Story published on Feb. 9, 2023
UPDATE. April 7, 2023. Once again, a veterinary medical association and their misguided, dishonest leader, Dr Joanne Carlson, are using the ASPCA’s declawing position to try to STOP the Illinois anti-declawing bill.
This is the 3rd time that the ASPCA’s position is being used to stop anti-declawing legislation. Legislation in Wyoming in 2020 and in Arizona in 2022 were stopped using the ASPCA’s declawing position statement. A veterinary company in Arizona that offers declawing is still making lots of money from this animal cruelty thanks to the ASPCA.
Here’s an excerpt from this Letter to the Editor by Dr Carlson. “Cat declawing is not common in Illinois, and ISVMA stands firmly with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, one of the world’s largest humane societies, in asserting that declaw procedures be a last resort.”
Here are Dr Joanne Carlson’s Letters to the Editor in newspapers in Illinois with the ASPCA’s declawing position statement being used to try to stop the anti-declawing bill.
https://www.dailyherald.com/discuss/20230417/letter-leave-declaw-decisions-to-the-veterinarians
Here’s more about this story about how the ISVMA and Dr Joanne Carlson are putting out blatant lies and misinformation about declawing. They also saw our survey that showed that declawing is common in the majority of vet clinics in Illinois but they are ignoring it and putting out the lie that declawing is not common. https://citythekitty.org/lying-to-legislators-illinois-state-veterinary-medical-assoc-has-to-lie-about-declawing-because-the-truth-about-it-is-just-so-brutal-and-awful/
Here are more lies from Dr Joanne Carlson in one of the many news stories she is in. ““To be clear, Illinois veterinarians perform feline onychectomies infrequently and any suggestions that this is a common practice are untrue,” Carlson said. “When it is done, as a last resort, it is to protect the health and well-being of the cat.”
There is no evidence that cats who have this procedure experience any long-term difficulties, Carlson said.
“Modern declawing is no more painful or complicated than one might expect from a spay or neuter procedure,” she said.”
Dr Carlson has no data that shows that banning declawing will jeopardize the lives of cats. The truth is that in the states and cities where declawing has been banned there has not been an increase in cats in shelters.
The awful truth is that many declawed cats end up being thrown out or relinquished to shelters because of behavioral issues they develop from the pain and discomfort in their mutilated paws.
““While we appreciate good intentions, this bill will jeopardize the lives of some cats and compromise veterinarians’ ability to uphold their medical oath to protect and save animals’ lives,” said Dr. Joanne Carlson, the association’s president.”
That is a fear-mongering statement. Many declawed cats are euthanized because they can’t find new homes. Declawing does not save a cat’s life or keep it in a home and in fact often causes it to lose its home.
The ASPCA’s declawing position statement was used by the Arizona Veterinary Medical Association (AzVMA) to stop the 2022 anti-declawing bill in that state. Because the ASPCA doesn’t completely condemn declawing and ultimately condones declawing in their position statement by saying that it could save a cat’s life, they are helping declawing veterinarians and veterinary clinics like all these AzPetVet clinics to continue profiting from this animal cruelty.
Please email the ASPCA, show them this story, ask them to completely condemn declawing, and to help us ban it. Email- [email protected] and [email protected]
Subaru is the largest corporate donor to the ASPCA and donate millions to them.
Please reach out to Subaru and ask them to stop donating to the ASPCA until they completely condemn declawing and help us ban it. Email- [email protected]
Here’s our story. The ASPCA doesn’t support banning declawing.
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Do veterinarians lie about declawing because they know they shouldn’t be doing it?
Is Dr Wayne Anderson, AzVMA’s Advisory Council board member, ill-informed or just a plain liar?
Dr Wayne Anderson testified on March 23, 2022 against the Arizona anti-declawing bill at the 24 min. mark. Testimony 2022 hearing
Dr Anderson is the CEO of AzPetVet which consists of 22 vet clinics in Arizona.
AzPetVet is a Premier Sponsor of the Arizona Veterinary Medical Association.
Here’s an excerpt from a Feb. 9, 2022 news story about the anti-declawing bill with a few Dr Wayne Anderson quotes, “He also said the procedure of amputating the end of the digit is not as traumatic as others have said, calling the language about cutting the toes off “very inflammatory.’’ “They walk on the pads of their feet,’’ Anderson said. “They don’t walk on their claws.’’ And he said that the absolute ban fails to acknowledged that some owners won’t be able to handle their clawed cats to get them to the vet as needed for health care.” Pinal Central Story
Here’s another story we published in Feb. 2021 on how the AzVMA was trying to stop the anti-declawing bill. https://citythekitty.org/the-arizona-veterinary-medical-association-does-not-want-declawing-banned-why-the-answer-might-be-in-this-story/
All but one of Dr Wayne Anderson’s 22 vet clinics declaw cats, according to employees who work there. Declawing is a big money making procedure in many AzPetVet Clinics.
Here are some of the things Dr Wayne Anderson, AzVMA’s Advisory Council Board Member, said in his testimony to the Arizona legislators in March of 2022:
1) Dr Wayne Anderson, “We also, on occasion do a declaw procedure.” “We don’t do them that often, it’s very rare.” “Maybe one or two a doctor might do in a years time.” “It’s a very successful surgery, on occasion.”
