Dew Claw Removal

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OntarioSheltie

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Some breeders remove the rear dew claws when pups are young, some don't. Why is this? Is it a sign of a bad breeder that the dew claws are not removed when they are young?

Sadie never had rear dew claws but my parent's sheltie did. He came from a pet store where as Sadie came from a breeder.
 
ive recently been researching to get a new pup, and ive learned that allot of reputable breeders get the pups microchipped but havent read anything about the dewclaws getting removed. sometime this summer im getting daisys removed, the nail seems to grow faster then the other nails, and im worried about them getting caught on something. It would have been nice though if they had been removed before i got her.
 
kim86 said:
ive recently been researching to get a new pup, and ive learned that allot of reputable breeders get the pups microchipped but havent read anything about the dewclaws getting removed. sometime this summer im getting daisys removed, the nail seems to grow faster then the other nails, and im worried about them getting caught on something. It would have been nice though if they had been removed before i got her.
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You do have to keep an eye on them but Milo's never caused him any problems. Just try to keep the nail as short as possible. If you're going to be in an area where you think a dew claw might get caught (like if you take your pup hiking) then I'd consider taping them so that they're flat against her legs.

I can't really recommend a tape. Maybe vet wrap would be better. Not sure of the technical name of vet wrap, its sort of tape like but has no real adheisive, it sticks to the fur without pulling it out (almost rubber like) and sticks to itself really well. Our vet sold us a roll for approx. $5 in case of a pet emergency.
 
Chinook has his dew claws and Maia does not, and they both came from a breeder. What I was told and read when I did some research, is that if they are not removed when they are very, very young, they will actually attach to the bone (as they should) and then removing them at a later stage is VERY painful and may not heal for sometimes, months, yes months. Maia's breeder told me when I asked her about removing Chinook's who was 6 months at the time, she said to leave them. I just have to be extra careful with them and if I decide on getting him into flyball or agility, to possibly tape them when he is on the course, but to wait and see, but not to remove them at this point.
 
Ania said:
Chinook has his dew claws and Maia does not, and they both came from a breeder. What I was told and read when I did some research, is that if they are not removed when they are very, very young, they will actually attach to the bone (as they should) and then removing them at a later stage is VERY painful and may not heal for sometimes, months, yes months. Maia's breeder told me when I asked her about removing Chinook's who was 6 months at the time, she said to leave them. I just have to be extra careful with them and if I decide on getting him into flyball or agility, to possibly tape them when he is on the course, but to wait and see, but not to remove them at this point.
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Interesting! I've never heard that they could attach to the bone as the dog gets older. Perhaps it depends more on the breeder's preference then.

My vet recommended having Milo's removed when he was neutered at 6 months of age. They had obviously not attached to the bone as they flopped around, which worried us. We did not want them to get caught when he was running around and tear off. Milo's surgery seemed pretty easy on him, he didn't even seem to notice that his dew claws had been removed, he never even tried to lick or chew at the stitches.
 
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Maybe you posted this out of curiosity for Caliber? LOL You know how Calibers Dew Claws are...but I'll explain for the rest.

Caliber has, what seems like two extra toes on each hind foot, where the normal dew claw would be. They have the pads and everything, and the claw seems to grow the same as the rest. My vet didn't seem taken back by it, so I assume it's not a "freak show" thing :lol: They're barely attached, and they flop around as if you just pinned something to his leg lol You can feel that they are attached with nothing more then a thin piece of what feels like cartilage, and skin. Even when you pinch it he doesn't even flinch. The vet said that if I choose to get them removed it shouldn't be difficult at all...which I do plan on sometime(hopefully soon) as summer is coming up and we like our outdoor adventures! I never thought about the tape until you mentioned it, though...that's a good call...I'll have to remember that if we can't get it done by the summer!

I think it's just the breeders preference? Mine said she couldn't bare to give the OK to do that to such a helpless pup...and it doesn't bother Caliber to have them, and it doesn't bother me either, so - whatever! :biggrin2:
 
TaraLynn said:
Maybe you posted this out of curiosity for Caliber?
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Not because of Caliber's, his dew claws weren't really any shock to me since Milo's were very similar and I've heard of other dogs having their dew claws removed at the same age as Milo. I was just surprised when you told me that some breeders choose to have them removed when the pups are very young, I'd never heard of that before and have been thinking about it. I just wondered whats considered right/wrong, since I thought it was normal to have them removed at the same time as spaying/neutering.

Vet wrap is great, if I think of it I'll show you some.
 
The front dew claws of a mature dog are attached with bone, the rear dew claws are not. Because of that, the rear dew claws are something to be extra careful about as they can easily get caught and torn.

For front dew claws, mainly just be careful if you are doing some activity that is pretty high impact (agility or flyball, etc.). You can purchase skid boots that protect the dew claws and carpal pads, but it is easy enough to make booties out of vet wrap and hockey tape. Gio has his front dew claws and when we competed in flyball I would wrap them with vet wrap and secure it in place with hockey tape. Worked like a charm. :yes:
 
If the breeder is showing conformation, the rears are always removed. You can not show a dog in conformation with rear dews, so any conformation breeder would automatically want them removed.
It doesn't neccessarily mean that a breeder is a bad breeder for not having them removed, but it does say they don't show conformation, and are probably just a pet breeder.
Tara, it sounds like yours has what are called double dews. Be careful with those.... more chance on getting them hooked on something.
I was lucky with my most recent litter. I ended up with 4 pups- 2 had rear dew claws, 2 had NO rear dew claws at all. I just went and had the vet remove 'em at 3 days old. It really is not a big deal having them removed off the pups at birth. My babies didn't seem to mind. That pretty much is the standard for show breeders- either have the vet remove them at 3 days, or if they're skilled at doing it, removing them themselves at birth. They just go ahead and pop them off with the hemostats and the pups are none the worse for it. I never do them myself since I don't feel skilled enough to do it :x But yeah, you want, if possible to remove them young.
 
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