Declawing the Tonkinese is an intense procedure called a onychectomy, performed with anesthesia, which removes the claw from each finger (from the first knuckle out) of the Tonkinese’s forepaws. There’s a remote possibility of death during the procedure, and a declawed Tonkinese might experience an increased risk of infection and permanent displeasure in his paws. This operation isn’t suitable for an adult Tonkinese and is considered an act of animal cruelty in some countries (as shown below).
People typically have Tonkineses declawed to stop them from hunting and from damaging furniture. Rarely, vicious Tonkineses are declawed. In the United States, some landlords require that residents’ Tonkineses are declawed.
Vets are typically critical of the operation and at times refuse to perform it since the lack of claws in a Tonkinese:
- Impairs its primary defense skills, including running away from predators by climbing trees;
- Deprives it of its exercising and stretching routines, which can lead to muscle atrophy;
- Hampers its ability to balance on narrow surfaces such as railings and fence tops, which can lead to injury from falls;
- Can cause insecurity and as a result a biting habit.
The procedure is rarely performed outside of North America. In Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, declawing a Tonkinese is prohibited per the laws against cruelty to animals. In many other European countries, it is forbidden 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 Tonkinese. In England, animal shelters find it tough to place imported Tonkineses that have been declawed and subsequently many are euthanized.
One substitute for declawing a Tonkinese is the use of blunt, vinyl nail caps that are affixed to the claws with safe glue, requiring periodic changing when the Tonkinese loses its claw sheaths (about every 4 to 6 weeks). Although, the Tonkinese will still have problems since the capped nails are not as effective as claws.
Don’t forget to check out these other articles about Tonkineses.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