December 12, 2017 – “Nova Scotia is the first state or province in the US or Canada to ban declawing,” reports Dr. Hugh Chisholm, Paw Project-Atlantic Canada Director. The new NSVMA position has the force of law and effectively bans declawing in Nova Scotia as members are required to belong to the NSVMA to practice. In Canada, the VMAs serve as regulatory and enforcement bodies for the government.
The Nova Scotia Veterinary Medical Association provides the following information.
“At its December 12, 2017 meeting, The Council of the Nova Scotia Veterinary Medical Association agreed to the following change in its Code of Ethics – Section 46. A three-month education period will take effect immediately and this change in the Code of Ethics will come into effect on March 15, 2018.
No Member of the Nova Scotia Veterinary Medical Association shall perform the elective and non-therapeutic Partial Digital Amputation (PDA), commonly known as declawing or onychectomy, of domestic cats.
The NSVMA views elective and non-therapeutic PDA as ethically unacceptable.”