# dew claw removal??



## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Jake is 15 weeks and has one rear dew claw that needs to be removed. My question is I plan on waiting until he is a year old or so to neuter him and and now wondering if I should have it removed now or is it ok to remove when doing neuter? Will it be more painful if I wait? I hate for him to have two separate surgeries but need advise on dew claw. It flops around a good bit...Thanks for advise on this one...can't find info at all about it.


----------



## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

bump


----------



## AvaLaRue (Apr 4, 2010)

I have a thing about dew claws....I just can't stand them! Ava does not have any rear ones but still has her front ones. I am going to wait until she is spayed at 2yrs old to have those removed. Unless, of course, they happen to rip on something before.

You say Jake's is floppy...has it ripped? Does he only have the 1 back one?

I'm not sure if it is more painful to wait until they are older. I just prefer to do it with the speuter so there is only one surgery to deal with. It worked out well for my male shih tzu...1 surgery, 1 time on pain meds. Makes me a happier mommy that way. 

Hopefully someone else can offer you some more sound advice!


----------



## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

He just has one rear one...it's floppy like it will be easy to remove...hasn't ripped but I am worried as he grows and we hike etc it will rip. Just dont know if I can wait till neuter....and if the longer it stays the more painful to remove.


----------



## APBTLove (Feb 23, 2009)

Like there is no bone in it?
Rear dewclaws are sometimes not as developed as the front. I'd wait until his neuter to remove it, just so he won't have to go under more than necessary, it will also be cheaper most of the time. 


And on the issue of front Dewclaws..
Removing front dewclaws that are not defective is not right, in my opinion. Dogs USE them. To hold things they're munching, to hold down toys, to get a better grip on something, when playing... It's their thumbs. When I see J use his I wonder why anyone would remove them. He would have such a hard time eating his meals if he didn't have dewclaws to hold it still with. It's just like docking tails and cropping ears, it's simply cosmetic, you'll hear "They get caught on things and ripped off." Me oh my, how do animals survive without humans to cut their toes off? Pro's VS Con's, there is little comparison. There is a chance the dog could hurt himself if you don't cut them off, and if you've got a dog who continually manages to damage the DC's, remove them... But to remove a dog's useful body part because you don't like the look isn't right.


----------



## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

it feels like just connective tissue....barely attached but nail and pad are healthy so there is good blood flow....I would like to wait to remove when I neuter and I guess will use tape to secure it as he gets older when we go out for long hikes etc to prevent it from tearing.


----------



## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

bump...how many of you been through this?


----------



## AvaLaRue (Apr 4, 2010)

APBTLove said:


> And on the issue of front Dewclaws..
> Removing front dewclaws that are not defective is not right, in my opinion. Dogs USE them. To hold things they're munching, to hold down toys, to get a better grip on something, when playing... It's their thumbs. When I see J use his I wonder why anyone would remove them. He would have such a hard time eating his meals if he didn't have dewclaws to hold it still with. It's just like docking tails and cropping ears, it's simply cosmetic, you'll hear "They get caught on things and ripped off." Me oh my, how do animals survive without humans to cut their toes off? Pro's VS Con's, there is little comparison. There is a chance the dog could hurt himself if you don't cut them off, and if you've got a dog who continually manages to damage the DC's, remove them... But to remove a dog's useful body part because you don't like the look isn't right.


I never thought of it this way...I never considered them thumbs and actually useful!!! Thanks for bringing this to my attention. The front dew claws always seemed to bother my lab...perhaps they were defective. I never had them removed but always was careful that she didn't catch them on things. My Shih-tzu's I had theirs removed when they were neutered. I don't feel quilty about that....they are much easier to groom without the dew claws. 

I am definatly going to reconsider removing Ava's dewclaws!! Thank you.


----------



## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

I am ok with the front ones, but he has this floppy rear one, and I mean just one.....


----------



## NarysDad (Apr 29, 2010)

I have a female that came to us with both rear dew claws, they should have been removed when the pup was only a couple of days old but the breeder didn't. Now they are almost like digits with little pads on the underneath of then just like a normal toe has. To remove them now requires a regular surgery and I feel unless they are causing harm they will stay. I just keep them trimmed short so not to get caught on anything


----------



## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Keep the front ones, remove the rear. Though I probably wouldn't do a separate surgery but have it done while spay/neuter or x-rays are being done.


