title: Feline onychectomy at a teaching institution: a retrospective study of 163 cases.
abstract: One hundred sixty-three cats underwent onychectomy from January 1985 to November 1992. Onychectomy was performed with guillotine-type nail shears (62%), surgical blade (24.5%), or both (8.6%), and wound closure consisted of bandages alone (61.3%), bandages after suture closure (26.4%), or tissue adhesive application (9.2%). The duration of surgery was significantly longer when onychectomy was performed with a blade or when suture closure was used instead of bandages alone (P < .05). Fifty percent of the cats had one or more complications immediately after surgery. Early postoperative complications included pain (38.1%), hemorrhage (31.9%), lameness (26.9%), swelling (6.3%), or non-weight-bearing (5.6%), and were observed more frequently after blade onychectomy (P < .001). Follow-up was available in 121 cats; 19.8% developed complications after release. Late postoperative complications included infection (11.6%), regrowth (7.4%), P2 protrusion (1.7%), palmagrade stance (1.7%), and prolonged, intermittent lameness (0.8%). Late postoperative complications were observed more frequently after shears onychectomy (P = .018). Use of tissue adhesive was associated with more postoperative lameness (P < .02) and, when used after shears onychectomy, with more infections (P = .049).
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman 99164-6610.
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Tobias
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000662:veterinary; D006724:Hoof and Claw / Q000601:surgery*; D006762:Hospitals, Animal; D007794:Lameness, Animal / Q000209:etiology; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000662:veterinary*; D012189:Retrospective Studies