Why cut a dogs tail

It is an outdated practice that involves cutting or crushing muscle, nerves, and bone without anaesthetic in puppies under 5 days old. Evidence indicates that it inflicts significant pain on puppies and deprives dogs of an important form of canine expression in future life.

In addition, poorly performed docking can cause chronic pain. Tail docking is considered to be a mutilation under UK law. The practice is illegal in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, however, there are some exemptions, such as removal of the tail by a vet for medical reasons or for certain breeds of working dogs.

By law, owners are not allowed to show dogs docked in dog shows where the public pay to enter, unless they are demonstrating working ability. In , Scotland reversed a decade-old ban on tail docking for some breeds of puppy if there is sufficient evidence that they will become working dog, despite concerns raised by veterinary and animal welfare organisations. A: It is natural for most dogs to have tails based upon their descent from a tailed species.

However there is no strong evidence that naturally bobbed or surgically docked dogs are physically or psychologically disadvantaged. There is some early, but inconclusive, data that raises questions as to whether docking impairs communication with other dogs 23 or may increase the risk of developing incontinence.

Q: Is tail docking painful? A: Tailing docking is painful. Painful procedures conducted in the neonatal period when the nervous system is vulnerable can result in negative long-term changes which affect how pain is processed and perceived later in life. Because dogs have not been shown to derive self-esteem or pride in appearance from having their tails docked common reasons for performing cosmetic procedures on people , there is no obvious benefit to our patients in performing this procedure.

In the opinion of the AVMA, this is insufficient justification for performing a surgical procedure. Q: What forms of tail removal would not be considered cosmetic?

Some breeders, both historically and currently, would prefer problematic conformation to be corrected via breeding alone. An argument might be made for removal of the tail of a dog on the basis of repeated prior injury. However, such a justification must be supported by evidence such as empirical data or impartial expert opinion based on extensive, directly relevant experience. Cambridge University Press, ; The wanton mutilation of animals.

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Coren, S. Simon and Schuster, ; 8. Youatt W, Lewis EJ. The Dog. Bennett PC, Perini E. Tail docking in dogs: can attitude change be achieved? Aust Vet J ; Sonntag, Q. Cosmetic tail docking. Vet News ;Feb Julie Hecht is a Ph. Follow Julie Hecht on Twitter. Already a subscriber? Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue.

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