593 – Taking on the Taboos: Learn the Inside Story of Veterinary Procedures
Taking on the Taboos: Learn the Inside Story of Veterinary Procedures
Dr. Marty Greer, DVM and host Laura Reeves take on the recently taboo subjects of veterinary procedures such as bark softening, tail docking, ear cropping and dewclaw removal. Greer covers the how, when and, importantly, WHY of these procedures.
Debark
Some people call it urban bark. Some people call it bark softening. It kind of gentrifies the term a little bit because you’re really not taking away the bark. You really are softening it. And there’s a lot of misconceptions about it. I’ve heard all kinds of stories about how cruel it is and how difficult the procedure is for the patient. And honestly, none of them are true.
Dewclaws
I don’t see problems with the dewclaws coming off. I know there are people who feel that it weakens the carpal joint in the dog and I, to this day, have not seen a dog breakdown it’s Carpus and have difficulty with its carpal joint related to a declaw removal. We do see dewclaws that get torn off during hunting, during other kind of activities …. I actually haven’t seen any literature that suggests that they’ve got proof that (dewclaw removal) makes a difference.
Tail Dock
Nothing, nothing is more horrible than a broken, bleeding tail. Nothing. They crack them on the wall in the crate, in the kennel. And then they start to bleed. And then, oh my God, it looks like an axe murder happened in your house. It is unbelievable how much blood they can spray around from the end of their tail, and they’re very hard to bandage. They don’t heal very well, so they can be a real challenge.
There’s a lot of reasons that people do tails. It’s not just about breed type, it is really about function as well.
Watch Dr. Greer perform this simple procedure.
Ear Crop
Breed type is a big deal. If you don’t crop the ears on a Doberman, it doesn’t look like a Doberman.
I think we have to be really honest with ourselves that it’s about appearance, it’s about breed type. It’s primarily a cosmetic procedure and we have to be honest about it. But you have to decide what you’re breeding for because again, ear set and ear leather has changed because people don’t really pay attention to it.
In Closing
I will tell you that a lot of the procedures that (some folks) are telling people not to do are far less invasive and far more beneficial for the pet than spaying and neutering. Because why do we spay and neuter our dogs? Because we’re too lazy to control their sexual behavior. It’s not for their health. The American public has become complacent and will not (train) their dogs.
354 – Veterinary Legislation is Slippery Slope for Pet Owners
Veterinary Legislation is Slippery Slope for Pet Owners
Dr. Marty Greer, DVM, NAIA (National Animal Interest Alliance) board member, puts on her legislative hat and talks with host Laura Reeves about proposed legislation in New York and around the US regarding crop, dock, declaw, bark softening and more.
“As soon as they start dictating to us what veterinary care we need and need not do, we are on a slippery slope we aren’t going to like,” Greer said. “Once they start saying you cannot do an ear crop, tail dock, declaw, bark softening… You MUST do a spay… then we get into you must do a dental cleaning, you must provide this level of veterinary care, you have all rights taken away as pet owner. If those things are mandated, we will have people stop getting veterinary care because it’s being dictated. That scares me a lot.”
These procedures should be a decision made between veterinary and client, Greer noted.
“While a veterinarian is involved, we can provide supportive care. Without veterinary involvement, it can fall into the hands of lay people, where we don’t have pain management or appropriate anesthesia. Once veterinarians lose these procedures, the level of care goes down for the animals.”
Veterinarians have been coerced into thinking this is not an ethical thing, Greer observed. Noting “those procedures are going to keep happening.”
Isn’t it ironic…
Meanwhile, as legislation is proposed banning these very safe, minimally invasive procedures, other legislation is advocating mandatory spay/neuter.
“Patients are being spayed/neutered too young and with insufficient care. Research has shown tremendous health risks with young spay/neuter,” Greer said. “And spay, particularly, is a major abdominal, full anesthesia procedure.
“The primary reason we spay/neuter is because we are unable or too lazy to manage our animals’ sexual behavior. There is no reason to spay/neuter our pets unless they have tumors. Less bone cancer. Less urinary incontinence. Less obesity when pets are left intact.
“People are being forced into having an invasive elective procedure done on their pets and then we tell them they can’t have a minor elective procedure, like bark softening, that allows them to keep the dog in their neighborhood.
“There are many more functional reasons to do tail docks, for example, than a spay.
“Our ancestors came to the US because they wanted the freedom to make decisions for themselves,” Greer insisted.