Debarking: Is It Worth It? The use of corrective surgeries for animals have been around for ages. Surgeries such as spaying and neutering are approved and encouraged in many countries. So, why are other corrective surgeries such as debarking not viewed with equal approval? Many veterinarians refuse to perform non-therapeutic surgeries, such as debarking, because these procedures provide no medical benefit for a dog and are done purely for the convenience of the caregiver (1). While debarking does have its benefits, the procedure should only be utilized as a last resort, since the possibility of medical complications occurring greatly outweigh the benefits for a dog and because there are more ethical alternatives available.
What Debarking
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Local anesthesia, sedation or general anesthesia can all be used, but since the oral cavity has to be accessible during the surgery, injectable anesthetics are administered rather than the use of other intra-oral methods (1). The vocal cords are accessed via the oral cavity and two small pieces of tissue are cut off from either one or both sides with a biopsy punch, blade or laser. It is recommended to remove as much tissue as possible so that there is a lesser chance of vocal cord tissue growing back, which could lead to the resumption of a near normal bark within months (3,4). After the surgery has been completed, sedatives are given for a few days to keep the dog calm and quiet. This ensures that the vocal cord healing process can begin and prevents scarring from occurring. Even though there is little to no bleeding or discomfort when the surgery is done correctly, pain killers are usually given as a precaution …show more content…
Finding the underlying cause of the excessive barking is important so that targeted therapies can be used. Spaying and neutering are essential to reducing hormone-intensified excitement and aggression, which can underlie vocalization behaviour. If a dog with problem barking has not been spayed or neutered, they should be to see if hormones are the cause of the barking (1). There are also other possible physical and/or behavioural causes for problem barking. It could be due to: improper socialization or training, stress, boredom, fear, frustration, anxiety, compulsive disorders, response to external stimuli, and/or territorial protection
In the show ring, if a dog is found to have been cosmetically altered to mold it into the breed standard’s image, that dog is disqualified unless the surgeries in question are tail docking, or ear cropping. The reasons for
calculation to illustrate limitations of breed-specific legislation and decreasing the risk of dog bite-related injury.” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 237.7 (2010): 788-792.
National Canine Research Council. Denver's Breed-Specific Legislation: Brutal, Costly, and Ineffective. National Canine Research Council. N.p., 2012. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.
First, use a firm “No!” as a verbal cue (yelling is not necessary; try just lowering your voice a notch and speaking clearly). If your dog repeats the offense within minutes of the first correction, rep...
When owners take their pets to the clinic, they are understandably anxious about the results and outcome of the visit. While it’s the veterinarian's job to provide care for the animal, it’s also their job to put the owners at ease, reassuring them that their pet will indeed be fine. This communication is vital for building trust, as it lets the owner know what is happening to their animal and gives them confidence in believing that everything will be okay. What’s more, veterinarians that take the time to thoroughly explain procedures and instructions regarding petcare, are teaching pet owners how to better tend to their
For centuries, bonds between animals and humans have been stronger than ever. Many people could argue that their pet has become a part of the family. Over time, the bond that a pet and their owner have can become very similar to the bond between child and parent, sibling to sibling, etc. Many studies have been done that prove that the interactions between animals and humans are beneficial to the health of both individuals. Furthermore, the benefits of having an animal has become a large part of one’s health. Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is practiced in many facilities around the world, but the “lack of interest and knowledge of animal-assisted therapy are still widespread” (Altschiller 12). The therapeutic bonds between humans and their animals have helped many medical cases around the world.
Humanity has relied heavily on animals for millennia, for everything from food to transport, companionship and entertainment, and as such animal welfare is a topic that is hugely important to us as a society. My passion for the preservation of animal health coupled with my love of science has set me up perfectly for a career as a veterinary surgeon.
Thousands of animals are put to sleep each year due to not having any available homes for them to be adopted. According to Jennifer Sexton and Tom Warhol in Domestic Animal Overpopulation, “The average female cat can produce two litters of six kittens per year, a female dog can produce one litter of six or more puppies per year, making pet overpopulation a significant problem.” Animal overpopulation is costing money and you can help the pets with spay and neutering programs. A new solution is mandatory contracts for breeders and spay and neuter programs. This paper will talk about spay and neuter programs, contracts for breeders, and why some people don’t think animal overpopulation is a problem. Thankfully there are solutions to this issue of animal overpopulation.
To say that a dog is “aggressive” can mean many different things as well. Aggression includes a range of behaviors that have specific warning signs and can climax into an attack. A dog that displays such signs to people usually exhibits stay away warnings, such as becoming very still and rigid, guttural bark that sounds threatening, lunging forward or charging at the person with no contact, mouthing, as though to move or control the person, without applying significant pressure, a growl, showing teeth, or a quick nip that leaves no mark. More severe gestures are bites ranging from no marks on skin to bruises and puncture wounds, and repeated bites and shaking.
The people that support animal testing dispute that without testing many of the medications and procedures that we have today wouldn’t exist and research and growth in the medical field would be very restricted. For scientists and researchers to be able to work on animals, they have made some great discoveries. Surgery on animals has helped in development of organ transplants and open-heart surgery te...
Researching on the PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) website a Journal of the American Medical Association and British M...
Additionally, there are other reasons to spay and neuter. “It helps to reduce companion animal overpopulation. Most countries have a surplus of companion animals and are forced to euthanize or disregard their great suffering. The surplus ...
However, they will usually bark at any suspicious sound, so make a fine barking watchdog. The Beagle is a scent hound, which means they are hard working dogs. Yet, they are also big love hounds. They need human contact and hate to be alone. Loneliness will make them howl and bark in complaint.
Dog training actually helps in correcting undesirable dog behavior. Some of these undesirable behavior include: digging up your flowers, barking at everyone and so on. Training it will make it develop desirable behavior.
Canine shock collars allow citizens who have lack knowledge the ability to so call train a dog. The collars basically give the dog sometimes a warnig beep or sound, then if proceeding to do the action an electric shock to the neck. Hunters usually use this device to teach Canines to be aggressive to other animals and as punishment for wrongdoings when hunting. Shock collars can make Canines fearful of other animals, territorial, and also aggressive towards owners (Emmerson). The technology of shock collars allows humans to torture mans best friend, with electric shocks through the neck.