Many of the employees at his clinics said that they do declaws regularly and one, Arrow Animal Hospital said that they do declaws “all the time.” The average cost for a 2 paw declaw at an AzPetVet clinic is around $1000- $1200. The cost of a neuter/2 paw declaw at Arrow Animal Hospital is around $1000- $1200. They even perform 4 paw declaws.
2) Dr Wayne Anderson, “It’s a non-weight bearing bone.” “Cats do not walk on their claws, they walk on the pads of their feet.”
Here are the facts about cat anatomy and a declaw procedure from a veterinarian who is an expert on declawing. “Here’s a crude diagram of a cross section of the end of the P2 bone and the P3. Yellow is the pad, red the P3, dark blue the p2 and light blue a tendon. We will all agree cats walk on their digital paw pads. When a declaw is done the end of the P3 (red) has to be cut away from the pad (yellow). The P2 bone does NOT have to be cut away from the surface that they bear weight on.
If cats didn’t transfer weight AT ALL to the P3 it would not be embedded into the digital pad, it would be above it and not need that cushion. Also, the natural paw pad is oblong. When a cat is declawed and the P3 is removed the paw pads become very small, circular and atrophied BECAUSE the weight bearing surface has now been made smaller (the round end of P2).”
Also, another expert veterinarian said that P3 is a weight bearing bone because weight bearing is on the joint between P2 and P3. Removing P3 changes the anatomy so that P2 begins to stick through the skin as the toe pads atrophy.
Anatomy of a cat’s paw from Anatomy of a cat’s paw & P3 bone
3) Dr Wayne Anderson. “We go over the behavioral changes.” “This is a serious conversation, it is never done where you drop it off.” Many of his clinics said that you can just drop off the cat for the declaw and only need to do 20 minutes of paperwork. Most of them didn’t mention any behavioral issues or humane options.
4) Dr Wayne Anderson. “Most cats do not let their nails be trimmed.” “Those little caps are silly. Those don’t work.”
There is no data that shows that most cats do not let their nails be trimmed and from what we know, most cat owners are able to trim their cat’s claws.
Most dogs don’t let their owners clip their nails. Should dogs be declawed? Most kids don’t like getting their nails trimmed so should doctors remove their fingernails?
Some cats may have issues with trimming their nails but there are always ways that cat owners can work with their cats and trim their nails.
Many cat owners who have health issues like bleeding disorders use claw caps and if they can’t put them on they take their cats to their vet to have them put on. These nail caps do work according to many cat owners.
5) Dr Wayne Anderson. “I get referrals from staff at the Humane Society to declaw cats.” “They come to us, we get referrals from the Humane Society people because people adopt the cat, they get it home, it’s not good in that environment either with other dogs and cats, they bring it back, and people say go see this group (AzPetVet), we can’t take your cat back, we have too many cats.”
Steve Hansen, the director of the AZ Humane Society said in his testimony to these legislators that they do not refer people to AzPetVet to get their cats declawed. Also the PR person with the AZ Humane Society said that their Pet Resource Center does not refer cats to AzPetVet to be declawed.
We reached out to Dr Wayne Anderson with some questions but have not heard back from him yet.
Here’s the full hearing about the 2022 anti-declawing bill in AZ. It starts at the beginning of the video. Dr Wayne Anderson’s testimony is at the 24 minute mark. AZ anti-declawing bill hearing in Senate Commerce Committee 3/23/22
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Dr Carla Gartrell, Dean of Midwestern University College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr Julie Funk, Dean of the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine, and Dr Wayne Anderson are on the AzVMA’s Advisory Council.
Midwestern University College of Veterinary Medicine’s vet clinic doesn’t declaw cats unless it’s medically necessary for the cat and they say it’s a very risky procedure and can alter the behavior of a cat.
The University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine does not have a teaching hospital nor is declawing a part of their curriculum.
Dr Wayne Anderson owns AzPetVet and most of his 22 vet clinics are making good money from declawing cats.
“An owner should have the option … to be able to opt for a declaw instead of surrendering or euthanizing their cat,” a lobbyist for the association named Susie Stevens said at a hearing on a separate declawing bill last year.
“We talk about gruesomeness, well a spay can be gruesome, a neuter can be gruesome and frankly most surgeries are rather gruesome if we just think about what it looks like.”
THE METHOD OF OUR INVESTIGATION.
Our researchers made a short call to Dr Wayne Anderson’s 22 AzPetVet clinics in Jan. 2023, 2022, and 2021.
The researcher asked for a price for a spay/neuter and declaw, which vets perform declaws, what declawing method they use, and if declaws are regularly performed, and if the cats are ok long term after a declaw.
We have withheld the names of employees for fear that they might suffer a backlash for their honest answers.
A SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS
Only one of the AzPetVet clinics is a no declaw clinic according to an employee who works there. Beardsley Animal Hospital, Glendale, AZ.
Many of the employees at these AzPetVet clinics asked our researchers if they want the cost of a two or four paw declaw.
