March 4, 2021 – Austin is now the 11th US city to ban declawing. Special thanks to Paw Project-Texas Director Dr. Katrina Breitreiter for spearheading this successful effort. The City Council voted unanimously today to pass the new law.
Austin Paw Project-Texas Director Dr. Katrina Breitreiter, was at the forefront of passing the ban in her city, says declawing “can lead to long term complications including persistent postoperative pain, back pain, phantom pain, limping, infection, arthritis, overgrooming, toe pad calluses, bone fragments, claw regrowth under the skin, and tendon contracture.” Dr. Jennifer Conrad, founder and director of the Paw Project, emphasizes, ‘declawing, better described as de-knuckling, has no place in ethical veterinary care.”
Also, thanks to our OTHER Paw Project-Texas Director, Dr. Nicole Martell-Moran … and to Danielle Bays of HSUS, Mr. David Lundstedt of the Austin Animal Advisory Council, and the folks at Austin Pets Alive! for taking such an important interest in this issue.