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It's 3 a.m. Your neighbors have awakened to the sound of your dog barking incessantly for the umpteenth night in a row. They're angry and tired. You want to fix the problem -- and fast. So you turn to a surgery that is becoming popular but controversial around the globe: debarking the animal. Most would agree the endless barking of a dog could fray even the calmest nerves. But is this canine vocal chord surgery the best way to restore the peace? Kansas State University veterinarians say although this procedure will probably keep your pooch at least a little quieter, it doesn't address the main problem -- why the dog is incessantly barking in the first place. "The surgery doesn't take away the motivation to bark," said Dr. Kathy Gaughan, an assistant professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at K-State. "It doesn't address the underlying problem." Dogs may bark incessantly when they do not receive appropriate physical activity, when they are in a boring environment or when they are anxious or frustrated, said Gaughan and fellow veterinarian and assistant professor, Dr. Mary Ann Radlinsky. "There are many things that can precipitate this," Gaughan said. "If you want a dog, you need to be able to take care of all the dog's needs, physical and social." Usually when people come to K-State's Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital with a nuisance-barking dog, Gaughan said they are looking for a "quick fix." Many who debark their dogs live in an apartment, are breeders with many dogs or have dogs whose barking has become a problem with neighbors. There are two ways to perform this procedure, which essentially removes the dog's vocal chords, Radlinsky said. One method goes through the animal's mouth. This approach is simpler and quicker -- the other method, which Radlinsky prefers, goes through the dog's larynx, or voice box. This way is more expensive and a little more difficult, but is better, Radlinsky said, because surgeons can suture the lining of the airway back together, as it should be. Suturing keeps scar tissue from appearing and blocking the dog's airway. If the surgery is done through the mouth, it causes scar formation and the dog's bark may return in a very strange way; air passing through the dog's larynx when it attempts to bark will resonate against the scars. "The bark can then be more annoying," Radlinsky said. "A harsh, 'smoker's bark.'" Radlinsky said they don't perform many of these debarking procedures at the Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital at K-State. She said when she does perform the surgery, it is usually to correct a previous procedure that did not work. If a dog owner comes in wanting this procedure performed, Radlinsky said they won't refuse to do it, but they will explore alternatives. If they do perform the surgery, the veterinarians will make sure the owner understands the need to address their pet's physical and social requirements. Recently, some animal advocates have asserted this surgery is cruel to the animal; some countries have even outlawed the procedure. Gaughan doesn't exactly agree with this logic. "It's cruel if they haven't addressed the underlying problems," she said. "The surgery stops the barking, but it doesn't address why the dog was barking in the first place." Kansas State University is a comprehensive, research, land-grant institution first serving students and the people of Kansas, and also the nation and the world.
Understanding Animals Comment: we absolutely deplore the debarking of dogs in any circumstance.
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