Pets | Non-essential surgeries now banned in Quebec

(Montreal) Veterinarians in the province are now prohibited from performing cosmetic surgeries on pets.

The Regulation on the well-being and safety of domestic companion animals and equines, which comes into force this Saturday, aims to prohibit four surgeries which were until now permitted, but strongly discouraged by the Order of Veterinary Physicians of Quebec (OMVQ): feline declawing, ear trimming, tail trimming and removal of vocal cords.

The president of the OMVQ, D^r Gaston Rioux welcomed this new legislation, mentioning that it reflected the fundamental values ​​of the Order and Quebec society with regard to the well-being of animals.

D^r Rioux indicated that many veterinary clinics had stopped practicing feline declawing, under the recommendations of the Order, but that only the Quebec government had the power to formally prohibit it.

In Canada, Ontario is the only province that has not yet banned the declawing of cats. A provision in the new regulation prohibits traveling to have your animal undergo prohibited surgery outside the province.

The former president of the Order, D^D Caroline Kilsdonk, for her part, specified that the cutting of ears and tails as well as the removal of vocal cords had no longer been practiced by veterinary doctors for several years in Quebec, but that it was still possible to have these operations carried out by non-veterinarians.

Surgeries deemed inhumane

The veterinary doctors contacted consider that these operations are not only futile for the well-being of pets, but that they can also cause harmful effects on the health and behavior of these animals.

The D^r Giroux explains that these four surgeries carry operational risks linked, among other things, to the general anesthesia that the animals must undergo during the procedure. The president of the Order is of the opinion that it is inhumane to endanger animals when the desired effect is purely aesthetic.

Notably, ear trimming was traditionally performed on dogs to meet certain breed aesthetic standards. The veterinarian cites the example of the Doberman, whose beauty standards require pointy ears.

Although cock trimming also falls into the cosmetic surgery category, the D^D Kilsdonk specifies that it was customary to cut the tails of hunting dogs to prevent fractures to this limb.

The veterinarian argued that this practice is now obsolete since recent studies show that “dogs that hunt have become rare and tail injuries are even more rare.” “A study showed that basically, the tails of thousands of dogs were trimmed to prevent one from possibly getting injured,” she said.

Behavioral problems

Vocal cord ablation or devocalization involves removing the vocal cords of an animal, usually a dog, so that it is less noisy. “Just like feline declawing, it is an operation carried out to ensure the comfort of the pet owner,” explains D^D Kilsdonk.

Devocalization does not completely stop a dog from barking, but it does significantly decrease the sound of their voice. “It’s not considered very humane because if a dog barks excessively, it probably has an anxiety or boredom problem. We only deal with the symptom and not the cause of the problem,” she adds.

Sometimes pets develop behavioral problems after undergoing either of these surgeries. This is particularly the case for cats who are declawed. This operation, which dates back to the 1950s, consists of removing the claws, the equivalent of the third phalanx for a human.

“As is the case with humans, chronic pain can appear at the site of a severed limb,” recalls D.^r Giroux.

“Today, we know that 30% of declawed cats have behavioral and aggressive problems and 15% will bite more,” underlines Dr.^r Gaston Giroux. Additionally, this operation makes the paw pads more sensitive. “This can lead the cat to do its business outside of the litter box because of the pain caused by the small rocks,” adds the president of the OMVQ.

The D^r Giroux and the D^D Kilsdonk welcome other provisions of the regulation aimed at improving animal welfare, including stricter regulation of breeding conditions.

André Lamontagne, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and responsible for the application of these legislative measures, said he was happy with the entry into force of the regulation. He recognized in a press release that domestic animals “are taking an increasingly important place in the lives of Quebecers” and that everyone has “a role to play in ensuring their well-being and safety.”