# Dew Claws removed????



## lbug13

I'm a new owner of a german shepard and I went to my vet and she said I should have his dew claws removed. Is this true??


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## scannergirl

My pup's were removed before I got her from the breeder, so I'm no help.


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## mkennels

you are not suppose to have a german shepherd's dew claws removed, back paws you can but the standard said they are suppose to have dew claws


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## Yvette

DaKota's were removed before I got her also. Now my Pug does have them & I did ask for them to be removed when I had her spayed. The vet advised against it seeing she was almost 2 yrs.old.


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## onyx'girl

You are talking about the front, right?? I had Onyx removed when she was spayed at 6 mos. and regret it. The recovery was worse that the spay stitches and there is really no reason to have them removed, they use them. I had to change her bandages often, and it was a rainy two weeks when she was recovering! Outside, change dressing... Onyx were a bit curled outward, and the vet and my trainer at the time suggested it. I don't see that vet anymore, but am still at the same clinic.


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## WiscTiger

There are very few cases when the dew claws need to be removed on a young pup.

I had them taken off on my first GSD, his protruded from his legs alot and several times got them hooked on things.

I jsut had them removed on my current male because he reshed the fence trying to get to a critter and almost tore one completely off.


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## Sherush

I see no reason to remove them at all, front dew claws help Jesse hold things in his paws. All my dogs in all my 42 years of life had dew claws which doesn't cause any problems - my feelings if they were born with them they are meant to be there.


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## graciesmom

Like Onyx's girl, I too, had Gracie's dewclaws removed when she was spayed and totally regret it. She's right - the recovery was worse. I feel so guilty for having put Gracie through that pain and for what?? So I have two less claws to trim? One of my dumber decisions, I'm sorry to admit.


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## 3K9Mom

Dewclaws take no time to maintain. Just a quick trim every so often. If you don't want to do it yourself, it takes about 1 minute at your vet's or groomers office. I just see no point in removing them. I completely agree with Sherush. All my dogs have had dew claws. They use them when holding on to things, and I don't see any reason to remove them. I've lived a lot of places, had a lot of vets, and had my dogs anesthetized often







for necessary procedures. But I've never had a vet recommend dew claw removal. Zamboni's tend to curl around, and when she was a pup, my vet at the time said, "so bring her in and we'll trim them more often." 

I can't imagine why a vet would recommend removing them, except that your vet 1) can make extra money on the procedure or 2) gets scratched by other patients and wants to impose this procedure on as many patients as possible. I know that sounds cynical, but as others have said, it's not breed standard and the vet is recommending an unnecessary *surgical* procedure. Unless this is a vet you know well and respect, I'd be thinking of looking for another vet.


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## JenM66

Where I work the vets refuse to remove the front dewclaws. They are used like toes or thumbs. They are attached to the bone and are very painful to remove. You can keep them clipped short or if they are sharp, you can file with a human fingernail file. If there is a medical reason to remove them, that's a different story but I do not recommend removing them.


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## scannergirl

Anyone know why some breeders do it?


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## scannergirl

> Originally Posted By: mkennelsyou are not suppose to have a german shepherd's dew claws removed, back paws you can but the standard said they are suppose to have dew claws


. 
I have not seen that when I looked at the standard. Is it a German thing?


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## SunCzarina

The back one's should be removed by the breeder (which reminds me...). 

I have one very good reason to remove the backs - Gideon - he got a plastic coated steel run tangled around his leg. Yup, ripped it right off. Blood squirting everywhere, dog howling like someone was murdering him. What a mess. 7 years later, still makes me shiver the thought.


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## rlwolf

Freyja was born with 1 rear dewclaw that dangled. It was the kind thats only attached by a small amount of skin. I was worried about her tearing it off in an accident, and the vet said that kind were easy to remove. So it was taken off during her spay. 

However I can't even IMAGINE WHY someone would even consider removing the front dewclaws, or even a back one thats very obviously attached like a thumb.


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## Maedchen

The dewclaws are often removed in hunting dogs to avoid that the dog ripps it off/gets tangled up in the brushes etc.
My Labs dewclaws were removed as a very pup by the breeder, but I wouldn't recommend this, as the risk of injury is very slim.


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## DancingCavy

Injury can occur to the front dewclaws, but it's less likely. The dewclaw also helps the dog ambulate properly as well as being utilized to hold things or get itches on their face.

My dog trainer has Border collies and one of her dogs did rip his front dew claw while herding. Her current BC did have her front dewclaws removed as a precaution--but only the final digit that contains the nail. The rest of the 'toe' is intact as it aids in herding.


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## 3K9Mom

> Originally Posted By: MaedchenThe dewclaws are often removed in hunting dogs to avoid that the dog ripps it off/gets tangled up in the brushes etc.
> My Labs dewclaws were removed as a very pup by the breeder, but I wouldn't recommend this, as the risk of injury is very slim.


Yes. Beagles (who are traditionally hunters) usually have theirs removed by the breeder. In fact, I can't find a breeder that doesn't remove them.







(even when I've specifically asked, even offered more money, long before the litter was whelped.)

I would still prefer to have MY dogs have their dew claws, given that I don't hunt. My dogs "crash and burn" in underbrush while on hiking and backpacking trips, but they aren't single-minded in pursuit like a hunting dog would be. I get that hunting dogs have needs that the vast majority of our dogs don't. So breeders who sell _field lines_ hunting breeds can do the procedure (I'd prefer vets do it under anesthesia with LOTS of pain medicine). 

But a GSD? I'd look for another vet, and soon...before I need this vet when my pup is sick.


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## KCandMace

The boys don't have rear dews.. but KC does. We were wondering about that! lol I know Pyrs have two dew claws and was thinking it might have been genetic if the breeder didn't take them off.

I don't like the look of that rear dangling dew claw. I worry Kc is going to catch it on something.


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## Cooper&me

I have always had boxers and as a matter of practice the dewclaws are removed at a very young age (5-10 days) when the tail is docked. I was told it was to prevent them constantly getting hooked and poss. torn. 

When I got Quincy, my first GSD, I was dismayed to see at 12 weeks he had dewclaws. I knew the window to remove with minimal pain had closed. I really at first hated the look but in 8 mnth he has had zero problems and does use them to hold objects. I now feel sorry for all my boxers undergoing this needless amputation.


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