An overview of a safe, painless, surgical solution that an owner may consider for a nusciance barking dog.
One of the most common behavior problems a veterinarian is asked in dogs is barking. Owners want dogs that will bark at strangers and burglars. A dog that barks simply because the wind is blowing is undesirable to owners and exasperated neighbors. There are many options available to an owner trying to break the annoying habit of constant barking.
Veterinarians will first suggest a water bottle or spray gun. If this fails, some will go with an aluminum can with a few pennies or pebbles inside. Both of these methods are to be used when the dog is caught in the act.
There are electric shock collars available for barking dogs. These are often effective until the collar comes off. An intelligent dog will figure out that he only gets shocked while wearing the collar.
By this time, many owners are ready to throw in the towel and be rid of a noise-making nuisance.
Unaware to many owners is a simple, surgical solution to all their problems.
A dog can be debarked in a relatively easy procedure that makes for a much happier relationship between dogs and owners, owners and neighbors.
The procedure for debarking a dog takes about twenty minutes to complete. The majority of this time is taken up by the actual anesthetizing of the animal. It is put under a general anesthesia, a trach tube is inserted into the dog's trachea and the procedure is begun.
The actual surgery takes two people to perform. A technician is usually on one side of the table holding the head and the tongue while the veterinarian is on the other. It is necessary to hold the mouth open wide and the tongue out as much as possible to allow the doctor easy access to the vocal chords.
A light is directed onto these chords and once visualized, the doctor will place a clamp on one side. He then takes a long handled pair of curved scissors to clip as wide a triangular piece as possible from the vocal chord. Bleeding is minimal and the doctor will then repeat the procedure on the other side.
When finished, the dog is allowed to come out of anesthesia and sent home that day. As soon as the effects of the medication are gone, he or she will start running and barking just as normal with one slight difference.
A dog that has been debarked still will make a sound but it is similar to a person with a bad case of laryngitis. The bark comes out very faint and raspy. It will be enough to give an owner warning when someone comes around but not enough for the neighbors to hear behind closed doors.
Many people are under the misconception that debarking a dog is cruel and inhumane. This is not true. The dogs themselves don't know the difference in their bark and happy owners mean better cared for pets.
When the options an owner faces are finding a new home, taking the dog to the pound or humane shelter, dumping it on a road or flat out putting it down, debarking is a much better alternative.
