is the application of dull, vinyl claw caps that are affixed to the claws with safe glue, sometimes requiring replacement when the German Rex sheds its claw sheaths (about every 4 to 6 weeks). However, the German Rex may still experience problems because the capped nails are not as effective as claws.
Don’t forget to check out these other articles about German Rexs.Was this post helpful? If so, please take a minute to Tweet and Share below on Facebook. I would also love to know your thoughts so leave me a comment 🙂
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