Bad mommy! If there’s one thing that can get Great Pyrenees lovers worked up (okay, there’s a lot of things, but just hang in with me), it’s the discussion of removing the double dew claws. This is a barbaric practice meant for those who can't be bothered to trim nails regularly. Our dogs for the most part do not participate in shows but are working K9s. When I used to have puppies I took off the dew claws myself at about two days of age. Removing dew claws from dogs is often done, but there’s a lot of debate surrounding the issue. It grows high up on the leg. We've got it wrapped and put some ointment on it with some hydrogen peroxide. As a dog matures the dew claws become quite sensitive. Dew Claws by: Donna No, never remove dew claws. ; Dewclaw removal is frequently performed when pets are very young (between 3 and 5 days old) It seems if the breeder does it just after birth it is not a big thing and only costs $3.00 to 6.00. The nails on them are very hard to clip on that claw anyway especially when it starts to curl back to the leg/pad area of the foot. Puppy dew claws will always be removed within days after the puppies were born, usually when they are three to four days old, and the costs, from what we researched, will really depend on your vet, geographical location and what may be included at the time during the dew claw removal as many vets will want to also include the vaccinations and perform an … We left them on and he was hunted at least 60 days a year on waterfowl and lots of upland. By the time your dog is an adult, the dew claws are developed and very vascular, meaning surgery to remove them would be invasive. I think we can conclude that some people are going to consider the practice barbaric, while others are going to offer reasons why it should be done. My vet taught me how to do the removal myself. I would remove the dewclaws on all four feet. Dr. Stacy, My 4-month-old puppy still has his dewclaws. You could think of a dew claw as sort of a thumb. Many breeds have floppy dew claws that can easily snag and rip. Electively removing the dew claws has the potential to cause stress, pain or infection after to procedure and/or during recovery. Removing dew claws after a certain age is a controversial subject, but I'll offer a differing opinion and I can take the heat...LOL I have Bostons and a Frenchie - both Bostons had theirs removed a day or two after birth. When I first started breeding, i always had them removed. However, Shayna had only front dew claws and my Vet recommended removing them when we had her spay at 6 months. IMO, removing the rear dew claws has far more benefits than neutering them, so that's a good logic for me (mine are kept entire). When it comes to dewclaws, however, most owners do not know much about them. At this time the bone is still soft and very little pain is felt by the pup. I have a small mutt that had back dew claws, and had them removed when he was neutered/castrated at about 6 months old. Mine has her dew claws removed. Removing them at 6 months of age will cause a lot of pain. I think she had a reason. I was not aware of this, until we waited too long to have them clipped, like a month with his regular nails, and his dew claws had curled around. They are easily removed. I talked about the reasons (and lack thereof, sometimes) for removing dew claws from dogs. On my last litter--16 years ago--I kept them on. #9 R55Chewie, Feb 5, 2016. Treating Dewclaw Injuries. Cobi has his dew claws and they are a pain. I would like to have them removed but I don't want him in pain. Often removed by the breeder, they are gone before you take the puppy home, meaning you never really give them a second thought. Dew claws are your dog’s short nails found near the foot but don’t touch the surface. The dog dew claw removal costs. The double dew claws on the Great Pyrenees are very strong due to being attached by a bone; they act as a sort … One of the puppies became an all-breed BIS winner even with dew claws. No reputable breeder would ever recommend this. It doesn’t mean it’s unhealthy, they can live with it and not feel any different. Think of it as a dog’s thumb, not having much purpose like an extra finger. Chinook has his dew claws and Maia does not, and they both came from a breeder. If you have a pup or are getting one, I strongly recommend that you have them taken off. I just had someone ask me if we remove dew claws on our dogs. Short Brief On Dew Claws and the Removal Procedure. We remove their dew claws at 2-3 days old. I had my mini chihuahuas dew claws removed at 5 months of age. Dew claws are part of most dog's normal biology, and just like the rest of your dog's nails, they require some care to ensure that they are healthy and don't cause your dog any pain or trouble. The answer is no. My vet said he is only seen a couple dew claws torn in his 30 years of practice and does not know why people insist on removing them as long as they keep them trimmed. * DEW CLAWS * Lachelle Beene asks: Hi All,"My puppy BT (9.5 months old) snagged her dew claw last night. I do have them removed at 3 days old but occasionally one grows back and people freak out like the dog is deformed. To