Dogs

Our 4 month old mix puppy has front and back dewclaws. The vet recommended removal of the back claws at the same time we get him neutered. They do hang quite a bit and the pad looks a little ragged. He is fairly active. What do you think?

Honest to peet, I have had over 20 dogs in my life and not one has had any trouble with dew claws, I can see if it is dangling there but otherwise leave it don't worry so much. I have litters of puppies and not once been asked by the doctor if I want the removed. My puppies don't even have them. Do you know some one that has had a dog rip it off? In the wild wouldn't the wolf lick it clean till it healed, crimany relax!

I have a 4 month old lab mix and she still has her dewclaws and I plan on taking her hunting and I was wondering if I should or should not have her dew claws removed. If someone has an idea please let me know.

Thank you
Jake

what is the average cost per puppy to have dew claws removed (1-3 days old?) thankyou...this is for yorkies...

my dog has an inflamed paw due to long nails i trimed it but how can i heald that part .

I breed chihuahuas and i ALWAYS remove every dewclaw. Any time between 3 and 6 days old is okay to remove dewclaws. Otherwise anestetic will be nessesary. Make sure the mother is really into her puppies though because is she is not the tiny amount of blood that comes out may trigger infanticide. Just keep a good watch over them for a while

My puggle had a litter of 5 puppies that are 4 weeks old now. 4 of the pups have dew claws on the back. It is ok/safe to have them removed now? They are just starting to run & play. Thanks.

I was told at a dog show that it may hinder an agility dog to remove his front dewll claws, That it could weeken his legs. What can you tell me about this and buying a puppy?

I had my rottix puppies back dew claws removed only yesterday, she was speyed as well and does not seem worse for wear.

The vet said to keep the bandages on until her stiches were removed in 10 days, I am worried about them healing though and if I should check under the bandage the vet said to not remove the bandage's but I am worried about infection. Any ideas from anyone would be great.

Oh myyyyyyyyy, I am thinking about getting an 11 week old Boxer and there dew claws were not removed! Is is right to ask the breeder to take some money off of the asking price due to the fact that the dew claws need to be removed? I would rather have them removed now then to deal with them getting snagged (especially from our carpet) as I have heard they bleed a lot, it is very painful and they can get an infection from it getting caught, snagged etc...Is it dangerous for an 11 week old Boxer to have the dew claws removed?? any suggestions, tips? ideas?? thank you

In reference to dew claws, I just had a good friend tell me that yesterday a vet charged him over $500 to reattach a dew claw on his young dog. That sounded a little unethical to me. It was just hanging on the dog's front leg by a strand. Should the vet have done this or just clipped the little bit of sinew attached. Just curious. Thanks for your input.

hi my dog is 8 and today he statred limping and i noticed that his front dew claw is hanging off its not stoppin him do anythin but i dont no wheter to cut it off let him getit off or take him to vets any advice? thnx

Actually not all dogs need to have them removed. Most breed standards for toy dogs leave you with an option of having the front dew claws remain. Larger breeds are supposed to have them removed though. And all hind dew claws are supposed to be removed.

I JUST HAD THE DEW CLAW ON MY 2YR OLD BOXER'S FRONT LEG REMOVED. HE KEEPS CATCHING IT ON THINGS AND CAUSING IT TO BLEED AND BE REALLY PAINFUL. THIS WAS SURGERY AND COST $179 (AS MOST OF THE OTHER POSTS INDICATED). I HAVE CHANGED THE DRESSING MYSELF AND IT IS HEALING WELL SO FAR. MY BOXER LICKS AT THE DRESSING AT TIMES BUT MOSTLY LEAVES IT ALONE. HE WALKS WELL SINCE HIS SURGERY AND RUNS AND PLAYS WITHOUT A PROBLEM. HE SEEMS RELIEVED THAT THE PAINFUL TOE IS GONE. THE INCISION HAS MULTIPLE STITCHES AND IS ABOUT 1-2 INCHES LONG.MY BOXER RECEIVED ANTIBIOTICS AND A SHORT COURSE OF PAIN MEDICENE. THE PAIN MEDICENE TOOK HIM THROUGH THE FIRST 2 DAYS.

Our dog has her dew claws on the front and she is 4 years old. She uses hers to grip a soccer ball, leather strips, etc. They are used to assist her at times when necessary. She is a mix breed Doberman/Shepherd and has never done anything to irritate it throughout her life. I have a cousin who has a dog that he had the dew claw removed and he walks with a limp on both paws. Many peple claim that our dogs are our children, how many would have the thumbs removed from themselves or their kids if they actually thought it through?

Our Jack Russell had 9 pups on Dec. 11th which is a large amount for a dog her size, We took her & her pups to the vet after about a week to get their tails docked and dew claws cut off.
They did stop crying fairly quickly but the toes look nasty and they don't seem to be healing at all. Keep this in mind

Certain breeds have use for their dewclaws and could have problems if they are removed- a common example of this is the Great Pyrenees. This breed tends to use dewclaws in running, and can have trouble with running and turning if they are removed. The wisest thing to do would be to do some research on your breed, if it says nothing about the declaws, then you should ask your vet. Also, if your puppy is old enough to be running often, you can check to see if his dewclaw claw grows more than the other claws- if not then it probably means that the dewclaw is worn down with the others, a signal that the dog has use for its dewclaw in running.

I'm so bummed! I'm about the get a puppy (She'll be 6 weeks old...) and if I knew about how the removal of dew claws would of been better at 3 days old...I've would of asked her to do it! :( I hope it won't become issue now that we'll probably just leave them on........

My boxer had 5 puppies 2 days ago and we just had it done. It was a little painful but really needed. They had both dew claws & tails docked stopped crying before I even paid.

How painful is it to have the dew claws removed when the dog is older. Does the Vet usually prescibe pain medication?

my dog is 7 mths and he will be bird hunting this upcoming fall. do you think i should have his dew claws removed since he is going to be a working dog?

Does dew claws effect point in a show dog??

I am not sure about the old wives tale regarding being immune to snake bite, but my boxer-mix got bitten by a 'black snake' twice in 1 week. We assumed that, because the bite only made her a little sick & swollen face (the vet said she was fine), the snake was non-venom. Today, the same snake chased my husband while he was cutting grass. He killed it & it was a cottonmouth moccasin!! So my dog was bitten twice by a cottonmouth and survived... YES, she has front dew claws! Maybe think twice before removing them!!

This is going to sound weird, but my brother has a dog,chow/shepard mix, that has dew claws. This dog is a great snake dog and will go after snakes and drag them out of bushes or holes. He has been bitten about four times by poisonous snakes. He swells up for a few days, but it doesn't kill him. My brother told me that dogs with dew claws won't die from a poisonous snake bite.
Has anyone ever heard of this or is it an old wives tale????

I've always on advice from the brred club had dew claws removed, had a bull terrier once w2hcioh didn't and what a huge problem for the poor mite, so yes, I'd go for it while they're tiny, what you've never had you'll never miss

My beagle is one year old. Can i have his dew claws removed?

Some dogs are born with no dew claws some with and a few with double even rarer triple claws. I have just begun to breed rhodesian ridgebacks and the first litter i did not take off there claws but a lot of people that came to buy were mainly anoid that i left them on complaints like we will have to pay more money to have them done later and it can cost a lot of money... Personally i think remove them within 3 days of birth this saves later high cost and any other issues and also some dew claws especially double claws can look nasty on any dog and serve no purpose what so ever, if the choice is there remove them within 3 days if your dogs older then your into the issues stage i spoke of earlier.. just had 11 puppies 25 march and tomorrow on the 26 i will cut them all off its a snip like cutting a toe nail and NO future issues or worries its done !

I heard from a friend of mines there was a procedure where you dont have to dew claw a dog. Is anyone aware of that? From what my friend said they somehow do something with the nerves in the nail so that the nail doesnt grow any longer. My question is this true and if so what is this procedure called. I called the vet today and they never heard such thing.

