Big Paws Only Dog Forums
Great Pyrenees => Great Pyrenees Pictures => : cricket36580 April 01, 2006, 07:08:31 AM
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On another board, the topic of pyr's double dew claws came up and someone posted this link. It has a really cool x-ray of a pyr's double dew claws and talks about the purpose of them. Just thought I would share. http://pyrmont.tripod.com/dewclaws.html
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Thank you for posting this. I know it's a debate with some to get them removed. The x-ray is proof enough not too.
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Proof to me that it ought not to be done to other breeds of pups either! I know it is popular in a lot of breeds but having lived with working hunting dogs with their dew claws, I firmly believe in letting them keep them! Yes, they can tear occasionally but so do our own fingernails. I don't see any of us wanting them to go away. My dogs who have had the dew claws use them all the time for holding things. Ok, off my soap box ;)
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Penny has 3 dews on one foot and 2 on the other. :o
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That is an interesting and informative article and I loved the x-ray.
As for removal of dewclaws, I don't see it necessary unless the toe sticks off/protrudes from the foot, as it does in some dogs. Ripping a dewclaw is different than ripping a fingernail. Ripping a dewclaw would be like ripping off a finger, not just the nail. In which case, I think it is safter to remove.
Plus, in hunting breeds, it is safer to remove them where they won't get caught in brush and ripped or torn off. Both of my dogs have theirs, but they also don't have rear dewclaws, just front ones. They do use them as a thumb like appendage.
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Thanks for the link, good site.
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God I hate this :'( but I have to chime in even though I hate myself for what I did...The night before Samson was to be neutered he tore one of his rear dew claws...There was alot of blood...I called the vet & she said if I could get the bleeding stopped "we" would just remove the dew claws when he was fixed in the morning"...Well, he had caught his dew claws on the latches on the van seat & on his crate before so I thought it was the right thing to do...Remember, Samson was my 1st dog ever...I MADE THE BIGGEST MISTAKE I EVER MADE WITH MY DOGS BAR NONE!!!!!!!!!!!!...When he came home after his neuter his feet look HORRENDOUS!!!...He had 8 stitches in each foot...My brother called him "Frankendog" :'( :'( :'( It was truely heartbreaking. ..I regreted what I did INSTANTLY!!!!!!!!!!...Then I found that dewclaws in Pyrs were more firmly attached than in some other breeds & 3 days after pups are born the central nervous system is developed enough that they feel so much pain with dewclaw removal...Pipp in & Rosie will keep every dewclaw God intended them to have...There is literally not ONE day that goes by that I don't regret what I did to my Sammy Whammy!!!...In a panic & while blindly following my vet's advise >:( I let my baby be MAIMED!...I know that sounds harse but it was all of that & nothing less. :'( :'( :'(
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Don't beat yourself up Gypsy. He's recovered and is functioning just fine without them. And I'm sure he recovered very quickly. You didn't know. And if there is one WONDERFUL thing about dogs is their ability to love and forgive.
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Gypsy, you only did what you the vet told you was best for Sammy. You love your fur-babies as much as anyone I have ever known.
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Gypsy, you only did what you the vet told you was best for Sammy. You love your fur-babies as much as anyone I have ever known.
Thanks Cricket & Lisa for you kind & comforting words...The reason that I share my shame & Sam's horrible experience though is to keep others from making the mistake I made...It is good to have friends like you guys!...Ty again! :)
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{{{hugs}}}
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Thanks for the x-ray pic. I found that very cool to see.
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I researched this thread on April's advice because Derby has double dew claws on both rear feet. Mary, Tracy's mom, was going to have them removed before I picked him up in July, but after talking to April I told her to hold off on that.
What do you think? I'm not sure where in his lineage he picked these up. I found a site that listed breeds prone to double dew claws and even those that required dbl dews for show and he doesn't look anything any of them.
I guess I'll have to have her check if they are "floppy" or seem to be attached by a bone. What do you all think?
Jeanne
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Einstein has the dew claws -- not double, but they're there. Unless you're planning to send Derby out to work, I don't think they'll be a problem. I've heard that working dogs sometimes get hung up on wires, fences, etc.
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Derby? Work? HAHAHAHAHAAHA! Unless chasing squirrels or lying like a lump on the couch is considered work!
