Story published in July 2021 and updated Feb. 2022.

Petition to AAHA. AAHA Petition

Here are some of the many AAHA hospitals that perform this inhumane, cruel, and unnecessary amputation procedure (declawing).

Some of these AAHA Accredited Animal Hospitals also are not honest about their credentials, do not follow the requirements of their affiliated organizations, and deceive their clients about declawing.

Here’s our big story about AAHA and declawing and how AAHA sicced their lawyers on us and forced us to take down lots of their declawing information. AAHA Puts Profits over The Welfare Of Cats

Our researchers made a quick call to these hospitals and asked for a price of a declaw, what vets do the declaws, and if declawing is ok for a cat long term.

Here’s what we found.

Purdue University Small Animal Hospital, West Lafayette, IN  

July 2021   When you call to ask for the cost of a neuter/declaw the Purdue employee asks, “Do you want all four paws?”

The employee said that all their doctors in Primary Care, Dr Lori Corriveau, Dr Thompson, and Dr Rayo do their laser declaws. They said that a four paw declaw/neuter is around $455-$500.

One of the declawing vets, Dr Lori Corriveau, still has that she does pain free declaws on her bio on the Purdue Education Portal.

More about the Purdue Small Animal Hospital and declawing. Purdue and Declawing story


Jan. 2022 info.

Hazel Dell Animal Hospital. AAHA hospital in Carmel, IN.

Here’s a Jan 16, 2022 facebook post from this AAHA hospital that is advertising their laser declawing services.

Hazel Dell’s declawing info on their website.  Declawing at AAHA’s Hazel Dell Animal Hospital

Employee was asked for the cost of a spay/declaw for a 5 month old cat, if declawing is ok for a cat long term, and which vets do their declaws. They said they use a laser. Researcher asked if laser is better and employee said there is less blood.

According to the veterinary professional employee, all 4 of their vets do declaws and a spay/declaw is around $630- $645.  They said that in general, all vets learn how to declaw and you have to learn how to do them before you graduate.

When asked if a declaw is ok for a cat long term, they said that it depends because it’s an amputation of part of their toes, there is always a risk of bone fragments of something not going right because you are shifting the way the cats stand. They said that arthritis can set in a little faster but other than that it is fine.

They said that a lot of vet clinics won’t do declaws anymore and they only do it with a laser. Researcher asked why a lot of clinics don’t declaw anymore. Employee said, “The way that veterinary medicine is changing,  it’s viewed as inhumane.

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Indian Trail Animal Hospital, NC.   AAHA hospital since 2019.  

Jan. 2022 info.

They say on their website, “We are proud to be AAHA-accredited. This is another way we demonstrate our commitment to quality medicine and the highest standards of care. We will always do our very best for you, our clients. This video shares more about how our AAHA certification puts us at the top of our field.” Indian Trail Animal Hospital AAHA video

Here’s the declawing section at this AAHA accredited animal hospital in NC. Indian Trail Animal Hospital declawing info

One of our researchers asked Indian Trail Animal Hospital for the cost of a declaw and the employee said a declaw/spay is $550-600. They said that Dr Kaylor does their declaws. When asked if the cats are ok  long term for a cat and they said, “As far as I know, we haven’t had any complaints.”   Researcher asked if they use a laser for the declaws and the employee said no when asked how they perform them the employee said, “They go in and take out the claws” and laughed.

Fear Free Pets banned declawing in their Fear Free Practices and also said that their Fear Free Certified Veterinarians cannot perform declawing. Dr Rob Kaylor is a Fear Free certified Veterinarian and their employee said that he performs their declaws.

 


Seven Hills Veterinary Hospital, Aurora, CO.   AAHA Hospital since 1987.

Jan. 2022 info.

A price for a spay/declaw is around $1100. The employee said that they only declaw the front paws. They said that Dr Matthew Demey, owner, Dr Butler, and Dr Chandra Francis, medical director perform their declaws. It says on their website that Dr Chandra Francis is Fear Free Certified but according to Fear Free Pets website, she is not a Fear Free Veterinarian. Did she stop being a Fear Free Certified veterinarian so she could keep declawing cats?