We have a 10 month old Lhasa Apso and the vet has recommended that we remove his rear dew claws when we have him neutered later this month. she indicated that his nails will grow very quickly and become ingrown if we do not remove them. We have him groomed about every six weeks. Shouldn't that be sufficient to keep the nails trimmed and in check? I don't want to put him through anymore than necessary. thanks for any advice.

I wanted to comment that you are not giving very sound advice when you say that it is OK to remove dewclaws during the spay or neuter. At that time, it's is akin to amputating your thumb. This should ONLY be done between birth and 3 days of age. Vets who do it when the dog is grown should rethink their willingness to perform this surgery. I think you are doing a disservice to you readers if you recommend doing it at that time.

All breeds of dogs should have the dew claws removed at 3 days of age. It is non traumatic and heals easily. Any reputable breeder will have had these removed. Dew claws in a dog of any age can get caught, torn, causing traumatic severe injury to the leg. Some breeds with prominent eyes ie: Pugs etc can scratch and injury the eyes if the dew claws were left on.

Jackie, yes these nails should be trimmed just like all the other nails on the feet. Now it should be trimmed short, and it will bleed, but the bleeding can be stopped with quick stop powder. Keep dabbing globs of the quick stop styptic powder into the bleeding are when the nail is cut short, or have a vet do it for you.

My 14 year old dog has a dew claw on her back leg the nail is grown into a complete circle and is starting a nother circle ...cant I cut this black nail off ????

Thank You for your info on dew claws. We adopted our puppy just a month ago and she has dangling dew claws. They are high on her legs and haven't cause any problems at all...yet. I had heard so many horror stories about why I HAD to have them removed ASAP. But after reading your story I am comforted to know I can just sit...and wait. If they get in the way then I will have them removed. Otherwise...they can stay. Thanks Again!

Oh and...our other dog never had dew claws. Differences make life interesting!

I have a Terrier/Corgi mix and I recently found what appears to be a toenail on our couch. I checked all of her nails and she has all of them. She has dew claws on both her front and her hind legs, and I checked those too. They looked thinner and shorter than I remembered, and I'm wondering if she shed them? And maybe I only found one and possibly vaccuumed up the rest, or she shed them at another place in the house? Replying to Jess' post, I'm also wondering how common this is.

We have a Shih Szu / Italian Greyhound mix that sheds his dew claws. He has only front dew claws and they usually shed a couple times in a year. How common is this?
Thanks....Jess

Dean -

I don't believe that dew claws can grow back... Think of dew claws like "thumbs". If you had your thumb removed, it would not grow back.

However, it is possible for a dog's dew claws to have not been properly (or entirely) removed. In which case you would probably see a small lump at that spot. Keep in mind, if you start to see a lump that is getting larger... THAT needs to be checked out by a vet right away. Lumps can be many other things.

If you are seeing fully formed dew claws, I would say that your dog never had her dew claws removed.

Can dew claws grow back? We believe our 9 month old labradoodle had hers removed at birth (don't know for sure), but she now has dew claws.

I live in the boondocks where people routinely toss their unwanted pets. My latest arrival is a female Jack Russell mix, obviously had puppies in the last six months, and about two years old. Also, I found the poor thing's dew claw has grown into the meat of her toe!!!! We only have one vet in the entire county and he prices himself accordingly, so I've had to learn a lot of home remedies for my throw-away menagerie, but this one has beaten me. This little girl is fearful, but very docile, and has let me examine it enough to see that the tip of the nail can't be pulled out. It's deep, the toe is swollen and pus is coming out of the wound. It has apparently been this way for awhile, with the nail slowly growing further into the wound. I'm sure it hurts, so when she goes to get spayed, the vet will have to take care of this too$$. I would like to add this to the arguments about to de-dew or not. At the very least, if you don't want to remove the dew claw, keep it trimmed! Thanks a bunch.