Many of them said they do declaws regularly and one of them, Arrow Animal Hospital, the first AzPetVet hospital in 1984, said that their owner vet, Dr Stuart Sherrell does declaws all the time. (They said a 4 paw declaw/neuter is $1500- $1700. A 2 paw declaw/neuter is around $1300- $1500. The average cost for a 2 paw declaw at an AzPetVet clinic is around $1000- $1200. So you can imagine how much money all these AzPetVet clinics are making from declawing cats.)
As Dr Wayne Anderson stated in his testimony, clinics that don’t declaw cats refer clients to them for a declaw.
You can see in our small survey of random vet clinics, Care Surgery Center in Glendale refers cat owners to Arrow Animal Hospital for a declaw. This is what is happening in America. The ethical and humane veterinarians stop declawing cats because they know it is inhumane and wrong and then declawing vet clinics like Dr Wayne Anderson’s AzPetVet clinics will start getting more clients who want this inhumane amputation procedure done to their cats.
Many of his clinics said you can just drop off the cat the morning of the procedures and will just have to do about 20 minutes of paperwork.
Most of his clinics said that the cat is ok long term after a declaw.
Only a couple of them mentioned the humane alternatives or the negative issues that a declaw causes.
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1) Arrow Animal Hospital.
Jan. 2023. Researcher asked for the cost of a declaw and the employee asked, “Would it be all four paws or just two? They said that they use cautery and instruments to perform their declaws.
Researcher asked if the cats are ok after the declaw and they said, “Yep, we do declaws all the time.” The employee said that their owner vet, Dr Stuart Sherrell does their declaws and he has over 35 years of experience. They said that the first few weeks the cats will be limping because they are tender but long term they haven’t seen any complications.
They said a 4 paw declaw/neuter is $1500- $1700. A 2 paw declaw/neuter is around $1300- $1500.
They said that you can just make an appointment to talk to the doctor to go over everything, give you the full estimate, how long it will take and you can pick up the cat the next day. They said they keep the cats overnight to make sure their paws are ok the next morning and aren’t swollen or bleeding. They said that most people do the 2 paw declaw but they have seen people have the 4 paw declaws.
Jan. 2021. This was the first AzPetVet hospital in 1984. Our researcher spoke with Dr Stuart Sherrell. He said that he has been doing declaws for 30 years, he uses a radio surgery tool and said there is less pain. He said he has cats with claws and without claws and the declawed cats can’t tell the difference. He said they go outside supervised and climb trees. When asked if there are any long-term problems with declawing and he said you never can guarantee it but they usually walk around like nothing happened to them.
This is from their website on Feb. 6,2021. Here’s the link. Declaws for cats and dogs
(The declaw option was removed after we published this story.)
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2) Madison Animal Hospital.
Jan. 2023.
The employee said that a neuter/declaw is $954 and they do declaws regularly. They said that all their doctors do the declaws. When asked if the cats are ok long term and the employee said yes.
Feb. 2021. A spay/declaw is $560- $740. They say the cats stay overnight and there are no long terms problems to declawing.
3) Bell Ridge Animal Hospital, Phoenix. Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/BellRidgeAnimalHospital
Jan. 2023 The researcher asked for the cost of a declaw and the employee asked, “ It’s just the two front paws correct?”
They said an all four declaw is around $861 and a two paw declaw is around $702. They said that their vets use a radio surgery unit and a 2 paw declaw is around $833 and four paw is around $992. They said the radio surgery it cauterizes and cuts the bleeding down and heals better. They only have one doctor who does declaws and said she does them regularly, Dr Jennifer Starkel. When asked if a declaw is ok for a cat long term they said they believe so and no one has had any issues when she does them.
Another employee said that they use a Ellman radio surgery unit. Researcher asked if the cats are ok long term and the employee said yes. They said Dr Starkel has done declaws quite a bit and said she just did a declaw the other day and said the cat is great. They said a declaw is $1000- $1200 with the radio surgery unit. They said you can make the appointment for the procedure and come in and go over paperwork and drop off the cat.
March 2022. Employee said a spay/declaw is around $530-$630. They recommended Dr Starkel for the declaw and said not every veterinarian does declaws. The employee said that she does declaws every once in awhile because not everyone has them done all the time. When asked if the cats are ok long term, the employee said yes and they have the cats stay overnight to monitor them for bleeding. They said they offer radiosurgery for the declaws.
4) RoadRunner Animal Hospital
Jan. 2023. They said that Dr Adam Riley, Dr Elizabeth Glickson, and Dr Jose Evans do their declaws with a radio surgery unit. You need a consult exam to go over everything and check out the cat to see if everything is nice and stable and get the cat in for the surgery.
A neuter/declaw is $1039. When asked if they do them regularly the employee said yes they do. When asked if the cat is ok long term they said that it’s not something recommended and there are other options and that it could cause more arthritic tendencies. They said that you can do nail caps or other alternatives. Another employee said that it’s up to you to do the declaw.
Feb. 2021. A spay/declaw is $440.60- $540.60. They require an exam first to see if the cat is healthy and the doctor will determine if it’s the right thing for the cat.
5) Norterra Animal Hospital, Phoenix.
