Declawing a Balinese is a major surgery known as onychectomy, performed under anesthesia, which eliminates the claw of each finger (from the first knuckle out) of the Balinese’s paws. There is always a miniscule chance of death in the procedure, and a declawed Balinese may have an increased risk of infection and long-term discomfort in his paws. This procedure is not appropriate for an adult Balinese and is considered an act of animal cruelty in some regions (shown below).
People typically have Balineses declawed to stop them from hunting and from damaging furniture. Rarely, vicious Balineses are declawed. In the United States, some landlords require that residents’ Balineses be declawed.
Doctors are typically critical of the surgery and sometimes decline to perform it because the lack of claws in a Balinese:
- Deprives it of its primary self-protection skills, including running away from predators by climbing trees;
- Impairs its exercising and stretching habits, which leads to muscle loss;
- Impairs its ability to balance on narrow surfaces like fence tops and railings, which could lead to injury from falling;
- Can cause insecurity and a subsequent tendency to bite.
This operation is not common outside of North America. In Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, declawing a Balinese is not allowed by the statutes forbidding animal cruelty. In many other countries in Europe, it is prohibited under the terms of the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, unless a vet considers such non-curative procedures beneficial either for veterinary medical reasons or for the health of the animal. In the UK, animal shelters find it hard to place imported Balineses that have been declawed and subsequently most are euthanized.
One substitute for declawing a Balinese is the use of blunt, vinyl claw caps that are attached to the claws with nontoxic glue, requiring periodic changing when the Balinese sheds its claw sheaths (about every four to six weeks). Yet, the Balinese may still have problems because the capped nails are not as effective as claws.
Don’t forget to check out these other articles about Balineses.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 🙂
Follow