Online retailers crack down on illegal animal mutilations
The BVA found at least one DIY kit being sold on eBay UK for the removal of dew claws in kittens.
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has joined forces with online retailers eBay and Amazon to tackle the sale of products for the illegal mutilation of animals.
It comes after BVA was made aware by its members that products intended for lamb castration - a legal procedure in the UK - were being marketed by third-party sellers on both sites for the tail docking of puppies.
Further investigation also revealed at least one DIY kit being sold on eBay UK for the removal of dew claws in kittens.
Dew claw removal in kittens and the tail docking of dogs are deemed to be mutilations in England and Wales under the Animal Welfare Act (2006) and equivalent acts in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
In some cases, a vet may remove a tail or the dew claw of a cat for medical reasons or for certain breeds of dogs. However, there are no lawful circumstances in which non-vets may carry out this procedure.
In response to BVA's request, Amazon and eBay promptly took down the flagged listings and introduced additional measures to prevent similar adverts from appearing in the future. At the beginning of this year, following an urgent request by the BVA, the retailers also took swift action to remove DIY ear-cropping kits for sale on their websites.
BVA president Malcolm Morley said: “We’re pleased to see swift and positive action by the two major retailers and will continue to work collaboratively with them to strengthen checks on products, or their marketing, that can harm animal welfare.”
He added: “I’d encourage vets and members of the public to raise concerns with retailers if they come across similar listings online in the future. Where such functionality exists, they may also use the websites’ online reporting mechanism to log a complaint.”
An Amazon spokesperson said: “We are proud to work in partnership with the British Veterinary Association. Amazon is relied upon by thousands of pet owners every day in the UK and we do not take this responsibility lightly.
“We require all products in our store to comply with applicable laws and regulations and have developed industry-leading tools to prevent non-compliant products from being listed. We will continue to work with the BVA to promote animal welfare and will take swift action against any bad actors who try and circumvent our policies.”
Murray Lambell, eBay UK general manager, added: “We are pleased that our proactive work is preventing the sale of these harmful items. We have put automatic block filters in place, which aim to prevent these products making it onto site in the first place, and our security teams perform regular checks to ensure nothing slips through the net.
"We will also continue to work closely with the BVA to make sure that we stop the sale of any product that may harm any animal.”
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
