American Veterinary Medical Association Lacks Integrity

AVMA Lacks Integrity And Authority

I realise that I am using strong language when I say that the AVMA is lacking in integrity.  I would even extend that statement to say that they lack authority as well as they appear to be unable to bar any of their members, the almost 100,000 vets in the USA, from practicing if there is malpractice.

The reason why I say the AVMA lacks integrity is because they allow declawing of cats and they keep on trying to amend their stated policy on the declawing of cats without making any real changes.  They appear to be stuck in trying to make their policy acceptable to both veterinarians who want to continue it and many of their clients who don't want it.  In addition, there is a growing number of veterinarians, members of the AVMA, who disapprove of declawing and who actively campaign against it.

If you click on the link at the top of this page you can see the proposed amendments to their policy. It is hardly worth reading however because it still very much allows declawing and you could argue that it actually encourages it when the only policy that they should have in respect of this operation is to ban it - forbid it because no matter what angle you look at it from it is wrong and there are always alternatives which are far more humane and in the interests of a cat's welfare.

Doctors who treat humans can be banned from practising by their associations.  That is the situation in the UK and I'm sure it is the same anywhere in the world.

To the best of my knowledge, the AVMA does not have the authority to ban one of their members from practising veterinary medicine.  If they do have that authority, I've never seen it in action throughout the time that I've been researching this organisation on the Internet over the past 7 years.

The AVMA's new policy on declawing does, in a rather backhanded way, make a quiet admission that some of their members are neither fully explaining the declawing operation to their clients in respect of alternatives nor the severity of the operation with incumbent complications and consequences which can last a lifetime.

This is the proposed part of the policy I am referring to:

Suggested revisions include: Clarification that onychectomy is a major surgical procedure in cats.