AAHA Position Statement Re: Cropping & Docking

[tosca]

Is your veterinarian a member of the AAHA - American Animal Hospital Association? If yes - and - you have a cropped and/or docked breed, you should be aware of the AAHA position statement regarding cropping and docking:

Ear cropping and/or tail docking in pets for cosmetic reasons are not medically indicated nor of benefit to the patient. These procedures cause pain and distress, and, as with all surgical procedures, are accompanied by inherent risks of anesthetic complications, hemorrhage, and infection. Therefore, the American Animal Hospital Association opposes both the cropping of ears and the docking of tails when done solely for cosmetic reasons. Veterinarians should counsel and educate pet owners that these procedures should not be performed unless medically necessary. The American Animal Hospital Association also encourages the elimination of ear cropping and tail docking from breed standards.

Here's the link to this language on their website:

https://secure.aahanet.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?site=resources&webcode=referenceDetail&postKey=409665b4-0d4e-4b71-b8e8-019fcffa1b4d

[Elaine]

Thanks for posting that Cathy... must say, it's kind of disheartening to read that the AAHA has taken such a position. Ear cropping doesn't have to cause streess and pain. I think it varies greatly depending on which ear cropper you use. In my experience, going back to my childhood, the best ear cropper I have ever run across - hands down - is Dr. Patty Edwards. The puppies she crops do not fuss or appear to be in any discomfort... but unlike many vets we've used over the years, her protocol includes pain medication as part of the after care.

A few years back we were sitting watching a dressage lesson with a small animal vet who was a dressage student of Jim Koford's. Might have been late summer of 2004, the vet had just come from some annual AVMA convention (in PA as I recall). She hadn't a clue that we owned Dobermans... we were just chatting about her trip, she told us then that the AVMA was opposed to ear cropping. Not sure if it was a formal position... or some informal consensus.

When we were in Ohio and we took Tag and Grace for health certificates before shipping them to their new homes, both vets we used went on and on about how cruel and unnecessary ear cropping was. And we barely squeeked by with CA SB1548 back in 2004.

Honestly, I think the handwriting is on the wall.