Dr. Brian Tan: 'I Do Almost All Surgeries'

Dr. Brian Tan is a busy man. He is so busy, in fact, that he cannot afford to stay open for more than two hours a day in Milpitas.

That's because Tan is the only veterinarian running two branches of his practice, called the St. Louis Veterinary Clinic. After serving dozens of patients at his Oakland location, he drives to Milpitas where maybe one or two customers will trickle in during his two-hour window.

"I have so many clients there, more than I wanted. And then why did I come here?

"Because I got robbed. Not just robbed - at gunpoint," he said. 

That happened ten years ago, and Tan followed through with his decision to open a second branch in a more affluent area about a year and six months ago. 

Business is increasing gradually, he said, and gets up to three clients per day in Milpitas.

What makes him unique, he says, are his low prices and expertise. And the fact that he'll do nearly any surgery. 

EAR CROPPING SPECIALIST

Tan advertises his practice as specializing in cosmetic procedures for animals, such as ear cropping, cat declawing, dog debarking, and rooster decrowing. On his website, he calls himself "the ear crop specialist." 

Ear cropping involves cutting the tops of a dog's ears off to increase its aesthetic appeal. Some show dogs, like Doberman Pinchers, cannot participate in contests unless their ears are trimmed. This has subsequently made dog breeders among the biggest proponents of the procedure.

The veterinarian came to the U.S. from the Philippines 40 years ago, but like many immigrants with foreign degrees, had to go back to school before he could begin practicing. Tan went back to U.C. Davis to get his degree, and performs all operations himself except orthopedic ones, for which he calls in a specialist. But that's not where he learned how to perform cosmetic procedures. 

Tan learned ear cropping as a student in the Philippines, where he could practice on countless dogs due to lax laws surrounding animal welfare.

Bans on ear cropping have been proposed in California and other states more than once, but have failed repeatedly. However, ear cropping is illegal in numerous countries around the world.

But Tan says the ear cropping that he performs isn't cruel because there is no pain, and because it is legal. 

He also insists he does not perform the procedures for the money, stating that he charges half of what his competitors do for the operations. 

"I found out that the doctors in San Jose, Milpitas-area, they charge almost $600. My price is less than half," he said. 

Tan says that if he doesn't do them, someone less experienced and more expensive will botch the surgery. Ear cropping, he said, "is an art...It's cruel if I don't [do it]," adding that he has corrected numerous surgeries gone wrong.

He said he can tell by looking at the dog if the surgery will not be successful, and lets the clients know. But if the result is going to be "good," he does not discourage patients from going through with the surgery.

To be sure, 95 percent of Tan's clients come in with sick or injured animals, not those who want cosmetic procedures, and Tan says he has helped many a client in need by performing free surgeries.

Tan's policies on cat declawing and dog debarking are similar; if he doesn't perform the surgeries, his clients will either euthanize the animal or take them to someone less capable. Sometimes he'll find clients who have used shock collars on their noisy dogs or even wired their mouths shut - this, he argues, is far more cruel than cutting the dog's vocal folds.   

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) calls ear cropping, dog debarking, and cat declawing a form of animal cruelty. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) discourages these procedures and believes that veterinarians are obligated to tell their patients fully about the procedure and alternatives.

Tan says most of his clients have tried everything to stop undesirable animal behavior and usually come to him as a last resort.  

"C'mon man, cruel? You want the owner to kill the cat? That cat that destroys the furniture?" he said, incredulously. "Because if I don't do that, they will have the cat euthanized."

LEGAL PROCEDURES

Tan isn't the only one in the area performing ear cropping and declawing; Dr. Daljit Saini from the Animal Medical Clinic performs them, too. 

Like Tan, Saini did not learn ear cropping in veterinary school, but from an experienced colleague. Saini has been ear cropping for 20 years, and said he double-checks with his clients before going through with the surgery.

Ear cropping at the clinic ranges from $400-600, depending on the type of dog. 

Although he does not perform dog debarking himself, patients who wish to have their dogs devocalized can still get it done at his clinic, although he strongly encourages patients to seek an animal behaviorist first. His stance is similar on declawing; he educates his patients about alternatives like scratching posts and nail caps called "Soft Paws" before performing the surgery.

A survey earlier this year showed that while most people are against dog debarking, they do not believe cat declawing is inhumane.

Saini echoed the sentiment that the procedures are legal even if they are cosmetic.   

"I ask [the patient] if he really, really wants to do it, and if he says yes then I will ask what reason?" said Saini. "If he says, well, I just want to do it for the looks, then sure. It's one of the procedures that’s legal."

The only place in the U.S. where devocalization is illegal is Massachusetts, which passed the first American law of its kind last year. Doctors there can go to prison for up to five years if they perform the procedure.

THE HUMANE SOCIETY 

The nearby Humane Society of Silicon Valley (HSSV) does not support procedures that are not necessary for the life of the animal. Instead, HSSV tries to educate pet owners by explaining what these procedures are and how they can affect the animal.

According to one brochure, cat declawing is "an amputation of part of the cat's body...think of it as removing the last part of your finger, all the way up to the joint closest to your fingernail." After the surgery, "most cats act as if they ware in great discomfort," and after the bandages are removed walking is painful. Sometimes, the cat's ability to walk can be impaired for life. 

In addition to limiting the cat's ability to defend itself, the procedure also destroys the scent glands in the cat's paws, said Dr. Julia Lewis, a veterinarian who works at the shelter.

Lewis said there are considerable risks to cosmetic procedures like cat declawing and dog debarking that can alter the quality of life for an animal forever.  

Debarking is not very common anymore, said Lewis, and the procedure can be ineffective because the areas in the throat that are cut can grow back. Moreover, debarking can cause health issues for the dog.  

"If you have a really athletic dog and it's got scarring of its airways, it won't be able to exercise to the extent that it needs to run out its energy," she said. "Or, if it does, and it has trouble breathing, I mean that's not a very good quality of life, either."

It is unlikely that Tan or his colleagues in the field will stop performing the procedures anytime soon. "I'm not going to stop doing it as long as it is legal," Tan said. "It is not cruel, because if I don't do it, it will be cruel."