PET OWNERS DEMAND VETS STOP MUTILATING DOGS’ AND CATS’ VOCAL CORDS
November 12, 2012 • Health & Wellness
FIDO wanted to share information about this terrible trend and what you can do to help stop it!
WASHINGTON, DC – American pet owners are taking on what they call a "brutal" procedure: the cutting of dogs' and cats' vocal cords to suppress the animals' voices. A popular campaign on Change.org calls on the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to stop condoning the practice of devocalization, which the petition starters say subjects animals to life-threatening risks without any benefit.
Sue Perry and Karen Mahmud, volunteers with the Coalition to Protect and Rescue Pets (CPR Pets), a grassroots network of pet owners and animal shelter and rescue workers, are leading the campaign on Change.org. They note that despite the AVMA's policy calling devocalization a "final alternative" to keep pets in their homes, both of the dogs they adopted – a tiny Chihuahua and a giant Newfoundland – had been devocalized and then given to rescue groups.
Perry, who co-authored the petition, says though her dog was devocalized by a very experienced vet, scar tissue still blocked the dog’s airway, and it got worse over time.
"He sounds like a chain smoker, hoarse and raspy, and his breathing is labored. His larynx is permanently damaged, too. We worry constantly that Porter will choke to death or inhale food, vomit, or liquid into his lungs as a result of the damage from devocalization."
"Surgically masking an animal's voice doesn't ensure it a home," said CPR Pets spokesperson Leslie Burg. "While canvassing to pass Massachusetts' landmark 2010 devocalization ban, we were shocked to learn how prevalent devocalization is and that it's even done to cats. Nearly all these animals had been surrendered after being devocalized."
Each new signature on Perry and Mahmud’s petition is sent via email to AVMA leaders, whose policy on devocalization is currently up for review.
The campaign is supported by animal shelters and rescue groups, animal advocacy organizations, animal behavior specialists, and concerned veterinarians, including Board-Certified Veterinary Surgeon Dr. Joel Woolfson, DVM, DACVS.
"Devocalization is always dangerous, always cruel, no matter who performs it or how,” said Woolfson.
Journalists interested in setting up an interview with the petition starters, Coalition to Protect and Pets, or veterinarians who have treated devocalized animals should use the contact details at the top of the page.
Live signature totals from Sue and Karen’s campaign:
http://www.change.org/stopdevocalizing
Journalists interested in contacting the American Veterinary Medical Association's public relations staff should try:
For more information on the Coalition to Protect and Rescue Pets please visit:
http://cprpets.weebly.com/
Our Dogs Were Devocalized!
Our dogs' first owners had them devocalized, then gave them up. Some vets perform this needless surgery even knowing the pain and suffering it causes. LEARN MORE: http://cprpets.weebly.com/about-devocalization-of-dogs-and-cats.html
