Numerous procedures performed on domestic animals are usually more invasive than purely cosmetic alterations, but differ from types of veterinary surgery that are performed exclusively for health reasons. Such procedures have been grouped together under the technical term 'mutilatory' by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in a report describing the reasons for their being conducted and their welfare consequences, and by others.

The term mutilatory generally connotes some form of disfigurement or even maiming. There are multiple definitions and interpretations that carry varying degrees of emotional intensity. Merriam-Webster defines "mutilate" as "to cut up or alter radically so as to make imperfect", but gives a relatively mild example: "the child mutilated the book with his scissors".Definition of "Mutilate", merriam-webster.com Animal rights advocates often pejoratively refer to these procedures as mutilations. PETA states that one issue with current forms of non-human animal treatment is that the animals "are mutilated and confined to tiny cages so that we can kill them and eat them."

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons noted that the term mutilation is often an emotive one, having implications in common usage of maiming and disfigurement. They stated that there was no satisfactory alternative term that would suffice for their purposes. Their definition is a narrower one: "covering all procedures, carried out with or without instruments which involve interference with the sensitive tissues or the bone structure of an animal, and are carried out for non-therapeutic reasons."

List The following table contains procedures performed on domesticated animals that may or may not have a purported therapeutic purpose.

+Invasive procedures on animals Species Procedures CatsCastration Claw removal Devocalization Tail docking Tattooing Tendonectomy Cattle Castration Branding Dehorning Ear tagging Nose ringing Restraint Tail docking Tongue resection (calves) Dogs Castration Devocalization/Debarking Dewclaw removal Ear cropping Tail docking Tail nicking Tattooing Teeth removal Ferrets De-scenting Tattooing Horses Castration Branding Pin firing Tail blocking Tail docking Tail nicking Laboratory mice Ear tagging Earmark (agriculture) Tail clipping Tattooing Toe clipping Pigs Castration Ear docking Ear tagging Earmarking Nose ringing Tail docking Tattooing Teeth clipping Tusk trimming Poultry Beak-trimming Decrowing Blinders Caponizing Desnooding Detoeing Devoicing Dewinging Dubbing Foie gras force feeding Feather plucking Pinioning Spur removal Toe clipping Wing clippingSheep Castration Ear tagging Earmarking Dehorning Marking Mulesing Tail docking Teeth grinding SkunksDe-scentingSnakes Venom duct removalPrawns/shrimpEyestalk ablation Various Artificial insemination Castration/(caponization) Earmarking Ear tagging Tattooing

See also

Animal-borne bomb attacks Anti-tank dog Bat bomb Bile bear Cattle mutilation Cruelty to animals Mutilation Painted fish Project Pigeon

Notes

References