They said that Dr Weber will not perform declaws.

Here is their cat declawing info. Seven Hills Veterinary hospital declawing info


Here’s our story about Wexford Animal Hospital in PA. Did they stop being a Cat Friendly Practice in 2021 so they could keep declawing cats? If you know the answer, please send us a note to citythekitty@gmail.com

AAHA Wexford Veterinary Hospital and Declawing


Here’s our story about Cascade Hospital for Animals. They stopped being a Cat Friendly Practice in 2021 so they could keep declawing cats. Cascade Hospital for Animals and declawing


West Madison Veterinary Hospital, Madison, AL.

 

Jan. 2022 info. Employee said that a neuter/declaw is around $400 and Dr Marlene Mixon and Dr Calvert perform their declaws. They said that they will not do a declaw until the cat is 6 months old. 
(Fear Free Pets does not allow their FF veterinarians to perform declawing.)
 
 
Here’s their declawing info on their website. West Madison declawing info
July 2021 info. Employee said that they do quite a few front declaws a year.  They said that Dr Barrett, Dr Mixon the owner vet, and Dr Calvert do their declaws. Dr Marlene Mixon is also a Fear Free Certified Professional.
Employee said that they don’t have an age limit for a declaw.
Another employee said this about declawing, “we do them fairly regularly.”  When asked if a declaw is ok for a cat long term, they said, normally they are pretty ok.
They sell Yesterday’s News for their declawed cats. Please sign our petition to Purina. They make millions of dollars each year from declawing. Purina Petition

Hills and Dales Veterinary Clinic, Kettering, OH.    AAHA Accredited Animal Hospital. 

They have a section on their website that says they are a CAT FRIENDLY Practice and have the Cat Friendly Practice logo on their website. Hills and Dales Cat Friendly Practice section

The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) banned declawing in their Cat Friendly Practices on July 1, 2021. 

This AAHA veterinary clinic declaws cats.

This clinic posted an announcement on Facebook in 2016 that they are a Cat Friendly Practice. 

As of Jan. 13, 2022, they are not listed on Catvets.com as a Cat Friendly Practice but their vet, Dr Elizabeth Maimon is listed as a Cat Friendly Veterinarian and AAFP member. She is also a Fear Free Certified Veterinarian.

According to an employee at this clinic, her husband, Dr Scott MacDonald does their surgeries, including declaws. When our researcher called for the cost of a neuter/declaw the employee asked, “Is it an all four declaw?”  A 4 paw declaw/neuter is $409.26.  Hills and Dales vet clinic declaw info

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Cherry Ridge Veterinary Clinic, Honesdale, PA  

Declaw brochure  Declaw with laser info

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Hope Springs Veterinary in Virginia Beach, VA

They say on their website that they provide A “Safe and Effective” Cat Declaw Surgery, Tail Docking, and Ear Cropping. Link to their declawing info on their website. Hope Springs Veterinary website

  Here’s our story about this declawing AAHA animal hospital. Hope Springs Veterinary AAHA hospital

 

Battle Ground Veterinary Clinic, PC, West Lafayette, IN

Employee said Dr Paul Wittke does their declaws and he uses a laser and said it’s the best possible way to do a declaw. A neuter/declaw is $315.  When the researcher asked if declawing is ok for a cat long term, the employee said yes. They said, “we wouldn’t do a procedure that causes long term issues.”

They said that other vet practices use surgical blade for declaws and it’s not as precise as a laser.

Link to their declawing info on their website. Battleground basic surgery page

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Tiny Town Animal Clinic in Clarksville, TN  

They have declawing on their website under surgeries and say it is a routine procedure. Here’s our story about this AAHA hospital. Tiny Town Routine Declaw Surgery

 

Riverside Drive Animal Care Center, Dublin, OH

Feb. 2022. This practice is no longer listed as a Cat Friendly Practice on catvets.com site even though they have been a Cat Friendly Practice since 2013. (AAFP banned declawing in their Cat Friendly Practices on July 1st, 2021.)