I have a two year old italian greyhound and he still has his dew claws. At least for those with italian greyhounds, I would definitely suggest having them removed. My dog has ripped his dew claws three times now and its is really upsetting to watch him in pain because of them. The vet really can't do anything more then provide a little cast until the toe fully falls off.

Does anyone know if you can dew claws removed from dogs who are no longer puppies?

PLEASE TAKE YOUR DOG TO THE EMERGENCY VET RIGHT AWAY. THAT IS NOT A HEALTHY SIGN FOR HIS WOUND TO BE PUSSING OUT AND BLEEDING. YOUR DOG IS IN DANGER AND CAN BE SEVERLY DAMAGED. PAYING THE MONEY NOW WILL SAVE YOU MORE IN THE LONG RUN AND POSSIBLY SAVE HIS LIFE. SUE THE VET LATER- GO GET HIM SEEN NOW

One week ago, My 7 month old black Lab/St. Bernard mix went in to get neutered and to have his rear dews removed. (They were really high up and dangled a lot, it almost looked/felt as if someone could just rip it off). They had already gotten caught on a few things as he is very active, so I didn't want them to possibly get ripped off. This was the first time going to this vet as the only other animal we have is a cat who goes to an all cats clinic. This vet was highly recommended to me by several people. After picking him up from surgery, I was very dissatisfied with this vet for several different reasons. Well,then, when his rear bandages came off 2 days later, I saw what was there...a 2 inch incision with only 3 stitches. In between the stitches the wound is gaping out and open. When the vet looked at it,he said it was fine and normal, and to keep bandages off of it. His wounds were constantly bleeding, pussing and obviously weren't closed sufficiently, so I have been aplying an antibiotic ointment and wrapping him up with sterile guaze and athletic tape (which he manages to get off every day). His rear legs are getting more sensitive to the touch daily and they don't seem to be looking any better. I am very worried about them, he problem is I DO NOT want to call or go back to the other vet, and am hesitant to go to another one I have never been to. And if I do I would have to pay for an exam and for them to look at him.

What do I do?!Should I wait a few more days to see if they start getting better? What about getting the stitches out? He also isn't eating very well right now, and not sure if it's due to antibiotics that are making him sick or if he is getting an infection.

Thanks so much for this article. I was considering having Abby's (my Boston's) dews removed during her spay surgery.... Now I am having second thoughts.

I really enjoyed reading everyones feedback on this, Thank You (and Abby thanks u too)

Eileen -
Gosh, I have a hard time going against whatever the vet recommends. They know best. I'm sure your vet would need to see it to know whether surgery is really required in this case. Perhaps your vet could just give you something that would speed up the healing instead of surgery.

I guess for a day or two you could try the ointment and bandage, but if the problem persists, a visit to the vet is your best bet. (When you called the vet, did they recommend ointment and a bandage? Usually they'll recommend a brief course of treatment over the phone, and if it gets worse recommend that you bring the dog in to the vet.)

You just need to be careful that the nail or toe don't become infected. Then, it would likely cost you a lot more than $175.

Hope that helps.

Dear Lynnette!
My dog, 1year and 5 month old Jack Russell had removed 2-3 dews by the breeders before we adoped him when he was 6 months old. His new rear dew state to grow after he came to us. We missed the chance to remove his dew when he had the nutured.
However, I have been trimming all his nails include rare dew regular base which once a month.
He is indoor dog, but constantly runs in the back yard running with throwing and catching ball playing.
He was fine with a dew until few days ago, after I noticed that he was licking his dew constantly unlikely before, and he didn't seem to be very active as usual. But foolishly I did not notice something wrong with his dew.
After few days passed, now he licks it less but around his dew is swolen in pink. He must be in pain for few days with his dew and may be still is.
I don't know if he got injured it (though, no bleeding, nor torn-nail) or just got it bitten up by fire ants.
Since removing dew is so expensive, just put some antibiotic cream with bandaid few days would be o.k?
I called vet and he said charge of this surgical procedure will cost me $175.
Your immediate advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

