Piercing a pet fish. It sounds sick, doesn’t it? Some kind of animal abuse?
Maybe it is, but as humans we have always modified our pets with everything from identification tattoos and brands, to cosmetic surgery such as ear cropping, tail docking, and toe amputation (ie. the honest name for “declawing”). Many modern animal enthusiasts decry the traditions as barbaric, while advocates insist it allows them to maintain a closer bond with their pet and thus the pet lives a longer and happier life
http://www.bmezine.com/news/pubring/20040201.html

Declawing is NOT toe amputation. it is toe-NAIL amputation.
In some cases the dewclaw is removed, but that has no muscle and therefore cannot be seen as a toe.