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All my dogs work - the LGDs guard, the Labs hunt. I've never had a problem with dew claws in 20 yrs of owning dogs, almost all of them with all their dew claws intact. Our first Lab had them removed before we knew about such things. A later Lab did not and my preference ever since has been to have dogs with them intact. My Labs use the front ones a LOT for holding things. I don't see much purpose to the back ones but have also seen/heard too many horror stories of dew claws removed later in life. It is very painful for the dog if not done when they are a few days old.
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Thanks to BPO, Dyson kept his, however his siblings did not luck out as well. I've had no problems yet.....KNOCK ON WOOD.
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Thanks to BPO, Dyson kept his, however his siblings did not luck out as well. I've had no problems yet.....KNOCK ON WOOD.
Good for you!...I am a huge advocate of Pyrs keeping their dews...I will regret everyday of my life that I had Sam's removed when I did not have all the facts. :'(
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Good for you!...I am a huge advocate of Pyrs keeping their dews...I will regret everyday of my life that I had Sam's removed when I did not have all the facts. :'(
Awww! If you didn't have all the information, you made the best decision you could with the information you had. That's really all we CAN do! We trust our vets too to give us correct info. I think with issues like this they either believe it is better for the dog or they just go along with what people want. There are lots of times in life where we find out later that what we were told before may not have been true or at least, that there are other possibilities. We'd go nuts trying to beat ourselves up for everything we could have done differently if only we'd known. I certainly appreciate a lot of the info I've gleaned over the years here and other places about feeding, training, altering, etc. Can't go back and change some things but I can make better, more informed decisions the next time around.
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Good for you!...I am a huge advocate of Pyrs keeping their dews...I will regret everyday of my life that I had Sam's removed when I did not have all the facts. :'(
Awww! If you didn't have all the information, you made the best decision you could with the information you had. That's really all we CAN do! We trust our vets too to give us correct info. I think with issues like this they either believe it is better for the dog or they just go along with what people want. There are lots of times in life where we find out later that what we were told before may not have been true or at least, that there are other possibilities. We'd go nuts trying to beat ourselves up for everything we could have done differently if only we'd known. I certainly appreciate a lot of the info I've gleaned over the years here and other places about feeding, training, altering, etc. Can't go back and change some things but I can make better, more informed decisions the next time around.Â
Thanks!...& we do live & learn...That's why Pippin & Rosie will keep every dew God gave them! :)
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I feel a little dumb here. What is the argument for keeping them vs having them removed? I have never given a single thought to the fact that Badger had his removed before we got him.
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I feel a little dumb here. What is the argument for keeping them vs having them removed? I have never given a single thought to the fact that Badger had his removed before we got him.Â
Up to the age of 72 hours puppies don't have a central nervous system that is developed enough for the dewclaw removal to hurt...Kind of like male children being circumsized... So, to have a dog older than that withstand the procedure can be painful & traumatic...No w, in the Great Pyrenees the procedure requires a bone to be removed & it is far more evasive than it is in breeds that have a loosely attached dewclaw...& also in the Great Pyr the rear double dewclaw is a sign of breed purity so it is kind of a special trait to have all the dews.
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Do you happen to know why they are removed in the first place? Is there some advantage to having them removed? It seems like a bad thing to remove anything unless there is a darn good reason for it. To this day, it irritates me that someone hacked off poor Badger's tail (even though I adore his lil nubbin ;))
???
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The dews can get caught in things & rip & you have to make sure to keep them trimmed so they don't grow back into the foot...Those are the only things I can think of right off the top of my head.
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Up to the age of 72 hours puppies don't have a central nervous system that is developed enough for the dewclaw removal to hurt...Kind of like male children being circumsized...
I've been in the vet's office when they removed some dewclaws on 2 day old pups. Could'a fooled me that those pups didn't feel it! :o Then again, I'm a woos - they might have just been upset at being handled. They didn't sound happy though.
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Up to the age of 72 hours puppies don't have a central nervous system that is developed enough for the dewclaw removal to hurt...Kind of like male children being circumsized...
I've been in the vet's office when they removed some dewclaws on 2 day old pups. Could'a fooled me that those pups didn't feel it!  :o Then again, I'm a woos - they might have just been upset at being handled. They didn't sound happy though.Â
I've heard that before...I've also heard of pups who barely woke up...pretty much slept through it...But, the same as male babies being circumcised... I always thought "do these babies tell you it doesn't hurt"! :-\