Dr. Mike Petty, DVM, is a highly qualified expert on the matter of post-operative animal pain management and pain management in general. He’s written a book about pain management in dogs and he lectures and consults on the topic. He knows what he is talking about and he should be listened to.
He has put his head over the parapet and criticised fellow American veterinarians for conducting non-essential (non-therapeutic) operations namely cat declawing, dog ear cropping, tail docking and dewclaw removal. This is a cross post on cat declawing. I’m going to discuss what he says about ear cropping, tail docking and dewclaw surgery in dogs in a Facebook post which I believe has become quite widely circulated.
It is rare and good that a veterinarian criticises other veterinarians. It opens up the discussion. It airs a problem which needs to be aired. Historically, American veterinarians always resist when politicians decide to introduce laws to ban, for example, cat declawing. They perhaps are blind to what they are doing or they are insensitive to the pain they cause.
Ear cropping
Dr. Mike Petty says that “There is no known medical reason for performing an ear crop”. It is a cosmetic procedure like cat declawing. It is outlawed in many countries and it has “the potential for many negative health outcomes and dogs”.
It appears that some clients and veterinarian’s claim that air cropping can help with chronic ear infections. Dr. Petty says that this claim is unsubstantiated.
He puts the blame for the continuation of air cropping on the following:
- Veterinarians who carry out the procedure without recognising the consequences;
- Dog breeders who want the classic look of their breed as per the breed standard while disregarding the ethics of what they are doing and the pain that they are causing (the last two comments are mine by the way);
- The American Kennel Club which continues to allow dogs with cropped ears to be shown at dog shows.
Dr. petty is horrified by reports that some breeders do ear crops on their own puppies without “the benefit of analgesia or proper surgical protocols”.
Recently the American XL bully has been in the news. It’s my belief that the breeders of these dogs ear crop their dogs routinely to create that pointed appearance to make the dog look more aggressive. Point made.
Tail docking
This operation is carried out by both veterinarians and breeders. When breeders do it, they either place an elastic band around the tail which causes it to fall off because of ischemic necrosis (my understanding is that this means a lack of blood to the tail which ultimately causes the tail to die) or the tail is removed surgically without painkillers.
And remarkably, Dr. Petty says that the operation is often done without the benefit of analgesia by veterinarians.
This is a cosmetic operation. There was a time when there were cart-pulling dog breeds such as the Rottweiler. The operation was carried out then to keep the tail from being caught up and injured in the harness.
Another reason for tail docking has been to prevent the accumulation of faeces around the base of the tail and to prevent injury.
Dr. Petty says that Rottweilers very rarely pull carts today and harnesses can be modified to protect the dog. And he says that “not all bushy-tailed dogs get their tails docked, yet suffer no issues in hygiene (e.g., the golden retriever).”
And, further, he claims that “the incidence of tail injury is very low, at less than 0.29% of dogs.”
On that basis, you need to dock the tails of 500 dogs to prevent one tail injury. And also, of course, injuries are often very minor.
Tail docking causes “severe acute pain and behavioural distress in puppies”. Many puppies have their tails docked by breeders.
He believes that there will need to be legislation to ban this operation.
Dewclaw removal
He remarks that this is another controversial operation and states confidently that “specious arguments by both breeders and veterinarians claim this procedure is necessary to prevent the traumatic removal of the dewclaw.”
He adds that after 43 years in veterinary practice he has seen “torn dewclaws, but at a lower rate than any of the other nails yet no one is suggesting we remove all nails for this ‘just in case’ scenario.”
This it appears that some veterinarians and dog owners and perhaps breeders believe that the dewclaw is a vestigial claw, a leftover from evolution which is no longer of purpose. But Dr. Mike Petty says that “with the advent of slow-motion videography, it shows performance dogs using the dew claw for gripping as they turn tight corners.”
He believes that is a movable and functional digit.
When is removed in an operation it “usually does cause arthritis of the entire carpal joint due to destabilisation of the joint; the dew claw is attached to several tendons and ligaments that help stabilise the carpus and prevent unnecessary torque when running, turning and jumping.”
He has confirmed the usefulness of the dewclaw in his practice. He says that “During my orthopaedic exams, I flex the carpus to see if the carpal pad can touch the underside of the antebrachium as it normally should. When it does not, I look for the presence of the dewclaw, and it is missing in most of these cases.”
Obligation to educate
He believes that it is important that veterinarians educate clients on breeders about these matters. They are unnecessary and they can have lifelong effects on patients in terms of their health and well-being.