The employee said they only perform declaws for a medical reason for the cat or human like if they have a blood clotting disorder and are not able to get scratched but they don’t like to do them.

The declaws need to be approved by a doctor and they charge around $580- $780.

 

July 2021. The employee at this practice said they stopped declawing because they are a Cat Friendly Practice.  (AAFP banned declawing on July 1st.)

Unfortunately they refer people out to Worthington Woods Animal Care Center in Columbus, OH for the declaw procedure. The employee at Riverside Drive ACC said that Dr Jim Miller with Worthington Woods has been doing declaws for years and uses the same protocol that they do. (According to this care center, Dr Jim Miller has retired but Dr Hollie and Dr Shelby regularly perform declaws with a laser.)  They said that you just need an exam to see if the cat is healthy enough for the procedure.

 

Sangamon Avenue Vet Clinic in Springfield, IL

They said that the use a laser for their declaws and they feel it’s better. A front declaw is $291.

 

Coble Animal Hospital in Springfield, IL.

They said a front declaw is $300 and they use a laser and say it is less traumatic on a cat’s paw as far as the healing.

 

Heartland Animal Hospital P.C.  Bartlett, IL. Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/heartlandanimalhospitalpc

Laser surgery is a great way to reduce pain and swelling.  We are pleased to offer this less invasive method for procedures such as declaws, mass removals and neuters. “

This is a lie. Laser declawing is NOT less invasive.

Heartland Animal Hospital PC in Bartlett, IL published a youtube video a few years ago where the two women vets were touting how great their laser is for declaws and how they even declaw kittens on all four paws. The video has been taken down.

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Family Pet Clinic, Southhampton, PA

They have 13 staff members who are Fear Free Certified Professionals but no veterinarians who are Fear Free.

They said that Dr Tobi Maser, the owner vet, who does their declaws.  The employee was asked if declawing is ok for a cat and they said yes but they will only do it on a cat who is under 1 year old.  They said that they don’t do declaws very often.

They don’t use a laser for their declaws and refer people to Dr Stephen Radbill at World of Animals at Bethayres for the laser declaw. 

We looked into how World of Animals addresses declawing. This is NOT an AAHA hospital.

They said that Dr Radbill  only does front declaws and he does them regularly. A laser declaw is from $730-$900. When asked if the cats are ok long term after a declaw they said yes but that the cat can’t go outside as much.

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Noahs Caring Hands Animal Hospital, Indianapolis, IN.

Post on Facebook in 2014.

The employee said that a declaw is $1200 and they like to have an exam to educate you about declawing and to see if there’s another way around it. They said that Dr Roach and Dr Webb do their declaws.

Healthy Pets of Lewis Center, OH

When the researcher asked for the cost of a neuter/declaw for a cat the employee asked, “Are you just doing the front?” 

They also do 4 paw declaws. A 4 paw declaw with a neuter is from $575-$675.  Employee said that they have 3 vets who do the declaws and some use a laser. When asked if declawing is ok for a cat long term or if they are limping the rest of their lives, the employee said, “that can be a side effect” and it depends on each cat.

 

 

AAHA Accredited Animal Hospitals that don’t declaw cats.

 

Memorial Veterinary Clinic, Throop, PA

They don’t declaw cats.

They refer people to a declawing practice in the area, Memorial Old Forge which provides a declaw for around $390-$490.

 

Pets and Vets as Partners, West Lafayette, IN

They don’t do declaws. They said that the cats need to protect themselves if they go outside.

Petsburgh Pet Care, West Lafayette, IN

They say it’s bad for a cat and educated about the humane alternatives. They gave good advice on why not to declaw.

Intermountain Pet Hospital, Idaho

They don’t declaw and say that it involves severing the last digits on a cat’s paw and that it’s not in a cat’s best interest because they practice Fear Free techniques.

Loving Family Animal Hospital. Aurora, CO

They said they don’t do declaws because it is inhumane and a painful procedure.