Dew claws
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My vet says it's a waste of time and money to have them removed at all. I've had two litters of puppies and the vet told us not to worry about removing the dew claws and we've had no problems. My younger male and my female still have theirs, too, and no problems.Thor said:
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I honestly have no clue if it's too late or not. I don't understand the purpose of having them removed, unless he's aggressive and fights alot. My boxer doesn't have hers, but they were removed when she was a pup before we got her, and our pitbull still has his...
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We thought about having Bella's dew claws removed when she was spayed, but the vet told us that when they're not removed at a few days old, it's a major amputation surgery with a fairly long recovery period. If Zeus gets his dew claws removed, you'll have to deal with the recovery of the neutering plus changing bandages on his paws. Bella and Remy are fairly active dogs, and they've never had any problems with their dew claws. They actually use them to grip toys and bones and things.
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I have seen this done( from when I worked at the vet hospital) and I would not recommend having it done past a few weeks of age.It was horrible to watch and unless it keeps getting snagged on something or it keeps ripping then I say leave it alone.
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Finally something I have experience with! LOL When we had Heidi spayed at 5mos. the vet talked us into having her dewclaws removed as well. He sold us on the idea that she could very easily snag them on something and bleed to death. Well I think this surgery was a big mistake and I completely regret doing it to her. It took forever to heal and they got really infected. If your dog is a normal puppy, it will be extremely dificult to prevent her from using her hands. Even though her legs were bandaged, she would still use her feet to hold toys and chew or dig. We would have to take her to the vet almost every single day to get new bandages on as well. She would chew and rip them off almost immediatly. I think she had the bandages on for almost 3mos. because of this. She is extremely sensitive about her feet now. It is nearly impossible to trim her nails. I usually have to take her to the vet to do this now. 
With my other dog, Chico, we left them on and he has never had any problems snagging them on anything. I think it is completely unecesay to remove them. It's purely cosmetic.
-Amber
With my other dog, Chico, we left them on and he has never had any problems snagging them on anything. I think it is completely unecesay to remove them. It's purely cosmetic. -Amber
Oh, poor Heidi.Chico.Heidi said:Finally something I have experience with! LOL When we had Heidi spayed at 5mos. the vet talked us into having her dewclaws removed as well. He sold us on the idea that she could very easily snag them on something and bleed to death. Well I think this surgery was a big mistake and I completely regret doing it to her. It took forever to heal and they got really infected. If your dog is a normal puppy, it will be extremely dificult to prevent her from using her hands. Even though her legs were bandaged, she would still use her feet to hold toys and chew or dig. We would have to take her to the vet almost every single day to get new bandages on as well. She would chew and rip them off almost immediatly. I think she had the bandages on for almost 3mos. because of this. She is extremely sensitive about her feet now. It is nearly impossible to trim her nails. I usually have to take her to the vet to do this now.
-Amber
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That is awful...poor Heidi!!!Chico.Heidi said:Finally something I have experience with! LOL When we had Heidi spayed at 5mos. the vet talked us into having her dewclaws removed as well. He sold us on the idea that she could very easily snag them on something and bleed to death. Well I think this surgery was a big mistake and I completely regret doing it to her. It took forever to heal and they got really infected. If your dog is a normal puppy, it will be extremely dificult to prevent her from using her hands. Even though her legs were bandaged, she would still use her feet to hold toys and chew or dig. We would have to take her to the vet almost every single day to get new bandages on as well. She would chew and rip them off almost immediatly. I think she had the bandages on for almost 3mos. because of this. She is extremely sensitive about her feet now. It is nearly impossible to trim her nails. I usually have to take her to the vet to do this now.
-Amber
So far, Koda hasn't had any issues with his, but I trim his nails at least once a week. Now Shelby doesn't have hers, but she has this ugly black spot on her feet where they were. So I completely agree with all of the above - unless you feel Zeus needs them removed, I wouldn't suggest it. Heaven has hers, and the only problem I have is that they get very long and start to curl. She won't let me trim them, the vet has to do it. (Then they charge me for "extra physical restraint" -- takes 2 people to hold her down.) I could see them easily getting snagged on something when we hike, but so far she hasn't had a problem. The vet also told me it would be a painful surgery and long healing time, so I opted out.
BUT -- is it possible to have them "de-clawed" the way a cat is? Leave their "toes" intact, but just remove the nail?
BUT -- is it possible to have them "de-clawed" the way a cat is? Leave their "toes" intact, but just remove the nail?
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If the dew claws aren't giving you a problem then i wouldn't do it. Some dew claws are just kinda hanging there, and not really "attached" to the bone, which makes it fairly easy to catch and rip off, so i might consider if this is the case. If they are "tight" to the bone, you shouldn't have any problems. Don't waste your money!
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Anyone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think they can "de-claw" a dog like they can a cat, because cat's nails are retractable, and dog's aren't.LuvaBULL said:
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I don't think cats toes are left in tact when they're de-clawed. I think the first bone is removed.LuvaBULL said:
Edit: I had to Google it. I just found this: http://www.pawproject.com/html/faqs.asp
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Exactly why I don't get my cats declawed....that and they can come and go as they please, so they need to be able to climb and protect themselves...Leeann.Bella.Remy said:
Faith has hers and she has never had any problems with them. Like Leann said, she actually uses them to hold her toys and bones. But we did have Tanners removed at 3 days old. THe vet said it is best to have them removed when you dock the tails which has to be done at 3 days old. So we did. We didn't even have to put any meds on the place or bandage it either. So I guess at that young age, its not that big of deal. But Faith will keep hers.
I understand about the de-clawing thing...thanks for the info.
Well I'm not sure what you guys are talking about on the front... Heaven's dew claws are on her hind legs. She can't "use" them for anything.. they just hang there. One is mobile and separated from the bone, the other is very much attached to the bone. That's why they said it would be painful, and I didn't want to put her through that. I can see how it could easily get stuck on something when she's running with me out in the woods, but I try to keep them trimmed.
Well I'm not sure what you guys are talking about on the front... Heaven's dew claws are on her hind legs. She can't "use" them for anything.. they just hang there. One is mobile and separated from the bone, the other is very much attached to the bone. That's why they said it would be painful, and I didn't want to put her through that. I can see how it could easily get stuck on something when she's running with me out in the woods, but I try to keep them trimmed.
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There was a Great Pyrenese in our obedience class that had two on each back leg. They were much looser and looked like they could snag easily. I think certain breeds have them on the rear legs as well.LuvaBULL said:
There is no reason to have your dog's dew claws removed unless he has had previous problems with ripping the nails out or breaking the bone itself (just fyi: dews attached by bone are much less prone to injury than those just attached by skin, however, most have a bone involved).
As a vet tech, the only logical reason I can gather from vets pushing this needless surgery on dogs is to boost their profits. Just remember, anytime you perform a surgery, especially when cutting through bone & tissue, there is a risk of infection.
Oh, & btw, dogs use their dew claws in many cases. i.e. chewing on their favorite toy or a bone........hey, those thumbs come in handy in keeping the object still :wink:
As a vet tech, the only logical reason I can gather from vets pushing this needless surgery on dogs is to boost their profits. Just remember, anytime you perform a surgery, especially when cutting through bone & tissue, there is a risk of infection.
Oh, & btw, dogs use their dew claws in many cases. i.e. chewing on their favorite toy or a bone........hey, those thumbs come in handy in keeping the object still :wink:
my vet told me the same thing when I asked if he could remove them when they were fixed. he said not to worry bout them and one of my twins dew claws are attached to the bone which it would be worse to remove them So far I haved had any problems I do keep them trimed though.Banterbull said:
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