Declawied Mishap? Anyone heard of this!

A friend of a friend took her cat into the vet to have it declawed. Once home she noticed one of the paws turned under and very limp. The cat did not seem to be in pain. She went back to the vet and was told that he may have wrapped it to tight or may have damaged a nerve. He stated he was going on vacation and for her to leave the cats their for 10 days so they could keep an eye on it.
Or if she wanted she could take it to another vet and he would pay for the e-rays.
She is very worried and does not know what to do. Since I do not declaw my cats I could not help her with the problem so I advised her to contact the vet. I thought maybe someone could help give her some advice.

This get's me soooo mad . I would most definitely consult another VET!!!!

I would not leave my cat there for 10 days! I would absolutely have your friend go and get a second opinion.

Why would the vet suggest they leave their precious cat there, when the vet is not going to be there?? Is there another vet in the same office?

I would take them to a different vet soon, so if something could be done to help the poor kitty, it can be done now, not 10+ days from now....

I would find another vet for this, and all furture visits, period.
It's bad enough the vet declaws, it's worse when they cannot do it properly.
Why on Earth would anyone allow a vet that has harmed a pet continue to see it?

Out of curiosity, how old was the cat?
I myself, am against declawing, but I do believe there should be a cutoff age if vets are going to continue the practice.
In my experience, all of the cats I've run into that did have after surgery complications (either immediate, or years down the road) were all declawed past the age of 6 months.

Originally Posted by catsRNmom

Why would the vet suggest they leave their precious cat there, when the vet is not going to be there?? Is there another vet in the same office?

I would take them to a different vet soon, so if something could be done to help the poor kitty, it can be done now, not 10+ days from now....

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I agree with you I was totally shocked that he wanted her to leave it with him not there. He told her that his girls could keep an eye on it. No other vet in the office just him. I too am affraid that 10 days may make the problem unfixable. I have been trying to reach her so that she can take it to my vet.

Originally Posted by Arlyn

I would find another vet for this, and all furture visits, period.
It's bad enough the vet declaws, it's worse when they cannot do it properly.
Why on Earth would anyone allow a vet that has harmed a pet continue to see it?

Out of curiosity, how old was the cat?
I myself, am against declawing, but I do believe there should be a cutoff age if vets are going to continue the practice.
In my experience, all of the cats I've run into that did have after surgery complications (either immediate, or years down the road) were all declawed past the age of 6 months.

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Hi I too do not declaw. And I am not sure how old the cat is. I do know she bought it as a kitten so I am guessing it is under a year. I do know that this vet does do small animals but mainly larger animals like horses, cows and so on. I used him one time and found I did not feel comfortable with him. So went to another I am very pleased with. I am also going to try and find out how old the kitty is.

Thanks eveyone for your input, I passed the info along and I did find out the kitty is 5 or 6 months old. Was taken to another vet and is doing better, is getting movement back in it's paw still favors it when walks but it is no longer folding under when it walks.
I also told her about TCS I hope she joins.

This sort of thing is pretty common. About 20% of declaws result in significant, albeit usually short-term, complications.

Since the procedure is the amputation of all the toes at the first knuckle, it is not at all surprising that many cats have trouble walking afterward.

Hopefully your friend has learned her lesson and won't be declawing any more cats.