Jan. 2023. Employee said that a 2 paw declaw/neuter is $900. They said that Dr Michelle Horvath and Dr Jason Gold do their declaws regularly. After the declaws the cat gets sutured and stay 48 hrs. When asked if the cats are ok after declaws the employee said yes.
March 2022. Researcher asked for the cost of a spay and then how much extra for a declaw. Employee asked, “Would it be just the front two?”
A 4 paw declaw with a spay would be around $850. The employee said all their doctors have been doing declaws for awhile but some of them chose not to do them anymore. They recommended Dr Michelle Horvath and said they believe she is the only doctor who will do the declaws and she is very comfortable with the procedure and have done declaws plenty of times. They said that she does a couple declaws a month and is doing one tomorrow. They said people are starting to steer away from the declaws.
When asked if a declaw is ok for a cat long term, the employee said that it is equivalent to cutting off the first knuckle and is extremely painful. They said that later on in their life there’s a chance that the cat can get aggressive and start biting because they don’t have their claws and they can have pain in their paws.
6) Animal Hospital at Verrado. Buckeye, AZ. (This is a new AzPetVet animal hospital.)
Jan. 2023. The employee said that a neuter/declaw is $964 and Dr Johanna DeKing does their declaws and does them fairly often. When asked if the cats are ok long term, they said that the doctor will discuss that with you because it involves removing the first digit and can cause some arthritis in the future. They said that the doctor uses a couple methods and can use a radio surgery, which is more effective and faster.
7) Arrowhead Ranch Animal Hospital, Glendale, AZ
Jan. 2023. Researcher asked for the cost of a declaw and the employee asked, “Do you want just the front ones or do you want all four?” They said a 2 paw declaw/neuter is $702 and 4 paw declaw/neuter is $861. They said most of their doctors do declaws and there’s only one who doesn’t. The employee was asked if they do declaws regularly and they said, “Oh yea, pretty frequently.”
Researcher asked if the cats are ok long term after a declaw and the employee said yes and said, “I had my cat declawed and she is totally fine.” They said that it was a while ago they believe it was either Dr Melissa Berthiaume or Dr Kerry Tarr.
March 2022. Researcher asked for the cost of a neuter and then how much extra for a declaw. Employee asked, “For all 4 paws or just one?” The employee said that a front declaw is $383.50 and for all 4 paws is $540 for their “basic package.”
A neuter/2 paw declaw is $469.60 for their “basic package” or $551 for neuter/4 paw declaw package. The employee said that all their surgeons on staff are capable of doing the declaws. The employee was asked if the cats are ok long term after a declaw and they said, yes, they haven’t had problems lately about that. When asked if they do declaws regularly, they said, “There are a few here and they’re not as often as…”
8) Dove Valley Animal Hospital.
Jan. 2023. They said that any of their doctors can do a declaw and there’s a little knock off on the cost of a declaw if you do it with a neuter/spay. They said that you have to talk to a doctor first who goes over everything.
2021. An employee asked, “Are we wanting to do the front and back?” A spay/4 paw declaw is $551. They said it’s cheaper when you do the spay/declaw package together and the cost is $440. They said all their vets do declaws regularly. When asked if declawing is ok for a cat long term the employee said if it’s an indoor cat, it won’t affect them.
9) Happy Valley Animal Hospital.
Jan. 2023. Researcher asked for the cost of a declaw and the employee asked, “Are you talking about just the front two paws or all four?” A two paw declaw/neuter is $702 and a four paw declaw/neuter is $861. The employee said you can make an appointment for the procedures and then just drop the cat off. If you want to get a consult with a vet to talk about the procedure you can, but it’s not required. They said that the majority of their vets do their declaws.
Feb. 2021. They said that 5 of the 6 vets do declaws and they do a few a month. A spay/4 paw declaw is $551.20. Researcher asked if declawing is ok for a cat long term and the employee said, “Absolutely.”
According to another employee, five out of six of the vets, including Dr Kaylee Yoshimoto, do a few declaws each month. Employee said that the cats might be limping for a day or so but they recover and act like nothing happened.
Update March 2022. Dr Kaylee Yoshimoto of Happy Valley Animal Hospital was mentioned in the testimony to the Senate Commerce Committee to answer any questions about the declawing procedure.
10) Animal Hospital at Anthem.
Jan. 2023. Researcher asked for the cost of a declaw and the employee asked, “Do you want all four paws or just the front 2 paws?”
The employee said the radio surgery declaw method is $700- $850 for two paws or $900- $1050 for 4 paws. They said that the radio surgery method is less pain and they don’t use a scalpel, they can cauterize the veins easier, and there’s less bleeding. They said the cats spend the night and you are taking off the top part of their paw in a declaw so usually they are fine but… and stopped the sentence. Dr Brian Waller and Dr Lauren McEllen do their declaws. They said it’s not a regular surgery that they do but they do them.
Another employee said that their radio surgery method cuts and cauterizes at the same time, makes the time faster so they aren’t under anesthesia as long, and promotes better healing when they cut the skin and helps minimize bleeding. They said a scalpel has more bleeding. They said they can change the settings on how strong it is because every animal’s skin is going to be different. Researcher asked if the cats are ok long term after the declaw and the employee said yes.
