Declawing a Thai is a major surgery called a onychectomy, performed using anesthesia, which eliminates the claw of each toe (from the first knuckle out) of the Thai’s forepaw. There is a miniscule possibility of death in the procedure, and a declawed Thai might have a slight risk of infection and long-term pain in its paws. This procedure is not suitable for an adult Thai and is considered an act of animal cruelty in some places (as shown below).
Owners generally get Thais declawed to stop them from damaging furniture and hunting. Seldom, vicious Thais are declawed. In the United States, some landlords require that residents’ Thais be declawed.
Vets are usually critical of the procedure and sometimes refuse to do it since the absence of claws in a Thai:
- Reduces its primary self defense abilities, including escaping from predators by climbing trees;
- Deprives it of its exercising and stretching routines, which can lead to muscle atrophy;
- Deprives it of its ability to walk on thin surfaces like railings and fence tops, leading to injury from falling;
- Can lead to insecurity and as a result a biting habit.
This procedure is rarely performed outside of North America. In the Netherlands, Finland, Germany and Switzerland, declawing a Thai is not allowed by the laws against cruelty to animals. In many other European countries, it is not allowed under the terms of the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, unless a doctor considers such non-curative procedures beneficial either for veterinary medical reasons or for the health of the animal. In England, animal shelters are finding it hard to place imported Thais that have been declawed and as a result many are killed.
One alternative to declawing a Thai is the use of dull, vinyl nail caps that are adhered to the claws with nontoxic glue, sometimes requiring changing when the Thai sheds its claw sheaths (about every 4 to 6 weeks). Yet, the Thai will still experience difficulties because the capped nails are not as effective as claws.
Don’t forget to check out these other articles about Thais.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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