I would never remove any claws for no medical reason...not at my dogs and not at my cats.
I have never heard from it before i moved to the USA, its not common to do and people do not talk about it either in Europe. I had years ago a greyhound and several times he got hurt on his left paw dew claw...each time i put a antibiotic creme on it and i put a bandage around it, my dog never tried to remove the bandage, he knew that it was done so he would not have pain again, my vet never suggested to remove the dew claw, but he advised me to keep the nail self as short as possible, that helped a lot

I have had dogs for about 11 years and I would never consider having their dew claws i.e. thumbs removed for anything but on an emergency basis. If I'm not mistaken, ALL dogs are born with front dewclaws and some are born with rear. A lot of breeders chose to remove the front claws and I've heard a few reasons. One, it makes a "cleaner" line when the judge is viewing the dog from the front (but what about hairy dogs?) and two, so they won't get caught on anything causing injury. I work at a vet clinic and we do see broken dew claws, but most of them are the other digits. Also, those dogs who come in to have their dewclaws cut off and bandaged also have horribly long nails all around. So, my philosophy is dogs who's nails are too long are more likely to break, just like people. Makes sense to me. :o) Like the lady in Norway, I prefer to have my dogs as nature intended, but then again I have Shelties, so nothing is removed but the dewclaws. My newest pup, from a conformation breeder, almost had his dews removed but his momma was being a nervous nelly about the breeder taking the pups to the vet for claw removal, she left him at home (too much white to be a show dog). I'm glad she left him home because I REALLY wanted a dog with thumbs as I believe it adds stability for turning and jumping (I compete in agility events). Most people don't realize that you're not just removing the claw, but severing many beneficial tendons and ligaments, too. Without that stability, the torque put on the front legs, for agility, can make the dog more prone to arthritis as they age. This info can be backed up by Christine Zink, DVM who is a canine sports expert.

Would laser surgery on double long dewclaws possibly cause less recovery time? Or maybe the electric surgery thing? My chow-basset mix (just rescued), 5 years old about, really looks funny and catches on things a lot. Anybody have any experience with other than regular surgery?

Hi,
Figured I'd chip in on dew claws too, and I'd toss in a few thoughts on "cosmetic surgery" too - hope it is OK for you even if it extends this subject some. I have a Yorkie and she's my second one (had Italian Greyhound before). Both mine has had dew claws on their front legs. As I see it, they aren't a problem at all, and a natural part of the dog's legs. On both mine, the claws seemed less "alive" compared to the ones touching the ground, flatter and with a quick quite far in even if they have gotten a bit too long. Once when she was young my girl tore hers off far in. It was painful and bled, but as soon as I carefully cut off the rest, washed it, applied triple antibiotic ointment, a sterile compress and a soft 1" wide self adhesive bandage covered in soft elastic tape (so she couldn't get it off), it was all good and the bandage obviously gave her the needed pain relief and gave the toe/nail the needed rest to heal up nicely. No need for a vet. I later asked my vet, and he said that only if you didn't succeed in stopping the bleeding, was a vet visit needed (and obviously if it seems like the toe itself has been hurt, not just the nail/quick). One thing was sure though, it was entirely my fault, I had allowed the nail to get a bit too long, and then it easily catches on things. It has been easy to cut shorter than the other nails though, even if it's black. So maybe it is an idea to compare your dog's nail to the other nails she has. If you see that they are flatter than the ones on the foot itself, try cutting it little by little to see how short it can get without showing signs that you are getting close to the quick.

As long as it does not seem necessary (which it is in some cases) I really think we should leave the dogs as nature made them. Especially on the front legs, since some now mean that they do have a function for their legs (according to an article).