Feb. 2021. Researcher asked for the price of a spay/declaw. Employee asked, “Are you doing all four paws or just two?” A spay/4 paw declaw is $792.57. They said that all their vets do declaws but some won’t do 4 paw declaws. They said that they try to discourage declaws because of ethical reasons but they will do them.
11) Signal Butte Animal Hospital
Jan. 2023. The employee said that they only do the two paw declaw/neuter and it is $702 without blood work and $852 with blood work. They said they don’t require blood work for a 6 month old cat. They said that Dr John Graham uses a scalpel for the declaw. Researcher asked if the cat is ok long term after a declaw and the employee said yes and he does declaws regularly.
March 2022. Researcher asked for the cost of a neuter and then how much extra for a declaw. Employee asked, “Were you wanting to declaw two paws or all four?”
A two paw is $470 and a four paw is $470 also. A neuter/declaw is around $700. Employee said all their doctors are familiar with the declaw and can perform them and Dr John Graham is well recommended for surgery and does the declaws.
Researcher asked if their doctors do declaws regularly and the employee said, “They do.”
12) Surprise Animal Hospital, Surprise, AZ
Jan. 2023. Researcher asked for the cost of a declaw and the employee asked, “Do you want like a front declaw or all paws?” 2 paw declaw/neuter is $898 and all four paw declaw/neuter is $1057. The employee said you can just drop off the cat for the procedures and spend about 20 minutes for paperwork. They said that the majority of their doctors do declaws and they said that since it’s a cosmetic procedure that they don’t really do them regularly.
March 2022. Spay/2 paw declaw is $518.90. The employee said that all their doctors do declaws. Researcher asked if they do them regularly and the employee said yes. Researcher asked if a cat is ok long term after a declaw. The employee said that they talk to the owners about alternatives because it is taking off the first knuckle. They said they are booking out a couple months for their surgeries.
13) North Buckeye Animal Hospital.
Feb. 2023 The employee said that not all their vets do declaws. They said a 2 or 4 declaw is possibly around $300-$500. They said that they don’t do declaws very often.
2021. A spay/declaw is $540.60. They have two vets who do the declaw. When asked if the cats are ok long term the employee said they are painful for the first two days but there should be no issues. The employee ended the call with, “Let us know if you want us to declaw your cat.”
14) Westbrook Animal Hospital.
Jan. 2023. They said that you need a consultation first because not everyone agrees with doing a declaw and they explain what’s involved and to make sure you know what’s going on with the declaw. A 2 paw declaw is $762. They only have two doctors who will still do a declaw, Dr Martha Ullman and Dr Chris Hummel. When asked if the cats are ok long term after a declaw they said they are but they will be in some pain. When asked if they will be in pain forever, the employee said that some people say they are, but each cat is different.
March. 2022. A neuter/declaw is $529.
They said that Dr Chris Hummel and Dr Martha Ullman do their declaws. Researcher asked if the cats are ok long term after a declaw and the employee said that there definitely are risks to the procedure and they offer a pre-op consult to make sure you are aware there are risks. Employee was asked if they do declaws regularly and they said that the doctors have done a lot of them but they don’t do them very often and it’s more rare they do them nowadays.
15) Goodyear Animal Hospital.
Jan. 2023. Employee said that a neuter/declaw package for just the traditional front two paw declaw is $715.65 to start and for neuter/4 paw declaw starts at $874.65. They said that Dr Amy Schomburg, Dr Tyler Elliot, and Dr Giovanna Guzman do declaws regularly. They said that most of their doctors would recommend using the radio surgery method. All four paw declaw/neuter with the radio surgery unit is $1057.65. They said that the radio surgery is similar to laser but they use cauterizing so it minimizes the chance of complications, speeds up the healing process vs the traditional declaw method and it’s an additional cost. Researcher asked if the cats are ok long term after a declaw and they said yes. They said you can make an appointment to drop off the cats for the procedures.
March. 2022. Researcher asked for the cost of a neuter and then how much extra for a declaw. Employee asked, “Just the two paws?”
A neuter/declaw is around $600. The employee wasn’t sure which doctors still do declaws. Researcher asked if the cats are ok long term after a declaw and the employee said there are always risks with anesthesia but ask far as not having claws long term, they said yes.
16) Las Sendas Animal Hospital.
Jan. 2023. They said that while they do declaws on occasion, you need a consult appointment first to discuss with the doctor as far as the reason for it, if it’s behavioral and are causing issues or if it’s a kitten and you just want to do it. They said that they occasionally do the two paw declaws but very rarely do the four paw declaw.
March 2022. The employee wasn’t sure how much they charge for a declaw but said that they do declaws but weren’t sure if all of their doctors do them.
17) Dodson Ranch Animal Hospital.
Jan. 2023. They said a neuter/declaw is $1060. They said that some of their vets will do the declaws and others won’t do them. They said that Dr Scott Barnard and Dr Casie McReynolds do their declaws. They said that you need to meet with the doctor first for a consult to assess the kitten and make sure they will be a good candidate for a declaw. They said that they don’t declaws that often because it’s not requested very often and they haven’t seen any complications.