be clear, removal of double dews is amputation requiring the surgical cutting away of bones, tendons, and nerves. In Removing Dew Claws from Dogs – Should You Do It? ... but said not to do anything until 6 months. I haven’t had anyone ask me that in a very long time. Dog Dew Claw Removal. Dew claws can easily get ripped especially in walking or running on rough rocky terrain, it also reduces the risk of the dog catching its eyes with the claws should it paw its own face or even the face of a sibling when playing. Any nail can become partially or completely pulled off, broken, split, infected, or ingrown (if not properly trimmed). Dew claws should be removed at a very early age, ie between 1 and 3 days of age. We got the bleeding to stop but can't really see how much damage there was, but it didn't seem like a lot. Double dew claws are neither defects nor problems, and they should never be removed. If the dew claw is attached by bone, then that's a different situation. Like Choup said—it's normal for most LBD's (any hunting dog) to have them removed, but some people don't because of the rarity of dew claw related injuries, extra vet procedure, pain on dog. Rear dew claws are often like this. Muttly Fluffy Mutts Rule! Keep in mind that removing the dewclaws in other breeds, like Great Pyrenees, disqualifies them from the show ring. Very little bleeding. Dew claws are found not just on dogs but on other mammals as well as birds and reptiles. Many dogs have dew claws, the claws just above the paws on the lower part of their leg. Anytime you talk about removing something from a dog’s body, there is a debate about it. Some breeders choose to electively have the dew claws removed during the first five days of the puppy’s life for aesthetic appearances, especially in full breed animals. Never a problem even with the rear dew claws. They can be removed at any age, but if it is done when the puppy is more than 10 days old it is a surgical removal because the soft tissues are too hardened to remove them without anesthesia. Thank you for not doing it. We adopted a 14 week old Rat Terrier puppy from a rescue almost a month ago. She tore me up when jumping up and especially bath time. Dew claw removal (outside of removal for traumatic injuries) should be done at around 3-5 days of age. Some dew claws are floppy and attached barely by a flap of skin. My vet said at 2 years the surgery was very envolved with tendions and all. Dogs don’t need dew claws anyway so do yourself a favor and have them removed at an early age. He’s 7 yrs old now and no problems so far. Dewclaw removal may also be recommended for hunting or working dogs or if there is a risk of trauma to the toe. Thank I have been asked by a police and military dog trainer to take them off because of the high incidence of injury. I is interesting to note that some vets will not remove dew claws … 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. What is the procedure for this? They don't really serve any purpose to a dog, but have the slight potential for injury. If you dog isn’t a working dog, vets typically remove them at a young age. Joined: Oct 1, 2014 Messages: 13,721 Likes Received: 15,593. When you wait to have them done it is surgery and it costs us $30.00 or $35.00 over the spaying. Dew Claws removed at 5 months The breeder removed the front dew claws right after she was born, but didn't realize that she had rear ones. While dewclaw injuries are relatively rare, they certainly do occur. Anyway, our vet recommended leaving the wraps on for 5 days, but when we removed them Kenai licked the wounds till they opened up again. My dog is 6 months old and we are thinking of removing the dewclaws when he is being neutered as advised by the vet.. His dewclaws nails are getting too long and whenever we cut them, they seem to bleed really bad (even when the vet tries to cut them.. Maybe a drop or two. A normal castration for a puppy the size that mine was at the time was $80.00. Removing Dew Claws Hello I just happened across this message board when doing a search on "dew claws" on Google. Any pyr lover will tell you, never never never remove the double dew claws. A dog dew claw is similar to a thumb (complete with a toenail) — but it grows a bit higher up on the paw than the rest of the toenails on that paw. Muttly likes this. He has dark nails.. It never comes in contact with the ground. Unique Double Dew Claws. Dewclaw removal may be recommended if the dewclaw is deformed or if extra dewclaws are present. Absolutely not. If you have dealt with them, your experiences may factor into how you feel about them. We did them on litters up until sometime around 2002, when other breeders were already starting to stop removing them. I have had many foster Pyrs through and there has never been an issue. dew claws I had a dalmatian with dew claws. What Are Dew Claws? Most vets will NOT remove front dew claws on a dog that old because it is a more painful procedure, as it involves amputation of the toe. While different Vets have different fees, and location can make a HUGE difference in those fees, I'll tell you what I paid. 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