Hi again!
I can't fully let go of the subject after Laura's long article.  I'm
sorry if I was a bit hard, but I still think it is an utterly discusting
procedure.  I still claim that you limit the animals normal behaviour.
It might look as if they behave normally, but that goes also for the cat
(sorry for not referring to ferret) that had to have one leg amputated.
It behaved absolutely normal, though it moved a bit strange.
I still think that you shouldn't get a pet if you can't ajust to it's
normal behaviour.  My example of instead choosing an aquarium was
maybe a bit too far from our furry friends (though fishes can be quite
nice to observe), but what I ment was of course that there are other
animals to get instead (rats, mice, rabbits...).  Accidently I
yesterday saw a program about cats (sorry again) on TV.  In that
program they talked with a US vet, who on demand of the cat owner
could agree on declawing the front paws.  He refused to declaw the
back paws, and he definitely didn't agree at all with the practice but
felt that he had to do it on demand of the clients.
I sincerely hope that this is also the attitude of other vets in
the US. As Laura correctly pointed out declawing is forbidden
in UK and, of course, in Sweden.
There is actually only black and white in this question.  As soon as
you move into the grey area you admit the treatment being normal.  It
possibly can be considered as something as exceptional as amputation
of a leg.  Actually in the program they mention the declawing as an
amputation.  I sincerely hope that declawing not is a common practice,
and I also hope that the attitudes of US vets are that it shouldn't be
done.
I would also like to make some comments on some parts of Lauras letter:
Cats are very popular as well in UK as in Sweden.
Most ferrets in Sweden are not used for ferreting, but we take them
out for walks in forrests and parks.  I wonder if you do?  The first
thing a ferret starts to do is dig!  So you can be sure that it then
needs what God have given it.  Ear cropping and tail docking is
forbidden also in Sweden.  The argument that hunting dogs hurt their
tail is very common.  Though of all people who have these dogs only a
few uses them for hunting.  It's better to treat those who gets problems.
 
To end with I want to say that I don't consider all vets performing
declawing as inhumane monsters, I just want them to be observant not
to make it a normal practice.  I saw declawing on TV yesterday for the
first time.  It was really discusting!  Though I know that next time
it won't be that awful, and the next tim it's not really bad, and the
next time...  I hope you follow what I mean.  It is very easy to get
adobted to a practice without really thinking about it.  It's is
precisely what I want everybody to do: think before getting an animal,
think before forcing a vet to treat an animal.  I'm quite sure that
you, Laura, will agree on that.  It has nothing to do with culture, a
lot of americans have their origins in Europe.  I think it's more a
question of making ethics lax (I don't know if that is the right
expression).
 
Please all vets that read FML, don't take this personally.  I just
want you to pay attention to something which I consider as absolutely
unnecessary, referring to ferrets of course.  The feline discussion we
leave to others.
 
Johan Lund (+ Zeus, Penelope, Maia - my digging friends)
[Posted in FML issue 1116]