# Dew Claw Injury



## CapotesMom (Apr 3, 2007)

Capote (my little red headed stepchild) was jumping against the security gate in the kitchen (like he always does neurotically when I'm in the other room) and half tore off his dew claw tonight. After a rushed trip to the store to get some wrap, a collar of shame, and some antiseptic, he's resting comfortably but I have to take him in monday or tuesday to get the hanger on taken off. While I was there I was thinking about just getting his dew claws removed since this could be a recurring problem. Has anyone else had this done with their pups and do you know around how much it should cost? Info please..


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## Lunastar (Feb 9, 2009)

I have not had the dew claws removed. i would think it would be a pretty painful surgery, similiar to declawing a cat. Zoey had a dew claw injury not long ago. So far it has not grown back. Her's tore right down to the skin.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Do you keep the dew claws short? I know they can be hard to trim, but the dew claw removal at this age is going to be pretty major.


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## Pixiesmom (Jul 31, 2008)

OUCH! I hope Capote is feeling better.


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

Mindy,
I had something similar happen when Quincy was a puppy. He was 16 weeks when we got him and he jumped up on one of those old style metal lawn chairs out in the yard and when he went to jump down he got his dew claw stuck and was yelping. I looked over and he was hanging by his dew claw from the lawn chair. It was horrible. When I took him in for his neuter,I had those darn dew claws removed at the same time. The dew claws took longer to heal then the neuter,but I am still glad I had it done.

Of course though---I am not used to dog breeds that keep a dew claw on. All dogs I have ever owned had them removed as tiny pups. Their are many who see an advantage to keeping the dew claws,but for me....after Quincy's hanging on a lawn chair,I didn't see any advantages anymore.


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## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

Julie, you and I have had the opposite! Every dog I have ever had has had dew claws and I've never had a problem with them. 

One of the dogs I have now, Phoebe, is a rescue from a breeding life. She had one dew claw fully removed and the other was a poor removal so she has a thin nail still growing there. I had it removed for her safety when she was under for her dental. They have to remove the dew claw and smooth the bone and will have stitches. I had to have her in a cone and keep the leg wrapped with vet wrap to keep her from chewing it. It took longer to heal than I would have thought.


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

Christy,

Yes we have had opposite dogs!ound:
The dew claw removal I remember taking a while to heal....I can not recall right now exactly the time frame...but it seems like maybe 10-14 days. I also remember having the wraps on his legs and a cone to keep him from licking and biting them. He was on pain meds I believe too.....and I'm really glad he was young...as I'm a believer in the younger the better and easier it is for them to heal. I remember having wished the breeder had removed them at just a day or two old too--and it seemed like I was told on here that it was not common on this breed to automatically remove dew claws? Seems like the feedback was mixed...some do,some don't ?


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

Bogart has his removed by the breeder and Brando only has one which I keep as short as possible for the very reasons you outlined. From what I heard it is not the same thing as declawing a cat.


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## mimismom (Feb 15, 2009)

Hope everything goes well with the vet... Those things just seem weird to me. Mimi has hers removed I think, because she has no nail from it.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

DanielBMe said:


> Bogart has his removed by the breeder and Brando only has one which I keep as short as possible for the very reasons you outlined. From what I heard it is not the same thing as declawing a cat.


Not the same, but very similar. Declawing a cat is removing the first knuckle of each toe.

Dew claw removal is amputating the whole toe - bone, tendon, and ligament.

The only "easy" time to remove a dew claw is when the puppy is a couple of days old, before it is fully attached.


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