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BPO Grooming Forum => Discussions & Information on Grooming => : arkydo December 11, 2006, 04:32:52 AM

: Dew claws help
: arkydo December 11, 2006, 04:32:52 AM
I've just got back from the humane society and we were speaking about Arkyds rear dew claws
Is it a good idea to have em removed?

the woman at the humane society said that they should be fine as long as we keep his claws trimmed

so i am not sure cuz some people have already told me they must be removed
: Re: Dew claws help
: brigid67 December 11, 2006, 04:41:31 AM
Willow has hers and I am just not into having anything done just to have it done.  I also don't crop ears or bob tails.  Just my thing.  I don't think they HAVE to be removed.
: Re: Dew claws help
: MRSL December 11, 2006, 04:45:12 AM
Hi. I've also been told my pup needs his dew claws removed as he's a Malamute. I have spoken to my vet and he will only remove them because they are loose and flap around and they could catch when he's running. But he did add they only do it for that reason. But hey things might be diff in your neck of the woods.

Annie
: Re: Dew claws help
: Gracie Belle December 11, 2006, 04:49:47 AM
I think it's a preference.  I do know that a lot of the time it is done very early on as young pups.  I've even heard of Dew Claws being removed as they are in for their spay/neuter.  I do know they are fine to keep.  Just be sure to trim them regularly as you would trip their nails.  Gracie still has hers but Beaux had his snipped when he was younger and I believe the breeder did it.  I really don't think there is a standard answer to this.  Unless it's problematic, I wouldn't really worry about it.
: Re: Dew claws help
: schelmischekitty December 11, 2006, 04:53:38 AM
my mom kept her chihuahua's dew claws on the rear feet, only to have them ripped off a few months later.  it wasn't a big deal to her pup, he didn't make a fuss, and honestly, we didn't even realize until after it had completely healed.  although, i would say i would do it to my dogs ONLY because i would rather them be sedated or at least have local anesthetic, and it be painless, rather than them getting ripped off by accident.  it is preference though.
: Re: Dew claws help
: kathryn December 11, 2006, 07:53:09 AM
Cinder, Kaila, and Shiner don't have rear dew claws but my rotti/shepherd had his rear dew claws.  I thought about having them removed but they weren't a problem so I didn't worry about it.  If there had been a problem then I would have removed them.  Mine are all so accident prone that I try to cut down the vet visits for just essentials and removing of dew claws really doesn't fall into that category for me.  But there again that's my preference.
: Re: Dew claws help
: bigdogs@5501 December 11, 2006, 08:23:18 AM
I can not imagine any reason that they would have to be removed. I have Pyrenees who have double dew claws and they have not had any problems. Just keep the nails trimmed. I wouldnt put my dogs thru any un-necessary surgery to remove them.
: Re: Dew claws help
: arkydo December 11, 2006, 10:55:18 AM
well the vet is one the people who told me i kinda guessed they were just thinking bout $$$$$$$$$
: Re: Dew claws help
: specialkdanemom December 11, 2006, 11:05:56 AM
When we adopted Shasta, she had double dew claws on her rear feet.  We opted to have them removed when she was spayed... no one suggested it to us, it was my preference, because of our lifestyle.  We go out to the boonies in central oregon and camp.  Our dogs enjoy romping around... logs, rocks, sagebrush, etc.  I have seen dewclaws torn off a dog before while engaging in this type of activity and do not want to have to deal with that, especially when we're two hours from the nearest town.  Just my opinion and experience in regards to our activities.
: Re: Dew claws help
: Lyn December 11, 2006, 09:16:58 PM
Bubba has a double dewclaw on one rear leg and a single dewclaw on the other. He has ripped one off already and the amount of blood was insane. Not to mention how painful it looked. So I'm opting to have them removed when he goes in for his neuter.
: Re: Dew claws help
: bluskygirl December 11, 2006, 09:20:34 PM
My Cattle Dog came to me at 8 weeks with both her front and rear dew claws intact. I spoke with my Vet about it, and his response was that unless I expected that she was going to go for frequently romps through heavily forested areas, or areas where there would be the potential for it to get caught, not to worry about it.  I opted to keep both her front and rear intact and despite her insane level of activity never had a problem.  Maybe your vet is looking to make $$$, although that's sort of bothersome...
: Re: Dew claws help
: Jessdryden December 11, 2006, 09:30:38 PM
Our little aussie pup had rear dew claws that really stuck out...we had them removed.  We asked the vet about removing Sasha's dew claws and he recommended that we leave them.  His rule is that if they don't stick out, leave them; if they do stick out then they should be removed to prevent injury.
: Re: Dew claws help
: longshadowfarms December 12, 2006, 02:10:51 AM
There was a great link a while back showing an x-ray of a dew claw and the bones inside.  My in-laws had their dog's removed when she was under for hip x-rays at 2 yrs and they cursed themselves ever since.  It was a very painful recovery for her.  Most of my dogs have had dewclaws intact (including 3 Pyrs) and in 20 yrs we have never had a problem even though most of our dogs work (Labs hunt, Pyrs are LGDs).  Just keep them trimmed.  If you really feel they must be removed, have a vet examine them to see how attached to the leg they are.  An xray will give a better view yet.  If there is bone attachment, it will be painful.  If the attachment is tisssue only, it will not be as bad.
: Re: Dew claws help
: longshadowfarms December 12, 2006, 04:50:22 AM
That's not the one I meant but it is a good one.  Here's a link to the one I had originally seen (after some serious digging):

http://pyrmont.tripod.com/dewclaws.html