(1) Any person who, being the owner of an animal, permits the animal to undergo an operation which is performed without due care and in a humane manner commits the offence of cruelty to the animal.
(2) Where an operation is performed on an animal and the operation affects sensitive tissues or bone structure and is performed without the use of an anaesthetic, the operation is performed without due care and in a humane manner and constitutes an offence of cruelty to the animal.
(3) The following operations are exceptions to the operation referred to in subsection (2)—
(a) performing injections or extractions using a hollow needle;
(b) the rendering of first aid in emergency cases for the purpose of saving the life of the animal or for relieving pain;
(c) the docking of a dog's tail, cropping of a dog's ears, or the amputation of its dew claws, before its eyes are open;
(d) the castration of a sheep under the age of 3 months, or of a bull, goat or pig under the age of 2 months, except by the use of a rubber ring or other device to construct the flow of blood to the scrotum, unless applied within the first week of life; and
(e) any minor operation performed by a veterinary surgeon which by reason of its quickness or painlessness is customarily performed without an anaesthetic.
(4) The exceptions referred to in subsection (3) do not include—
(a) the castration, de-horning or dis-budding of the animal except by chemical cauterisation within the first week of the animal's life;
(b) the docking of lambs' tails by the use of a rubber ring unless applied in the first week of the lamb's life; or
(c) the docking of the tails of pigs less than 7 days old.