Feb. 2021. A spay/declaw is $613. They have three vets who do the declaws. When asked if declawing is ok for the cat long term they said yes, they take special care of the cat and keep them overnight.
18) Fletcher Heights Animal Hospital
Jan. 2023. They said a 2 paw declaw/neuter is $702 and a 4 paw declaw/neuter is $833. They said that all of their doctors are comfortable doing declaws and they use a laser. They said that it cauterizes as it cuts so there is less trauma to the tissue so it does seem better. Researcher asked if the cats are ok long term from the declaw and the employee said, “They will be sore after while they are healing but they should bounce back just fine.” They said you can just drop the cats off for the procedures but will have to do about 20 minutes of paperwork. They said the cats will stay over night. They asked if you want to schedule the procedures.
March 2022. Researcher asked for the cost of a neuter and then how much extra for a declaw. Employee asked, “Front or all four?” Neuter/4 paw declaw starts at $808.10 and can go up to $1000.88. Neuter/2 paw declaw starts at $706.60 and can go up to $944.10. They said that they have doctors that perform declaws and have performed plenty of them. The cats stay overnight after the declaw. When asked if they use laser for the declaws they said that after the procedure they have radio-cautery that they can use that cauterizes the skin causing less bleeding and inflammation to the area.
When asked if they do declaws regularly they said yes. When asked if a cat is ok long term after a declaw the employee said there have been some studies that show they can develop arthritis long term and the doctor can discuss that with you.
19) Sarival Animal Hospital, Goodyear, AZ.
Jan. 2023. A neuter/declaw is around $1100. The employee said that Dr Paul Hindley and Dr Wesley Arnold do their declaws and they do them “pretty frequently.” They use a radio surgery unit for the declaws and says it is similar to a laser but different. They said it cuts and cauterizes under high radio frequency.
- They said they do not perform declaws.
20) White Tanks Animal hospital, Surprise, AZ
Jan. 2023. Researcher asked for the cost of a declaw and the employee asked, “Were we looking to do a front declaw?” They said an all 4 paw declaw $1040.79 and a two paw declaw is $860. Researcher asked, what doctors perform their declaws and employee again asked, “Are we looking to do a two paw declaw or a four paw declaw?”
They said that they have some doctors who won’t do a four paw declaw. They have two doctors who might do the four paw declaws. Employee was asked if the cats are ok long term after the declaw and they said yes. They said that they don’t do declaws too frequently but do them sometimes.
March 2022. They said that they only have one doctor that will do the declaws and typically they want to try everything before declawing like scratch posts and sprays. A declaw is around $700 but they try other things before going straight to declawing.
21) Beardsley Animal Hospital. Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/BeardsleyAnimalHospital/reviews
Please give them a good review on their facebook page for not performing declawing anymore!
Jan. 2023. The employee said that they don’t have a doctor that performs declaws right now. They said that there is quite a bit of background information that they are looking into so declaws are not recommended. They recommend calling around to other locations for the declaw.
Feb. 2021. Researcher asked for the price of a spay/declaw. Employee asked, “Would you wanna do the declaw on all four or just two?” A spay/ 4 paw declaw is $651.20. They said that Dr Russell Johnson does the declaws. When asked if declawing is ok for a cat long term they said typically they are and overall they do ok, but said that it is not recommended since it’s an amputation and sometimes their attitude could change.
This facebook post is from 2011. They advertised their declaw packages in August. (The facebook post was removed after we published this story.)
Then in September they advertised their Acupuncture services for declawed cats with phantom limb pain.
22) Scottsdale Hills Animal Hospital.
Jan. 2023. They said that you have to make an appointment to get an estimate and to get a full exam on the cat. They said that Dr Alycia Hagenmaier and Dr Amber Lee do their declaws. They said that they don’t do that many of them.
Feb. 2021. A spay/declaw is around $600-$700. They said they do the traditional declaw with a scalpel and that it’s an amputation. They said they have three vets who do the declaws. When asked if declawing is ok for the cat long term they said every pet is different, some might have issues and others are great with it.
Here is a survey of some random vet clinics in Arizona.
March 2022. The Arizona anti-declawing bill died in committee.
Was this Ask the Vet note planted so Dr Miller could forward her political agenda and use her column to distribute the AZVMA’s propaganda?
Veterinarian, Dr Julianne Miller, owns Canyon Pet Hospital in Flagstaff, AZ which is an AAHA Accredited Animal Hospital. This AAHA hospital charges $535 for a declaw.
Dr Miller has an Ask the Vet column with the Arizona Daily Sun. Here’s the column with a declawing question. Dr Miller does not want declawing banned. Ask the Vet declawing question
She says, “many cats have undergone the newer declawing procedures and have led non-painful lives.”
“Declawing likely has allowed many cats to stay in homes instead of being relinquished to a shelter due to destructive scratching behavior. There are also some situations where an immunosuppressed individual lives in the home with the cat. If that person got scratched, they could suffer devastating consequences, so declawing protects the human and allows the cat to stay in that household.”
