Québec bans 4 cosmetic surgeries on pets

Québec has recently adopted new rules that ban 4 cosmetic surgeries on domestic companion animals.

These include a ban on tail docking, removal of vocal cords, declawing for aesthetic purposes and ear cropping, except in the case of the Trap-Neuter-Release-Maintain program where the tip of a stray cat’s 1 ear is surgically clipped while it is under anesthesia to identify that it has been spayed or neutered. However, these procedures can be performed if veterinarians recommend them for medical or therapeutic purposes.

The new regulation also sets strict standards for animal welfare and care by prohibiting euthanasia by inhalation, stating that companion animals must be euthanized “by a veterinary surgeon or under [a] veterinary surgeon’s supervision.”

Commercial breeding

It also defines regulations for commercial breeding, mandating that “the operator of premises where commercial breeding or raising operations are carried [out] must have every cat or dog undergo a veterinary examination before mating it for the first time.” In addition, an annual examination is required as soon as the animal reaches 7 years of age to determine if it can continue breeding.

The new regulation makes clear that breeding companion animals with their parents or litter mates is prohibited. This regulation regarding ethical breeding is further enforced by stating that “mating between animals that are incompatible, in particular, because of their respective size, is also prohibited.”

The legislation also makes “tying an animal with a rope, a chain or a leash wound around its neck without a collar” illegal, adding that a companion animal’s collar, harness or halter must not hamper its breathing or cause pain or injury.

This move has largely been supported by veterinarians who have long considered these practices inhumane.

British Columbia banned canine devocalization last November. All provinces except Ontario have placed a ban on cat declawing. Most provinces including British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, and Newfoundland and Labrador bar similar cosmetic surgeries.