Animal Welfare Professionals

Hello,

Happy to do the survey, but I also have a question. Has the AVMA or any state VMA's ever put out a position statement on the value of tattooing?  Or preference on location of tattoos?  

Thanks,

Dr. Susan Meany

Yes actually - the AVMA has had position statements promoting tattooing to identify sterilized dogs and cats since the 1980s.  I have attached a research paper looking at rates of tattooing different veterinary sectors. The paper cites several supportive AVMA documents. 

Here are 2 excerpts from the paper:

"The importance of a standardized method for identifying sterilized
dogs and cats was recognized more than four decades ago around the
same time that spaying and neutering became a commonly accepted
practice for animal population control. In the 1970s, animal shelters,
which were tasked with admitting and finding homes for stray and unwanted
animals, increasingly adopted policies of 'neuter before adoption'
to combat overpopulation of cats and dogs (Slater and Weiss,
2020). Unnecessary surgery was sometimes mistakenly performed on
animals that were already sterilized, and in 1976, the American Veterinary
Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Veterinary Service initiated
a project to address this concern. Four years later, the AVMA House
of Delegates approved the 'Protocol for the Tattoo Identification of Dogs
and Cats That Have Been Spayed or Neutered' that 'serves as evidence of
the surgery having been performed to prevent needless repeat surgery'
(American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Veterinary Service,
1980). The protocol called for a hand-drawn image of the symbol
for the animal's sex with an x drawn across the circle in the prepubic
area in females and in the inguinal area in males using an oscillating
tattoo device. The benefits and procedures of the protocol were published
in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association in
1981 (Davis, 1981) and reiterated again in 1995 in an attempt to gain
more widespread acceptance (Kahler, 1995)."

"The AVMA recognized the potential for cultivating client relationships
more than 40 years ago in the statement, 'In addition to signifying
that the surgery has been done, the tattoo also serves as another permanent
identification mark on the animal. The benefit it affords for the welfare of the
patient has received universal appreciation by the owners and plaudits from
animal shelters and humane societies. All of this further enhances the image
of the veterinarians as caring professionals.' (American Veterinary Medical
Association Council on Veterinary Service, 1980)."

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Julie Levy, DVM
Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida
Maddie's Million Pet Challenge
https://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-02-2024 07:12 PM
From: Susan Meany
Subject: Veterinary Survey: Thoughts on tattooing at time of sterilization?

Hello,

Happy to do the survey, but I also have a question. Has the AVMA or any state VMA's ever put out a position statement on the value of tattooing?  Or preference on location of tattoos?  

Thanks,

Dr. Susan Meany

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Susan Meany
DVM
Rezdawg Rescue
CO

Original Message:
Sent: 08-13-2024 09:05 AM
From: Gary Evans
Subject: Veterinary Survey: Thoughts on tattooing at time of sterilization?

#Medicine,SurgeryandSterilization

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Gary Evans
President
Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs
MI
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