How Dr Andy Roark Played The Victim Instead of Helping The Welfare of Cats

In one sentence he said he was, “impressed by my passion and dedication”, and that I’m someone who is working hard to help pets and do good in the world. He said that he hopes I see similar characteristics in him.
And in the next sentence he said he didn’t feel inspired but he felt attacked.
Hmmmm. How did I attack him?
I simply asked some questions in a private email as to why so many employees at his practice that is a AAHA, AAFP Cat Friendly hospital were saying that they are a high volume declawing practice and that cat owners could book a declaw surgery with him personally.

Beware, the Banality of Evil

Beware, the banality of evil.

Some old time vets will hang on to the past, using antiquated techniques and medications, because that’s what “they were taught.” They don’t question what is “normal.” Other vets are more innovative and want veterinary medicine to be as progressive as human medicine. State of the art medicine and diagnostics can really help save lives. These vets are willing to learn new, life-saving techniques and medications and therefore eschew the old, the less effective or inhumane.

New Jersey Veterinarian Says Declawing Is Malpractice

The veterinary professional organizations have not recognized onychectomy for what it really is: malpractice.

For a veterinarian to harm an animal and with no physical benefit to that animal is
tantamount to malpractice. Despite cautions to their members for decades, professional
veterinary associations have not effectively reined in their veterinarians from performing routine
onychectomy.

One Giant Step For Catkind That All Veterinary Practices Should Take

We used to believe that declawing cats saved their lives. We feared that cats with claws would be turned in to the shelters in record numbers, and that we were doing a good thing by making cats more likely to stay in their homes.

As it turns out, the numbers do not bear this out. When areas have stopped declawing, the number of surrendered cats actually dropped. This left us with a question. We know that even under the best of circumstances, a declaw is a major and painful surgery, (and no less so when it is performed with a laser, by the way.) It is an amputation of the end of the cat’s “finger,” not just the removal of the claw itself. And even when performed perfectly, can have life-long complications.

So we wondered, if we weren’t saving cats, and this procedure can be painful to cats, why were we doing this? Although we know furniture destruction can be a problem, it can almost always be prevented with the right techniques. Besides, when it comes down to it, as veterinarians, our main concern is the cats, not the couches. We have to do what is best for our patients.

Amputating 10 Cat Toes Is No More Painful Than A Neuter – NJVMA SpokesVet

When cats start walking on their balls then we will start believing the NJVMA’s spokesvet Dr Yurkus and his animal hospital that declawing isn’t more painful than neutering.

Meanwhile, the American Association of Feline Practitioners’ policy on declawing states:

“Physically, regardless of the method used, onychectomy causes a higher level of pain than spays and neuters. Patients may experience both adaptive and maladaptive pain; in addition to inflammatory pain, there is the potential to develop long-term neuropathic or central pain if the pain is inadequately managed during the perioperative and healing periods.” [AAFP Policy Statement on Declawing, 2007.]

Dear Santa Claws, All I Want For Christmas

Dear leaders with Cornell Feline Health Center, Purina, and New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association. Please do the right thing and help us end this very inhumane and unnecessary procedure. Declawing should never be an option because there are always humane alternatives. If you really want to be true advocates for animals, you will stop looking the other way to this horrific torture that is being done to around 2 million cats in America. Profiting from any kind of animal cruelty is wrong, and is especially egregious if you don’t do anything to help end it.

Do The Right Thing Cornell Feline Health Center

Regarding Mrs Rhoda Hogan’s $125,500 bequest to Cornell. Cornell said that they used $100,000 to make 6 short videos. Cornell said that $25,500 has been sitting in a Feline Health Center account all these years and say their, “current leadership intends to use the funds to support novel public outreach efforts to encourage non-surgical alternatives to declawing. They are actively evaluating the most effective means for carrying out this plan.”

Certificate of Bravery for Being Declawed

It’s also sad to me to know how uneducated and lied to some people of the world are because the vets don’t tell them what declawing really is or no one else ever did.

You shouldn’t even be allowed to call yourself a vet if you do this to cats.
You’re supposed to love, protect, and heal these animals, and if you go into the vet field with the mindset that this is okay, you do not belong in it.