by Susan
(Calif, USA)
I am very impressed with veterinarian Ron Gaskin of Main Street Veterinary Services in Shakopee, MN and want to recognize him as a good vet.
He is a good vet for many reasons, most important to me is the fact that he doesn’t declaw cats and is listed on Dr. Schellings list of humane vets that don’t declaw.
I came to know Dr. Gaskin after he took the time to leave a very truthful comment after an article about declawing in an effort to educate the public about the lifelong, injurious effects this painful, irreversible surgery has that amputates the cats Third Phalanx finger bone/claw digits (another reason he is a good vet!). His comment said:
“Facts about declawing: Declawing the cat causes hyperflexion of the phalanges I and II. This leads to the cat walking on its digit 2 & 3 bone ends. These cats are very painful. Digital dental x-rays of the front digits show the pathology and painful changes in black and white. They bite and act out a painful creature. Litter box problems are very common as the litter hurts their feet more. Obesity and activity exacerbate the problem. Anatomically; the deep digit flexor tendon on phalange II is unopposed by any extensor tendon. Vets are NOT trained to look for these changes in a declawed cat. Many declawed cats in pain go misdiagnosed as “behavioral problems”. A very few vets know how to relieve the pain with surgery. Saying that declawing will keep the cat a good home is an oxymoron and emotional black mail. Do not declaw your cat!”
I was so captured by this comment that I contacted Dr. Gaskin after reading it and he gave me permission to post it on this website so others can be educated as well. I found out many more wonderful things about him including the fact that he rehabilitates declawed cats by performing declaw repair surgeries where he “releases the tension and cramping of the flexor tendons, stops them (declawed cats) from walking on the bone ends and the tendon associated cramping muscles.” You can see videos of a surgery he performed on a cat named Raven on his website: Main Street Vet Service: Declaw Repair Surgery.
Main Street Veterinary clinic saved this beautiful Raven from being euthanized. She came to them as a very sick diabetic & declawed cat with personality and litterbox problems. Her humans wanted to dispose of her so Main Street Veterinary clinic saved Raven from being euthanized.
Above is a picture of Raven before her declaw repair surgery. Dr. Gaskin said, “notice the position of the knuckles of her front feet. This position puts her amputated toes on the hard surface first.”
Above is Raven’s radiograph which “illustrate the extreme acute angle between phalange 2 and phalange 1. Also notice the foamy look on the end of phalange 2 on digits 2 & 3 (major weight bearing digits). This foamy look is chronic damage to the cartilage & bone end from walking on the amputated toe tips.”
Since the surgery Raven is in a new, loving home where she runs, plays, and uses the litterbox again – a much more comfortable and painless life thanks to the declaw repair surgery Dr. Gaskin and his vet tech Alex performed. But Dr. Gaskin is quick to say,”it would be much better to just not do the declaw surgery in the first place. The evidence is being collected and is growing that declaws do hurt cats.”
Dr. Gaskin has done several declaw repair surgeries and thanks Oklahoma veterinarian Dr Letrisa Miller for first opening his eyes to the problems declawed cats endure. He is also successful at getting diabetic cats into remission and has more information about cat diabetes on his website: Feline Diabetes.
Thank you to Dr. Gaskin for being a such good vet, and to Megan his gifted vet assistant for her commitment as well to declaw awareness through her powerful Stop Declaw website.
We need more veterinary teams spreading the truth about declawing in America like those at Main Street Veterinary Service!
Main Street Veterinary Service
536 E. 1st Avenue
Ronald W. Gaskin, DVM
Shakopee, MN 55379
Phone: (952) 445-5222
Fax: (952) 496-1755
www.msvets.com
**If you live with a declawed cat, please read Dr. Gaskin’s list of indicators that the cat may need declaw repair surgery.
Susan
From Dr. Ron Gaskin is a good vet who performs declaw repair surgeries to Declawing Cats
These comments truly make me cry. I saw the worst case I have ever seen in 18 years of this declaw research. The previous vets started amputating her infected P2s. I am beside myself, but we will alleviate this cats pain! We will save it’s remaining toes.
We are published on Sage publishing!! Just look up declaw salvage surgery
Thanks for dropping by Dr Gaskin and commenting. I will certainly check out Sage publishing as you suggest and do another article on declaw salvage surgery. It shocks me that this branch of veterinary work exists as declawing itself shouldn’t exist.
Update: I did this after reading your study. I hope I am accurate as it is very technical:
https://pictures-of-cats.org/flexor-tenectomy-can-reduce-pain-in-declawed-cats.html
Thank you, good doctor! We know there are good doctors out there! And we praise them for all the good work they do, for their big hearts, their healing hands.
Absolutely. It is always very nice to read about a genuinely good veterinarian who cares about animal welfare first and foremost.