Tail Docking

[mally]

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Just thought i'd remind you all that the House of Commons will be voting about tail docking pretty soon (probably around the end of this month). Loads of letters against tail docking are being sent to MPs, so anyone who cares about this issue should write to their MP NOW. If a ban on tail docking goes through, you can bet your bottom dollar that a ban on game shooting will swiftly follow.

To find out more info to send your MP, visit the website of the Council of Docked Breeds

http://www.cdb.org

You will find a docking brief on it for you to send to your MP, plus the Swedish tail damage report, etc.

I personally am sick to death of people who have no idea about the countryside laying down the law to us all about what should go on in it!

 

[June Jonigk]

I personally am sick to death of people who have no idea about the countryside laying down the law to us all about what should go on in it!

I couldn't agree more Mally - but when it comes to cruelty to animals, I'm afraid I'm against docking. In my opinion it is an unnecessary mutilation of animals. That's why I have whippets - so they can wag theirs!

 

[mally]

I personally am sick to death of people who have no idea about the countryside laying down the law to us all about what should go on in it!

I couldn't agree more Mally - but when it comes to cruelty to animals, I'm afraid I'm against docking. In my opinion it is an unnecessary mutilation of animals. That's why I have whippets - so they can wag theirs!

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have you seen the injuries and discomfort a tail injury causes to an adult dog?

often tail injuries go wrong and result in the tail being docked as an adult which means an operation.

Are your whippets dewclawed? mutilation of animals ?????.

Have you ever seen a spaniel work cover with a full tail(undocked) i have it lasted about 2 hrs before it had to go to the vets to be stitched up.

look on the website at the tail injuries. everyone is due there opinion, but you cannot call it mutilation it's the most humane thing you can do to a working dog.

 

[Pennymeadow Whippets]

Pain felt by puppies

There follows a letter from Prof. Dr. R. Fritsch, Leader of the Clinic of Veterinary Surgeons, Justus-Lieberg-University, to the German Kennel Club.

Quote

I have been asked by the German Kennel Club to give a professional opinion on the following questions:

Will the removal of the tail and dew claws without anaesthetic on a four day old puppy, cause considerable pain?

Is it necessary from the veterinary point of view, to shorten the tail or amputate the dew claws of certain breeds of dogs?

The docking of tails and the removal of dew claws in puppies less than 4 days old without anaesthetic, is not connected with any serious pain in such a way that it cannot be allowed from the point of view of the protection of animals.

The reason for this is (**there are two expressions in German for which there is no English equivalent): "Nestfluchter" which means a young bird or young animal which very soon will leave its nest or its mother and therefore will have to find its own food; and "Nesthockern" which means a young animal that stays for a long time in the nest with its mother and is fed by her) the new born puppy belongs to the Nesthockern, in contrast with the horse, cow, sheep, pig and goat which are regarded as Nestfluchter.

The animals in the Nesthockern group are born relatively immature, completely naked, blind, deaf, very immobile and very helpless. Their nervous system at birth is not even fully developed. There are still cell divisions in the brain and some of the nervous threads are not fully developed. In psychological tests, it has been determined that the time between the nervous impulse and reaction (chronaxie) takes 3-4 times longer than it would in an adult. After about 10-14 days, when the animals eyes are opened (until then it has been more like an embryo) it is possible to determine the normal value of the impulse. In 1941, Volkhov determined that animals, at this period of life, had very little feeling of pain. The conscious feeling of pain is still not very likely at that age.

Schmidker wrote in his doctorate in 1951 about the feeling of pain in new-born puppies: "Incomplete development of the nervous system at the time of birth and the very high chronaxie value in connection with the fact that the animal is not able to react effectively to pain, gives us every reason to believe that the actual feeling of pain is very low in the new-born of this group of mammals (dogs). In other words, at this age and biological condition, it would have no absolute meaning to talk about pain". You therefore do not have to worry or fear that the dog will be made to suffer pain or psychological pain, if the tail has been docked or the dew claws removed, in the first few days after birth.

It is completely different though, with the Nestfluchter (animals which leave their nest or mother just after birth). In these animals, the nervous system id fully developed just after the moment of birth. All senses that serve to get rid of enemies and pain are fully developed. One can neither from physiological knowledge nor from just observation, say that these young animals feel a lot less pain than adults.

It would therefore be a contradiction in the law, for the Protection of Animals, to permit the shortening or docking of tails in pigs and lambs without anaesthetic, because they have fully developed threshold of pain, and , at the same time, forbid the docking of dogs. It is absolutely certain that the docking of tails on small lambs and pigs and also the castration of young pigs, goats and calves during their first days of life, will cause considerable pain if done without an anaesthetic. However, from the point of view of the docking of dogs, whose nervous system is not fully developed during the first few days of life, is completely acceptable from the point of view of the protection of animals.

The removal of dew claws is necessary in order to avoid later damages and illnesses. It is also recommended to dock the tails inbreeds which have long thin, weak and sparsely coated tails, in order to avoid later sickness and damage. At the same time tails should be docked in breeds that are used in such a way that there is a risk of injury to a tail e.g. hunting dogs. It is beneficial to avoid painful; injuries and therefore in the interest of the PREVENTION OF CRUELTY to animals.