----------



## AgileGSD (Jan 17, 2006)

Rear dewclaws that aren't well attached can be easily removed at any time without much problem. If I had a dog with rear dews that weren't firmly attached I would have them removed if the dog was already going through surgery.

Front dewclaws are a different story. In breeds which traditionally have them removed (GSDs aren't one of them), it is done between 2-5 days old. At such a young age, things haven't "firmed up" yet and dewclaw removal can be done quickly without sedation or sticthes. In the litters I had dews removed on, the puppies done at 2 days cried just a bit when it was done, bled just a couple drops and healed extremely quickly. The puppies done at 4 days cried more, bled more and took longer to heal. By time a dog is even a couple months old, the dewclaws are fully formed toes very well connected with muscle. It would be as painful for them to lose have them amputated at that age as it would having any toe amputated. And I think there would be more of a risk of arthritis as they get older. 

Check out this article about front dewclaws function and if they should o should not be removed:

With a Flick of the Wrist by Chris Zink, DVM


----------



## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

I am not interested in removing his front dew claws at all, was asking if it's ok to wait it out until he gets neutered at around 1 year...


----------



## Myamom (Oct 10, 2005)

If I were you...i would discuss with my vet the difference of removing now vs. 1 year. I had my Mya's dew claws removed as an adult (as I adopted her as an adult) and it was considered more invasive a procedure as an adult. She had a fairly long recovery with staples running down both legs. 

Warning...watch your dog closely. I had Mya wear her cone for the entire recovery process. After her staples were removed...the vet advised that the cone should stay on a little longer...but I thought one day I would give her a little break from it...and eh...the staples are removed...should be ok. NOT. She managed to rip both sites open...it was pretty bad...and had to be rushed back and restapled....and we had to start all over again.


----------



## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

ok, that's my fear, that it would be harder to heal etc if I wait....and if he has to take it "easy" after a neuter then we will want to mess with it even more, the flip side is another procedure, another surgery, another vet bill


----------



## AgileGSD (Jan 17, 2006)

Myamom said:


> If I were you...i would discuss with my vet the difference of removing now vs. 1 year. I had my Mya's dew claws removed as an adult (as I adopted her as an adult) and it was considered more invasive a procedure as an adult. She had a fairly long recovery with staples running down both legs.


 For rear dewclaws? They must have been REALLY firmly attached. In that case, I'd just leave them go as they probably aren't any more likely than front dews to get caught up. The ones I worry about are the floppy, barely attached ones.


----------



## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Jake has a very floppy barely attached one, that why I started post.


----------



## Myamom (Oct 10, 2005)

Mya's were very loose...that's why we had them removed even though she was 6 years old.


----------



## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

I go next week, I will ask her see IF she has an opinion...I am on the bubble about doing it now or waiting until he is a year....


----------



## Mr.Magicbuds (May 21, 2010)

My pup is at 12 weeks and he only has them on his back paws,the vet told me to get them removed when I go to neuter the poor boy at around 10 months because of not wanting to put the dog thru 2 surgeries. My vet also recommended that if they become a problem they can be trimmed like his other nails.Good luck with your pups floppy nail,Im sure he'll be alright!


----------



## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Thanks! I am still not sure if it will be easier to do both at once and he wear the cone once. I go to see a vet here that sees all the GSD's for our police force on Wednesday.


----------



## Relayer (Apr 29, 2010)

Hey, does Jake have his front dew claws? I pretty much decided to leave Max's intact.


----------



## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

yes he does, leaving them intact, he just has one rear very floppy dew claw that has to go...


----------



## Relayer (Apr 29, 2010)

Thanks.  I don't see any reason to remove them either.


----------



## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

I had Jake one rear floppy dew claw removed Monday. I am to take off the bandage on Thursday and have stitches removed Monday. The TAPED the @#$%&&%$# out of his leg to "chew proof" it.....any suggestions how to get this bandage off quickly and make it a non event? I do not have blunt tipped scissors....I though maybe I'd put this out there and see if anyone knew any tricks...


----------

