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

Story published on Dec. 27, 2016.

Declawing is the most painful non-therapeutic elective procedure in small animal veterinary medicine.

Here is how the NJVMA rated declawing in 2007 in their NJVMA Animal Welfare Task Force. Guidelines for Preventing, Recognizing, and Treating Pain in the Hospital Setting.

 “Moderately Severe to Severe:”  onychectomy. It was in the same category as cancer pain, fracture repair, limb amputation and many other painful procedures.

Here’s how they rated neutering, “Mild to Moderate: ovariohysterectomy (OVH) (young animals), castration.”

Here is the link to this study. https://oregonvma.org/files/Pain-Management-Guidelines.pdf

Yet NOW the NJVMA wants New Jersey legislators to believe that it is no more painful than a neuter.

Here is the audio testimony by the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association about declawing. Dr Mike Yurkus, NJVMA Testimony at Assembly Committee Hearing 11/14/2016

Dr Yurkus speaking about neutering cats and comparing it to declawing.-  “It is the same concept. We’re certainly not going to outlaw the neutering of cats, but the discomfort level is no more in a neuter than it is in a declaw that is done properly,” Dr Mike Yurkus, (5.40 mark)

Here is the link to the study that we did about declawing in New Jersey. You will be shocked at what we found. https://citythekitty.org/njdeclawstudy/

Screenshot from a facebook post on NJVMA’s spokesvet Dr Mike Yurkus’ practice in New Jersey. “No more painful than a neuter.”

Here is a response about this post that was on Dr Yurkus’ animal hospital page. And then the response from his hospital, Middletown Animal Hospital.

Here is another response to their post comparing the pain in a neuter to a declaw.

Here is another response from Middletown Animal Hospital.

(FYI, Dr Yurkus said in his testimony to the NJ legislators that his practice, Middletown Animal Hospital did 2 declaws this year. One of his own vet techs was asked in a phone call if they do one declaw a month there. “No we do usually more than that. A lot of people get them from shelters and a lot of times they notice that the cats are a little wild and like to scratch so they elect to declaw instead of returning them. “  The researcher asked if they do at least two a week and the vet tech said, “It depends on the doctor. We have 5 doctors and they do them regularly here.” 

Here is the link to the NJ declawing study. Middletown Animal Hospital is #2 on the list of 110 practices.  https://citythekitty.org/njdeclawstudy/