[concerned for our future]

I just found this on the web and thought I would share it with you.

States "No member of the Nova Scotia Veterinary Medical Association shall perform cosmetic surgery on an animal for the purpose of having the animal's appearance conform to a breed standard ot tradition. Cosmetic surgery is defined as non-therapeutic surgical procedures, which alter the appearance of an animal for purely cosmetic purposes. Surgeries due to injury of for reasons of health are not considered to be cosmetic surgery.

Examples of cosmetic procedures include:

Tail docking in the equine species,
tail docking in the bovine species,
tail docking in the canine species,
tail docking in newborn puppies,
dewclaw removal in newborn puppies,
tail alteration (nicking/setting) in the equine species,
ear cropping,
and onychectomy (dewclaw) in species other than the domestic cat.

This legislative amendment will come into effect on April 1, 2010 with a 6 month implementation period. Therefore, members wil be given until October 1, 2010 to implement the education period of the Legislation, after which time the Legislative amendment will be deemed to be enforceable."

I find it hard to believe that dew claw removal in canines is classified as cosmetic. But at the same time cat de clawing is not considered cosmetic. What is cat de clawing does it have any benefits other than saving someones furniture. I know breeders remove dew claws to prevent injuries wither it be to themselves or others through acts of play or agility.