“Individuals on both sides of this issue feel strongly about it. The concern is that rather than it being an individual right to discuss this issue with their veterinarian and develop a good plan based on individual circumstances and medical necessity, others are trying to mandate legislation that takes the discussion away from the professionals.”
“Whether you agree or disagree with declawing, it is crucial to allow the veterinarians to educate the public and not silence them with governmental restrictions. The argument should be to keep governmental interference out of the client-patient-veterinarian relationship rather than banning a single procedure because this limits individual choice and silences the professional who should be the one educating the public on the pros and cons of declawing.”
THERE ARE NO PROS TO DECLAWING FOR A CAT!
Prescott Animal Hospital. AAHA Accredited Animal Hospital. https://prescottanimal.com/
Employee said that they have one doctor who does their declaws, Dr Raenell Killian and she does them regularly, whenever someone needs a declaw. Their website says that Dr Killian is a Fear Free Certified Professional but she is not listed as a Fear Free Professional on FearFreePets.com. (Fear Free does not allow their Fear Free Veterinarians to declaw cats.) https://prescottanimal.com/staff/d-raenell-killian-dvm/
They said that you need an exam with Dr Killian first to get the full cost of the declaw and will go over everything with you. Researcher asked if the cat is ok long term after the declaw and they said they are not 100% sure about that but they know that she will only do the front claws and leave the back claws so they can protect themselves.
This AAHA Accredited Animal Hospital has a kitten section but no where do they mention buying sturdy scratching posts or scratching pads for cats or anything else about scratching items or issues. https://prescottanimal.com/service/kitten-care/
Village Animal Clinic. Phoenix. Here’s their declaw info on their website. https://www.villageanimalclinicphoenix.com/declaw-surgery-in-cats.html
Employee said that a declaw/neuter is $467. They said that Dr Ann Marie Goldhammer does their declaws “all the time.” When asked if the cats are ok long term, the employee said there are people with the opinion that they are fine and others who say they always have pain. They said once you declaw them they have to be indoors all the time. Researcher asked if Dr Goldhammer thinks a declaw is ok for a cat and the employee said, “Well if she didn’t, she wouldn’t do the declaws.” They said that’s why she doesn’t crop ears. Researcher asked if it’s harder to crop an ear than perform a declaw and the employee said, “yes, much.” They said you can make an appointment for the surgery and drop them off. They keep the cat two nights for pain control and the cats go home with one or two pain pills unless she has given a long acting pain injection.
Paws, the Modern Spay and Neuter Clinic. Phoenix. Here’s their declawing information. https://www.azpaws.org/declaw.html
Employee said that the cat needs to be under 10 lbs to do the declaw and Dr Scott Diskin does their declaws with a scalpel. They said that a neuter is $45 and a declaw is $300 and they do around 1 to 2 declaws a week. Researcher asked if the cats are ok long term and they said there is always the risk of permanent lameness after a declaw. You can make an appointment for the surgeries and drop the cat off.
Care Surgery Center. Glendale. https://caresurgerycenter.com/
They do not perform declaws and refer people to Dr Wayne Anderson’s AzPetVet Arrow Animal Hospital for the declaw. Researcher asked if they are skilled at the declaw and they said they have only heard good reviews. They said that Arrow is the only vet clinic in the area that they are aware of that still performs declaws.
Researcher asked why there aren’t others and the employee said that there are quite a few opinions and there’s a lot of research material online. The employee said that some people notice their pet’s behavior is different after the declaw and some have no reactions at all and said it’s not a very popular procedure. They said that a declaw can be bad for a cat and said there are some pros and cons to it. They said they have heard a lot of cons to a declaw and how many people don’t love their cat’s behavior afterwards, sometimes they see depression, and anxiety. They recommend talking to the doctor at Arrow who performs the declaw about it.
Family Vet Care. 3 locations.
Info on their website says, “A surgical laser is the most compassionate method of declawing as it minimizes pain, eliminates bleeding, and allows for faster healing.” https://familyvetcare.com/additional-pet-services
Chandler/Tempe location. They said that Dr Samantha Jones does at least one or two laser declaws a week. A neuter/declaw is $1300. Researcher asked if the cats are ok long term and the employee said yes. They said you have to do a wellness exam to make sure the blood work is ok for the anesthesia and then will schedule for the procedure.
Mesa/Gilbert location. The employee asked, “Are you thinking like just the front paws or all 4 paws?” They said there was a two paw declaw done yesterday and their estimate was about $1200. Dr Travis Woodiske, their hospital director, is the only vet who does their declaws. Researcher asked how many declaws does he do and the employee said that he had two declaws yesterday, next week he has one, and the following week he has one. Researcher asked if the cats are ok long term, the employee said yes.
Phoenix location. They say that their Chandler location does the declaws.
Ingleside Animal Hospital. Phoenix. AAHA Accredited Animal Hospital. https://www.ingleside.com/about-us/doctors
The recording on their phone recording says, “We provide the highest quality healthcare, with the commitment to the health and well being of our patients.” Employee said that Dr Brian Serbin is their only vet who does their declaws. They need to do an exam before the procedure and said that he has done declaws before but it’s not a regular thing. Their website says Dr. Serbin served as the president of the Arizona Veterinary Medical Association in 2008–2009 and is currently serving a five-year term on the Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board
They said that they don’t typically recommend declawing because it can alter the way they walk and there are other concerns which is why some of their doctors don’t do declaws. They said the cats have to learn how to walk afterwards.
