A declawing ban officially took effect in Nova Scotia this month. They are the first province in the country to implement this.
Executive Director for the New Brunswick Veterinary Medical Association Dr. George Whittle says declawing is usually a procedure that veterinarians try to avoid, and if it is performed, it is done at the request of the clients.
“Several times a year, they are put in the position where the owner says they have to have the procedure done, or the cat will have to be euthanized or put up for adoption. The downside is it certainly is a procedure that is not without pain, either acute or chronic. It is a procedure that vets try to avoid if possible.”
Dr. Whittle expects that a proposed by-law amendment will be put forward at their meeting in September.
“I think it is good that one province starts the process, like Nova Scotia did. Then other provinces can look and see how the process went, whether there were things they didn’t think of at the time, that should have been in place,” Dr. Whittle says.
There are extreme cases where veterinarians have no other choice but to declaw. For instance, if there is an infection, or another serious medical condition.
He adds currently they are trying to educate their clients about the procedure to make sure alternative methods are done before declawing…