For me this has also (for a long time) meant that I ethically do not think docking/cropping is right either. Besides, even if I might have been for it, I couldn't do it - it has been forbidden by law here in Norway since 1981, because it is considered "amputation of an important and vital *limb* for purely cosmetic reasons" (including a risk of phantom limb pain!). Before that time we were told of all the good reasons for doing it by "know-it-alls", the exact same arguments which I have heard e.g. from breeders in the US not that long ago, but as research was done on this, it was found to be not necessary and simply animal cruelty (think if we were to cut off our babies pinky finger just after birth - a quite relevant example, only the dogs probably need their tails more than we need a pinkie finger). Actually, being amongst dog people always, including breeders, since 1981 I have only heard of a dog hurting it's tail here once, many years ago. They then considered amputation, but turned out not doing it and the tail healed and they found a way to prevent re-injury. The vets say it happens very rarely that dogs *need* their tails amputated for medical reasons, but it does happen (e.g. because of serious injury/accidents). Luckily more and more countries forbid docking of tails (and often also ear cropping) by law. I can see how you're all used to seeing docked dogs, we were too back in 1981, but you sure quickly gets used to seeing the beauty of the dog as nature made them. I now couldn't imagine my Yorkie without that beautiful little tail! Or my friend's boxer or a neighbor's standard poodle seeing eye dog, with ears and tails intact. :) Well, it may not get popular amongst those wanting a scary looking dog, but, LOL... E.g. Doberman's look very *cute* as nature made them - we got used to it... :)

Just so I make myself clear, I do know that this is a sensitive subject. We all love our dogs and would never do anything to hurt them. And as long as breeders do it, it's not easy for owners. There are people higher up telling breeders and owners that this is the right thing to do, but luckily this world evolves and as new knowledge is spread, things has to change. Somebody has to start protesting by asking breeders to leave puppy/puppies intact. Save ears and tails, one dog at a time at first. As long as buyers pressure breeders, breeders will bring the question up in the kennel club etc. And I guess this is one of those things Americans can write their senator about, so laws can be changed. Doing that is also loving our dogs!!! :)

Take care all! :)

Gloria -
I found these articles about Border Collies and dew claws:

Border Collie Society of America (BCSA) - The Border Collie Breeder's Guide ..."you will need to have the puppies' dew claws removed."

American Kennel Club (AKC) - Border Collie Breed Standard ..."Dewclaws may be removed.(forequarters) Dewclaws should be removed. (hindquarters)"

Hope that helps some.

I have a Border Collie with front dew claws and have been told that she is not purebred because BC are not supposed to have them. Any comments?

I have a little chihuahua and she is 4 months old and still has her dew claws. They do not seem to be getting caught on anything, but it is coming up when I have to get her fixed and need to make the decision. Most people are saying to remove them because she can have trouble down the road. I read somewhere that it is easy for chihuahuas to injure their eyes because of their dew claws. Is this true? And does anyone have any advice on whether I should remove them or not? Please help.

i have a nine month old jack russell bitch and she both back and front dew claws they are like little razor blades is it best to have them removed?, and if so how long will they take to heal etc.
cheers sarah

Ken -

If you're saying that the pups have ALREADY torn the stitches out from playing rough, then yes... obviously you need to get to the vet right away "to get them sewn up" as you say.

If you're just worried that they MIGHT play too rough and tear out the stitches... this may sound silly (or too difficult to do), but I would do everything in my power to prevent them from playing together until those stitches heal.

It's not unheard of for dog owners to keep their dogs completely separated during times like this. While it's not all that convenient for the dog owner, it's well worth it in the end. And, it's only for a week or two, on average.

This is easier to do if you have a separate crate for each of them...

We have two labs that are 6 months old. A little over 2 weeks ago we had their dew claws removed. They are both still puppies and like to play HARD with each other. Any suggestions to keep them from ripping their stitches out. I have to take them back to the vet in the morning to get them sewn back up??

Hi Joan -

I've heard that it can take anywhere from 1-3 weeks for it to heal -- on average.

It largely depends on the amount of connective tissue & muscle mass that's associated with that particular dew claw.

For example, if there's an actual "toe" part attached to the nail... then it would take longer to heal. On the other hand, some dewclaws are simply "floppy" and don't really have any other living tissue attached to them. Those would heal rather quickly.

In any case, if my dog wasn't back to normal within a week or so, I'd be calling my vet.

--> Here are a few people who've lived through the experience of removing dew claws.