Removing Puppy's Front Dew Claw

[The 3 Musketeers]

Merry Christmas to you all.

Im having a problem on whether i should get Mia's front dew claws removed when she gets desexed in March.

She will be nearly 6 months old,and the vet ask if i wanted it done.

Firstly i had to ask what a dew claw was, I didnt know

Now im really confused, Would it be mean to get them removed or a good thing.

She now weighs 1.6kg and she is the most funnyist pup i have ever had.

The vets told us that mia is a Chihuahua X mini foxy,now i understand where the speed and hypo comes from.

She has curtainly brought laughter into our family since Zoe's passing in September this yr.

And poor old Abbey who is 8yrs old, isnt getting any rest now,but they play so well,and have started to sleep together. :p

I come home some days, and i hold my breath and wonder what these 2 have been up to,Shock horror they destroy every thing,their beds, they have all their toys out all through the house,but at least i know,they are happy and having fun.

Anyway if anyone can help me regarding the dew claw issue,this would be great.

take care and all the best,Have a happy New Year

[becks]

If they aren't causing any problems, then leave them just remember that they don't get worn down like the other nails and could need regular trimming.

[Echo]

If they aren't causing any problems, then leave them just remember that they don't get worn down like the other nails and could need regular trimming.

I agree.

Removal of front dew claws is not a procedure normally done. I can't understand why your Vet. would ask you this, unless he thought they were going to be a problem if left.

Julie

[Teebs]

All my future dogs will be having theirs removed - after the shit i went through when my boy tore one of his out, and the pain he was in, they are all coming out!

[Guest belgian.blue]

They should all be removed when pups are at the correct age .. 2 days old? Ivy still has hers and she's done some damage to my legs but I won't have them removed as it's a big operation for the dog. I'd love it if she didn't have hers but I'm going to take the chances of her not doing damage later in life.

My parents Pointer ripped hers off twice. So then both were completely removed.

There is a difference in two breeds .. Jaffa the Pointer has hairless legs so hers are quite open to damage. But Ivys are covered in hair and a lot more protected.

If I were to ever become a dog breeder (possiblity) I'd defiantly have them all removed.

[blacklabrador]

There is a difference in two breeds .. Jaffa the Pointer has hairless legs so hers are quite open to damage. But Ivys are covered in hair and a lot more protected.

They also differ considerably between individual dogs within the same breed. It's a big deal to have them removed from an older dog - I wouldn't unless it was necessary.

[Ashanali]

I have NEVER had dew claws removed on dogs that I have never had an issue with dew claws on any of them.

The only dog I did have issues with was a girl who had them removed by her breeder and one of them grew back, curled around and started to grow back under the skin. It was an operation to have it removed a second time.

Every dog is different. I would lean toward leaving them alone and if your dog has a problem, then get them removed.

[WreckitWhippet]

Clark has ongoing issues with one of his.

Really they should be done between birth and a few days of age, other wise it's a bigger proceedure. Ask they vet why he/she thinks they should be removed.

[puggy_puggy]

Leave them. It's a massive operation and like cutting a toe off now she is older.

If they are removed it should be done when they are only a few days old.

Both of my pugs have their dew claws and have never had any problems with them. They actually use them to clean their faces with.

All you have to remember is to make sure you give them a trim every now and again.

[Georgie-boy]

If they are attached by bone (which I have found most front dew claws are) then it will be a fairly decent operation. If they aren't attached by bone then it will be snip and stitch. That being said - I would also be inclined to leave well enough alone if there isn't a problem and if they aren't going to cause one.

[wind in the trees]

I would remove them in any dog as early as possible. I haven't had experience with the operations so can't comment on its severity. Best of luck.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Personally, if the vet is recommending it for your dog I would get it done whilst she's being desexed.

I rescued a foxy from the pound 18 months ago, he was about 9 or so.

His dew claws were very obvious and for the first two weeks he was with me, they constantly got caught in things and he tore one which was obviously very painful. I booked him in for a dental and dew claw removal. He was already desexed and I was surprised that something causing such an obvious risk of problems wasn't fixed up then.

After surgery, I came home to find him with the bandage chewed off and lots of bleeding everywhere ... had to go back and have it restitched and bandaged!

[~Midniara~]

They should all be removed when pups are at the correct age .. 2 days old? Ivy still has hers and she's done some damage to my legs but I won't have them removed as it's a big operation for the dog. I'd love it if she didn't have hers but I'm going to take the chances of her not doing damage later in life.

My parents Pointer ripped hers off twice. So then both were completely removed.

There is a difference in two breeds .. Jaffa the Pointer has hairless legs so hers are quite open to damage. But Ivys are covered in hair and a lot more protected.

If I were to ever become a dog breeder (possiblity) I'd defiantly have them all removed.

You'd be hard pressed to find a Breeder of Groenendael's or Tervueren's in Australia that remove front dews. I can't comment on the other two varieties as I have not noticed what they do but the rescues I've had come through my doors have not had theirs removed either. I remove rear dews but don't bother with front ones. The rear dews can be easily damaged but the front ones are well protected on a Belgian.

I've not heard of a Belgian injuring their front dews and in all my years in the breed (almost 9) I've not had any problems with them.

I find that mine use their front dews when chewing on bones.

I don't have a problem with them at all but obviously it depends on the breed and the individual dog.

[~Shepherd~]

They should all be removed when pups are at the correct age .. 2 days old? Ivy still has hers and she's done some damage to my legs but I won't have them removed as it's a big operation for the dog. I'd love it if she didn't have hers but I'm going to take the chances of her not doing damage later in life.

My parents Pointer ripped hers off twice. So then both were completely removed.

There is a difference in two breeds .. Jaffa the Pointer has hairless legs so hers are quite open to damage. But Ivys are covered in hair and a lot more protected.

If I were to ever become a dog breeder (possiblity) I'd defiantly have them all removed.

You'd be hard pressed to find a Breeder of Groenendael's or Tervueren's in Australia that remove front dews. I can't comment on the other two varieties as I have not noticed what they do but the rescues I've had come through my doors have not had theirs removed either. I remove rear dews but don't bother with front ones. The rear dews can be easily damaged but the front ones are well protected on a Belgian.

I've not heard of a Belgian injuring their front dews and in all my years in the breed (almost 9) I've not had any problems with them.

I find that mine use their front dews when chewing on bones.

I don't have a problem with them at all but obviously it depends on the breed and the individual dog.

Or the individual owner.

Squiddy would have been lost without his.

He never jumped up on us so it wasnt a personal issue for me. I'd rather remove the behaviour than the claws personally.

[persephone]

alll of our dogs still have their dew claws.. no problems.

[BittyMooPeeb]

Hi 3M's

I prefer my dogs to have their front dew claws removed because:

- if left on they can be accidentally cut when grooming (I have long haired dogs)

- they can stick wildly out to the side increasing the risk of them being caught on something

- if they curl around it can be very hard to maintain them. My oldest dog had dew claws when I got him, ad they grow out of his pad and curl back into them straight away.

If I had an adult dog with neat, tidy dew claws I would leave them. If they are attached by bone is not pleasant surgery for the dogs. Blossom had hers removed on advice at 6mnths old during desexing, and was in some pain for the next 3-4 days (I had to go back and ask for painkillers for her). If they are barely attached the surgery has much less impact on the dog.

Start by asking your vet why they think the dew claws should be removed - there may be a good reason, or they may just have been asking because a lot of people get it done.