Concerned vets in Bermuda are to discuss a loophole in the law which enables pet owners to send their dogs to rabies-ridden parts of the US for unnecessary cosmetic surgery.

Since vets implemented a rule last year stipulating that they would not crop ears of dogs on the basis that it was unethical, they claim dog and puppy owners have been receiving permits from Government to send their dogs to America, instead.

They claimed legislation designed to enable dogs to be sent overseas for emergency treatment was possibly being misused, and said they had no idea what kind of checks and safeguards were in place to ensure rabies was not brought back to Bermuda.

President of the Bermuda Veterinary Association Dr. Andrew Madeiros, who is also chairman of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), said he believed vets needed to discuss the issue.

He said he knew of cases where pure breed dogs, particularly puppies such as dobermans, had been sent overseas by their owners to get their ears cropped for cosmetic reasons because it was no longer available on the Island.

And he said he believed there were two things the vets needed to address with Government vet Jonathan Nisbett, who issues the permits.

“We firstly need to discuss the use of this emergency treatment legislation for this type of procedure, which is purely cosmetic surgery,” said Dr. Madeiros.

“Ethically, should we be using this legislation for that purpose, when vets here have said they will not crop ears unless it was medically necessary.

“And secondly, if we are going to do this, who is dealing with the controls, and what checks are in place? “We need to know where the animals are going for the surgery, who is performing it and what kinds of safeguards have been put in place?

“It is possible that an animal from Bermuda could be exposed to a rabid animal where ever it goes in the States. The East Coast is particularly bad. The animal could come back incubating the disease and we would not know for some time. We do not want that to happen.”

Dr. Madeiros said he did not know what kind of checks Dr. Nisbett put in place to ensure rabies did not enter Bermuda, and said the animals could very well be sent to reputable clinics and kept in a sealed environment.

He said there could be little risk at all.

However, he said, at the moment the vets simply did not know.

And he questioned whether qualified people were at the airport to read the microchips of the dogs when they re-entered the Island, and confirm their paperwork.

He said: “When animals are sent by vets for emergency treatment overseas they are sent to very reputable university clinics; They are vaccinated and put into sealed crates.

“When they are sent back to Bermuda they are placed back in the sealed crate. They should not even touch US soil. The risk of a dog going there and picking up rabies is minuscule.

“However, when dogs go for ear-cropping, they are not under the control of a vet. We have no idea if they have had rabies vaccinations.”

Dr. Madeiros said vets did not want their concerns to result in the emergency treatment legislation being scrapped altogether, so they could no longer send animals overseas for immediate surgery they could not receive here, such as eye laser surgery.

And he added: “We need to do a better job in telling people that cropping ears of dogs is not an essential thing, no matter what the reason.

“I doubt people who send their dogs away even realise there is a rabies risk.”

The vet said some owners with pure breed show dogs preferred the ears of their dogs cropped and so opted for the surgery, however, other owners, particularly of pitbulls and fighting dogs, did it because it looked more ferocious.

But some cropped their dog's ears because they fought the animals and believed it would lead to fewer ear injuries and lower vet bills.

The Royal Gazette was unable to make contact with Mr. Nisbett yesterday to find out what stipulations were in place when dogs were sent overseas, and what measures were taken to ensure rabies was not brought into the Island.

But vet Maureen Ware-Cieters said she had been concerned about the issue for some time, and had contacted the Ministry of Environment to voice concerns, but had heard nothing.

She said she believed young puppies were being sent to the US as young as nine-weeks old for the cosmetic surgery, when vets in Bermuda did not vaccinate dogs against rabies until they were at least three-months-old, and then insisted they not travel until two months later.

In the UK, there is a six-month wait period before dog can enter the country after vaccination.

The timing of the vaccination, she said, was critical in how well the inoculation worked.

“I despair about this whole situation,” said Dr. Ware-Cieters.

“I'm extremely concerned that rabies could come into the Island through this route. These are not puppies that are going to the top-of-the-line clinics for ear cropping.

“I have a number of friends in the US in the profession and I have to say I know of no reputable colleague that does ear cropping.

“My concern is what if the worst happens. We need to have ‘what if' discussions. I doubt that pups at these clinics are under supervision all the time. They could bring rabies in and we would not know for maybe six months. What then?”

Environment Minister Dennis Lister was off the Island last night and so unavailable for comment.