Last month, the Ontario government asked for public feedback on proposed changes to the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act that would ban some medically unnecessary veterinary services.
The changes, which were included as part of a larger suite of anti-crime legislation last fall, would ban three surgeries deemed medically unnecessary veterinary procedures for cats and dogs, including feline declawing, ear cropping in dogs, and devocalization, which is the removal of the vocal cords.
Some animal welfare advocates say they were shocked to see that tail docking, which was initially included in the proposed ban, had been removed before being put forward for public consultation without explanation.
“At no point did they ever indicate that tail docking was likely to be dropped, and we think that a procedure that basically sees puppies as young as a few days old having their tails amputated for appearance purposes is wrong and needs to be included,” said Drew Woodley with the Ontario SPCA.
Critics of the procedure say this is done for purely cosmetic reasons or outdated breed standards, pointing out the practice puts young puppies at risk of infection, chronic pain, and even death from blood loss.
CityNews reached out to the Solicitor General’s office regarding the exclusion of tail docking. In a statement, the ministry referred back to the public consultation, saying “All comments and feedback, including feedback on other types of procedures, will be reviewed and considered by the ministry.”
“We’re going to continue trying to put pressure on the government, certainly the consultation doesn’t necessarily mean things are finalized, we want to see a ban brought in, but we absolutely want to see tail docking included as part of it,” said Woodley.
While tail docking hasn’t been included in Ontario’s proposed ban, other veterinary associations across the country have already banned their members from performing cosmetic surgery.
The deadline for public feedback is February 5, 2026. If adopted, it’s not clear when the possible ban could come into effect.
