HEALTH - BC Veterinarians Ban Tail Docking

Members of the College of Veterinarians of British Columbia (CVBC) have voted in favour of banning the cosmetic tail docking of dogs, horses and cattle, and tail alteration in horses.

(pets4homes.co.uk)

The ban makes the practice of tail docking and alteration an unethical practice of veterinary medicine, and veterinarians found continuing the practice will face disciplinary action from the CVBC.

The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act authorizes the BC SPCA to investigate and recommend charges against any person, veterinarian or otherwise, believed to be carrying out such procedures.

The CVBC banned ear cropping for cosmetic reasons last year and joins a number of other Canadian provinces including Quebec and the Maritimes in banning both of these procedures.

According to the press release: “No scientific evidence supports a welfare or medical benefit for tail docking or alteration, but evidence does show a detrimental effect on behaviour and animal communication, as well as the risk for infection and phantom pain.”

Some breed associations continue to resist bans because of historical practices.

However, College President Dr. Brendan Matthews points out, “veterinarians have an ethical responsibility to the animals they treat and tail docking goes against that responsibility. We ask other provinces to follow suit and for breed associations to recognize the changing times.”

The CVBC calls upon breed associations to bring about changes to their breed standards as has been done in other countries.

England, Wales and Scotland have banned the cosmetic docking of tails since 2007 and the UK Kennel Club does not allow dogs with cropped ears to compete in their shows.

If a dog’s tail has been docked after the legislation was enacted in 2007, the owner must apply to compete and provide a copy of the docking certificate/veterinary letter signed by their veterinarian.

Some individuals have expressed concerns that prohibiting veterinarians from performing cosmetic surgeries will lead to breeders or owners performing the surgery themselves.

This, however, has not been the case in jurisdictions that have passed similar bans in Canada.

Animal Abuser Selling Pets on Kijiji Despite Lifelong Ban

(CBC)

Nova Scotia resident Gail Benoit was convicted on animal cruelty charges in 2009 for selling sick and malnourished puppies. As a result she was banned from buying, selling or giving away any animals. That ban has since ended.

In 2014 she was barred from buying or selling domestic or wild animals after being prosecuted for stealing and selling two dogs from a woman in New Brunswick. That court order has also expired, however Kijiji has a lifetime ban against her using their services.

Despite the ban, a Halifax area man, Justin Killen, recently purchased two kittens through Kijiji from Benoit.

"My friend had posted a picture of Gail Benoit, and I immediately, after seeing the pictures, knew exactly who I dealt with — you know, just the spitting image of her and the pictures were just exactly the same,” Killen told CBC.

Shawn McIntyre, a spokesman for Kijiji, confirmed to CBC that Benoit was posting ads on the site at the same time Killen contacted her. "We did get a notification last week that someone suspected that this was happening and we investigated the ad that was brought to our attention," he said.

Kijiji staff determined Benoit had been using her daughter’s account.

The team at Kijiji will keep an eye out for further attempts by Benoit to post ads to their site, either as herself, or if it appears she is using an account in the name of her family members.

"Be wary of who you're dealing with. Ask a lot of questions. If it seems like you're bothering the person, asking too many questions, that it's probably a good idea not to go through with the deal," Killen advised in the CBC report.

One resource available to help people when looking for a pet is the website B4 U GET A PET.

Read the full story here.

British Columbia Bans Ear Cropping

British Columbia joins most of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia by banning cosmetic ear cropping of dogs. Ear cropping is considered to be an unethical practice and any person that continues to crop ears will receive disciplinary action.

College of Veterinarians of British Columbia’s (CVBC) College Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Larry Odegard said, “Ear cropping is an unnecessary procedure unless carried out in cases of injury or for reasons of health concerns.” There are no known welfare or medical benefits from ear cropping and there are known behavioural consequences; specifically communication with people and other dogs.

Several breed associations are against the ban stating that purebred breeds will not be saved for future generations if their ears were not cropped. Veterinarians and scientists have stated that cosmetic surgery is a human alteration and is unwarranted. Odegard said, “Veterinarians have an ethical responsibility to the animals they treat. Ear cropping goes against that responsibility.” The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) is also against canine cosmetic surgery. The CVMA regularly encourages breed associations to change their breed standards so that cosmetic surgeries no longer occur. In the United Kingdom, dogs with cropped ears are prohibited from competing.

The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ CEO, Craig Daniell said, “For nearly two decades we have been on record opposing procedures such as tail docking, ear cropping, devocalization and declawing that impact an animal’s ability to experience good welfare and to express natural behaviours.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE