Any vets or vet techs?

Question

What is the process of tail docking....?...also is ear cropping cruel

Answer 1

Tail docking is done within 3-5 days of birth while the joints of the tail are still cartilage. Depending on the breed and the owners discretion the vet then uses a pair of cutters to snip off the end of the tail at the desired length. They then put a few stitches on the end of the tail to finish the docking. Most vets don't like to do tail docking after 3-5 days because the cartilage begins to turn to bone and is a lot more painful for the puppies. They usually recommend removing dewclaws at that time, (if desired) for the same reason. Whether or not you think ear docking is cruel is a matter of opinion, but if you want to do it please have it done by a vet. I have seen many a poor puppy that had their owners try and crop their ears at home and have become severely infected. Now that's cruel if you don't know what you are doing. And most vets now days have pain medication that can be given to the puppies (when they are old enough) or smaller doses to give the nursing mother to help with the pain (dispersed through the milk). If you listen to your vet about tail docking or declawing they will tell you when is the best time to do it so the animal has minimal pain involved.

Answer 2

i'm not a tech or a vet but a groomer so i do know a bit on the subject. when docking tails the vet feels along the tail and finds the length specified and clips between the joint. pops the end right off. then with a stitch or two sends the pup home with less than he came in with. to ear cropping maybe not a necessary operation but i don't see it as cruel.

Answer 3

Tail docking is removing most of the tail of the dogs, usually done for asthetic purposes unless the dog develops "happy tail" where they wag their tail very hard and hit it against things, which injures the tail, or the dog is a working dog where the tail could potentally get caught in brush or other situations where it will/can get damaged. Ear cropping is purely for asthetic purposes.

I (and many other responsible pet owners) find both tail docking and ear cropping very cruel as it is very unnecessary and (except in extreme cases) not beneficial to the dog. Many times its done by the breeder without any form of pain suspressant, so the dog feels the whole procedure (which can be as unsanitary as simply cutting the ears off with scissors)

Do you really want to cut off your kids ears just because someone else did? Without pain killers?

Its cruel and unnecessary, just like declawing cats.

Answer 4

Tail docking, the vet will take a scapel and cut off a large portion of the tail You leave a pad disc material at the end of the tail and place several stiuches in the end of the tail to close the open wound. They are done at three to five days old.
Ear crops are done at 9-12 weeks old. The ear flap is put into a clamp and the part that overhangs the clamp is cut off with a scapel. The rest is bandaged and taped up. After the wounds heal the ears have to be taped or posted to train them to stand. If you do not follow up with good after care many times the ear will not stand up right and they flop over.

Answer 5

IMO unless you are going to show your dog, breed it or hunt with it, why put it through that?

I have a JRT/Beagle mix that I adopted from a shelter and his tail was cropped all the way down and he's left with a stubble similar to a rottie. WHY? He's a mutt!

It's unnecessary unless, like I said above, you're going to hunt, breed or show.

Answer 6

Tail docking is taking the tail of i think

Answer 7

ear cropping isn't cruel when their young because there isn't that much blood in the ears...if the ears are cut when they grow up then they will bleed to death and that's cruel

and im not really sure im still studying

Answer 8

i wouldnt know sorry but i dont know anything about vet stuff because im planing to be a cheff when i grow up