more cat questions-please ignore if you oppose declawing

[psychobunny]

I’ve decided to get my babies declawed. I know all the arguments pro and con and don’t want this to turn into another declawing argument. My question is simply whether the laser declawing is better. People who have had it done both ways say it seems less painful for the cat and healing is quicker. Several vets have told me that there is no difference, but none of these vets use lasers. I want to get it done when I fix the cats, so they only need to be anesthetized once. Can anybody offer some help?

[missbunny]

If none of the vets you have asked user the laser method, it’s no wonder they are telling you there is no difference between the two.

[Beadalin]

Most vets I have talked to, ESPECIALLY vets who run cat-only clinics, stand firmly behind the laser method. Generally speaking, laser surgery causes less pain and less bleeding than with scalpel surgery.

From this site: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_declawing_and_its_alternatives.html

In this surgery, a laser rather than a scalpel blade is used to disarticulate the third toe bone. Advantages of laser surgery include virtually no bleeding (during surgery or afterwards), less post-operative pain, and in many cases, no bandages.

… the cost of the laser declaw to the pet owner is likely to exceed the price of the conventional declaw by an additional $50 to $150 dollars.

(snip)

If you are interested in the laser declaw (and the extra expense is not a deterrent), be sure to ask your veterinarian how long they have been performing the laser declaw, how many they have done, and (if possible) visit a recovering patient in the hospital.

The bottom line is that the laser declaw has a great deal to offer but at this time may not be the best choice for every patient.

If it had been available when my cats were declawed, I would have jumped at that.

[Kansas_Beekeeper]

I hesitate to post on even on this topic, because it is more emotional to some than abortion, the death penalty, gun control, or (around here) whether moderators are fair.

But here goes.

Both my cats were declawed, nonlaser. The vet did not use stiches, because she said there was less risk of infection that way. I trust this vet and know she would never do anything cruel or lazy.

There was no bleeding when they came home. There was a very little oozing of clear stuff for a day. They were very sore for a day and could not go up/down stairs or jump up on beds. The could walk. By the second day, they could and did go up/down stairs and jump on beds, although carefully. Each day got better. After a very few days, they were obviously in no pain at all.

No long terms issues at all, other than they are not outside cats unless we are right there. (But I don’t approve of outside cats anyway for other reasons.) They can run, jump, and even climb smaller trees, using their back claws with their front paws wrapped around the tree. They do not know their claws are not there. They still make scratching motions on furniture.

I’m glad I had them declawed and will have any other cats I own declawed.