The dew claw is the rudimentary first toe. They are often injured and the nail can grow into the skin causing considerable inflammation. The dog can easily catch them on different objects because they just hang on the side of their paws a non-functioning objects and can therefore damage themselves quite seriously. It is therefore in the interests of the law to recommend that these claws are removed as early as possible. Their removal is best done in the first week with a little clip with scissors.

The dogs tail on the other hand, whether it be in kennels or around the home, is in constant danger of damage by being hit against hard objects like walls, fences, tables, chair legs, radiators and of being trapped in doors. These injuries usually result in sores at the tip of the tail, which do not heal well because there is a poor blood circulation in this part of the tail.

By licking and chewing, the dog makes the condition worse and the skin and tissue will die. These conditions of necrosis of the tip of the tail is often seen in Great Danes and Dalmatians. German Shepherds are also often seen in veterinary surgeries.

This can sometimes be treated with partial amputation but secondary problems can occur in the healing process because the very poor blood supply is not conducive to this. This actually makes it necessary to amputate the tail several times before the healing process is achieved.

Hunting dogs are in great danger of damaging their tails when thrashing through thick undergrowth and young forest. Only tails that are thick and covered with long hair are protected, such as those of the wolf and fox.

Apart from the dangers that the dog is constantly confronted with in the human environment (as well as the fact that they have less hair than the wild dog) many breeds have a very lively temperament which often cause tail tip damage in the course of their exuberance, e.g. an undocked Boxer will constantly be subject to injury when using its tail when he expresses happiness.

As far as the behaviour of dogs is concerned, I cannot see that their ability to express happiness should in any way be altered by the docking of the tail.

From the veterinary point of view, therefore, there is absolutely no reason why the banning of the docking of dogs tails should be beneficial to them. In actual fact, it would be detrimental to their well-being if docking was abolished. Tail docking protects the dog as it is done to avoid problems with tail injuries and subsequent painful treatment that would often occur.

It is called Prevention!!

End of Quote

** Since its publication, we have been asked to point out that there are English equivalents for these terms:

Nestfluchter = precocial

Nesthockern = altricial

 

[bappit]

I'm sure the subject of tail docking has been covered elsewhere on K9 already, and we all have our own views on the topic. Having grown up with spaniels I do not see it as mutilation or cruelty (I'd be the 1st to :x if i thought it was).

However, the possible enforcement of laws drawn up to 'protect' animals does concern me greatly and as such I will be writing again to my MP.

 

[mally]

I'm sure the subject of tail docking has been covered elsewhere on K9 already, and we all have our own views on the topic. Having grown up with spaniels I do not see it as mutilation or cruelty (I'd be the 1st to  :x if i thought it was).
However, the possible enforcement of laws drawn up to 'protect' animals does concern me greatly and as such I will be writing again to my MP.

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Bappit you are right it has been covered before on k9 but it is quite important that we all try to protect this procedure from being stopped,as the tail docking debate is being put before parliment at the end of the month. I've writtten to my MP about tail docking and have included some graphic photo's of a spaniel with an injured tail after a days beating.

Like yourself i don't think it's mutilation it is neccesary in working dogs including working terriers.

If they ban docking whats next?? i'm serously thinking about moving to Australia as this country is going T*ts up

 

[nigelmcfc]

I bred some JR terriers a good few years ago, and they were docked and dewclawed at

2 days old. They didn`t seem to suffer from it , and developed into strong healthy pups. In fact . my old Jack who died at the age of 16 a few years ago was one of them .

I know lads who keep Springers who work regularily , flushing from cover and they would tell you that an undocked Springer wouldn`t last 5 mins. If pet owners prefer their

dogs with long tails and aren`t going to work them , then no problem. It`s all down to personal choice and the freedom to be able to think and act for yourself , rather than being dictated to by an anti minority who know f--k all about working dogs .

Now coursing has gone, the antis are actually trying to get greyhound racing banned, are they `sickened ` by a rubber hare getting chased, sad b-----s!!!!

 

[midlanderkeith]

I'm sure the subject of tail docking has been covered elsewhere on K9 already, and we all have our own views on the topic. Having grown up with spaniels I do not see it as mutilation or cruelty (I'd be the 1st to  :x if i thought it was).
However, the possible enforcement of laws drawn up to 'protect' animals does concern me greatly and as such I will be writing again to my MP.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Bappit you are right it has been covered before on k9 but it is quite important that we all try to protect this procedure from being stopped,as the tail docking debate is being put before parliment at the end of the month. I've writtten to my MP about tail docking and have included some graphic photo's of a spaniel with an injured tail after a days beating.

Like yourself i don't think it's mutilation it is neccesary in working dogs including working terriers.

If they ban docking whats next?? i'm serously thinking about moving to Australia as this country is going T*ts up

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Gone Txts up you mean, as for Australia i remember in my teens i could have gone to oz, £10 assisted passage, working on a sheep farm, free accomodation, ANDERSON SHELTER, my own lasso, and wobble board thrown in

keith