Kachina Animal Hospital. Dewey. AAHA Accredited Animal Hospital. One of the vets who works there is Dr Craig Nausley and he serves on the AZ State Veterinary Medical Examining Board. https://www.kachinaanimalhospital.com/
They don’t declaw but refer cat owners to the only vet clinic in the area that still declaws cats, Bradshaw Mountain Animal Hospital. Researcher asked why they don’t declaw and the employee said that the owner and AAHA don’t feel it’s humane.
Bradshaw Animal Hospital. Prescott Valley. https://bmahonline.com/
Employee said that a 2 paw declaw/neuter is $429. They said that only Dr Michael Walker and Dr Roger Sinclair will do the declaws and they use a scalpel that takes the nail is cut from the bed. They said that they don’t do declaws very often. Researcher asked if the cats are ok long term after the declaw and they said that it is hard on their feet but the younger the better off they are. The employee said that Dr Walker will do a declaw after 2 years but you have to come in for a consultation to be sure everyone is on board.
Tempe Veterinary Hospital
“Are you looking for all four for the declaw or front two?”
A two paw declaw is $342.50 and a four paw declaw is $465.
The employee said that Dr. Rick Wells does their declaws the old school way, with the clippers and a scalpel.
Tempe Pet Clinic.
They said that they don’t declaw cats and that it’s bad for a cat.
Tempe Lake Veterinary Clinic.
They said that they no longer perform declaws.
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Since the AzVMA was the organization who has stopped the anti-declawing bills in this state, in 2021 we looked into how the practices of the AzVMA members address declawing.
Here’s what we found.
President- Melissa Riensche, DVM. Desert Veterinary Medical Specialists. They don’t perform declawing.
Pres. Elect- Kara Thomas, DVM. Midwestern University Professor. Midwestern Univ. companion animal clinic doesn’t perform declawing.
Vice President- Kaylee Yoshimoto, DVM. (2023 -SHE IS NOW THE PRESIDENT OF THE AZVMA.) Jan. 2023. Researcher asked for the cost of a declaw and the employee asked, “Are you talking about just the front two paws or all four?” A two paw declaw/neuter is $702 and a four paw declaw/neuter is $861. The employee said you can make an appointment for the procedures and then just drop the cat off. If you want to get a consult with a vet to talk about the procedure you can, but it’s not required. They said that the majority of their vets do their declaws.
2021- Happy Valley Animal Hospital. According to an employee, five out of six of the vets, including Dr Yoshimoto, do a few declaws each month. A 4 paw declaw/spay is $551.20. Employee said that the cats might be limping for a day or so but they recover and act like nothing happened.
Secretary/Treasurer- Racheal McKinney, DVM. Equine vet.
Immediate Past President- Al Schleappe, DVM. Owner of Caring Hearts Animal Clinic. All doctors do declaws except Dr Schleappe who is retiring. Employee was asked if declawing is ok for a cat and they said their cat is declawed and is ok. They said that it’s better to declaw a younger cat. A declaw is $432.56.
AzVMA Directors.
Cameron Dow, DVM. Prescott Animal Hospital. This is an AAHA Animal Hospital & 2014 AAHA Practice of the Year. Jan. 2023. This AAHA hospital is still declawing cats. 2021. The employee said a few of their vets do declaws including Dr Dow. They recommend doing the declaw before the cat turns 1 year old because the bone plates aren’t fully grown so it’s easier on the cat.
Katherine Riehle, DVM. According to an employee, she works at the group office of AzPetVet.com, which has 21 vet practices in AZ. AzPetVet’s website has “Feline Declaw” listed under “General Services (all hospitals).” Here’s the link. (AzPetVet removed the “Feline Declaw’ words after we published our story. AzPetVet, Feline Declaw
Lisa Schnier, DVM. Works at a Banfield. Banfield Pet hospitals stopped declawing in Jan. 2020. Here’s their declawing position statement. Banfield Declawing Position
Lindsey Smogor, DVM. Jackpot Veterinary Center. They said they don’t declaw because it can be bad for a cat, can cause arthritis, and the cats might stop using the litter box.
Sandra Snyder, DVM. (2023 VP OF AZVMA) Augusta Ranch Animal Hospital. They don’t declaw. Asked if it’s bad for cats and they said yes but said it may be necessary if there is an extremely aggressive cat.
Tara-Lyn Temple, DVM. (2023 SECRETARY/TREASURER AZVMA) Animal Care Hospital of Phoenix. They don’t declaw and said that that’s a moral and ethical choice by their doctors.
Lauren Thomas, DVM. Jackpot Veterinary Center. They said they don’t declaw because it can be bad for a cat, can cause arthritis, and the cats might stop using the litter box.
Christina Tran, DVM. Clinical Relations Lead Veterinarian and Associate Professor at Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine.
Karyn Wesley, DVM. Works at VCA Valley Animal Hospital. VCA stopped declawing in early 2020.
