Mount Rose Animal Hospital

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Hospital Construction - 2005

16560 Wedge Parkway

Suite 100

Reno, Nevada 89511

Feline Declawing Surgical Details

 

                 The Feline declaw surgery at Mount Rose Animal Hospital is an in-patient procedure.  Cats must not be fed after 8 pm the night before the scheduled procedure; drinking is okay.  They are dropped off in the morning between 7 – 8 am.  Surgeries typically begin by 9:30 am.  Pre-anesthetic blood profiles are performed in-house prior to anesthesia, if approved by the owner.  All patients first receive pre-anesthetic injectable medications for sedation and analgesia (pain relief).  IV catheters are placed to ensure emergency vein access as well as to provide an avenue for intra-operative fluid administration.  Additional injectable drugs are used to induce anesthesia so that the pet can be intubated and placed on gas anesthesia.  One under general anesthesia, special equipment is used to monitor the pet's heart rate, oxygenation, blood pressure, temperature and EKG during surgery and recovery.  Prior to beginning the declaw procedure, a local nerve block is performed for each front foot to ensure greater comfort during the first 12 hours of recovery.  Also, a fentanyl patch is placed a rear foot which kicks in to provide additional pain relief by the following day.

            

             The declaw surgery itself is rather simple.  Using special surgical equipment, the last portion of the front digits (all the nail with its small base of bone) is removed.  Minimal bleeding of the skin edges can be controlled with brief pressure application to the affected areas.  Lastly, sterile surgical tissue glue is used to close the incisions so that no suturing is required.  After the surgery is finished it takes several hours for a pet to fully awaken from anesthesia.  Once fully awake, their comfort is monitored throughout the rest of the day.  Declaw patients are hospitalized overnight and go home the following day.

 

Take Home Care

            

             The recovery period for a declawed cat is generally 2 weeks.  During that period of time, it is important to restrict your pet's activity…in other words…no jumping, no climbing, no crazy active play.  If is important to check your cat's feet daily to be sure of appropriate healing.  Any excessive swelling, discharge or gaping incision is worthy of a veterinary recheck examination.  Your cat will go home wearing a pain patch on a rear foot.  That patch should remain on for the first 3-5 days once home from the hospital.  In addition, your cat will be sent home with additional oral medications such as antibiotics or anti-inflammatories.  Most importantly, during the first two weeks of recovery, while the incisions are healing, you must change from using sandy clay/gravel kinds of kitty litter.  Instead, shredded paper or recycled pelleted newspaper products, such as Yesterday's News cat litter, are safer and less likely to interfere with your cat's healing process.