Dew Claws

[WoodieSC]

Here's an interesting thread from the Retriever Training forum regarding keeping dew claws intact vs the potential longer term issues that removing them can create.

https://www.retrievertraining.net/fo...23#post2191590

[Ring King]

Interesting. My new Boykin pup has the dewclaws removed, as is standard, shortly after birth. All of them are gone with the exception of one on a front leg. It must not have been clipped right at the joint and can still be felt although there’s no nail on the end of it. We are watching it to make sure it doesn’t become an issue but my wife has been worried about it due to the fact that she’s going to be a working dog and we’ve always been told that they needed to be removed to prevent injury. We’ll see what she says about the article! Hopefully it will put her at ease a bit.

[Rabbitman09]

I've owned a lot of working(hunting) dogs and know a LOT of people with hunting dogs. I've never not never heard of people removing dewclaws for fear of the dogs injuring themselves. The practice of removing the dewclaws started with yuppies turning dogs into house pets. They don't like to get scratched when their bad behaved dog jumps up on them and scratches the shit out of them with the dewclaws. I have never heard of a hunting dog injuring their dewclaws....ever. If you need your house pets declawed because they jump up on you them you are a bad dog owner. Train the damn thing not to jump!

[WoodieSC]

Interesting. My new Boykin pup has the dewclaws removed, as is standard, shortly after birth. All of them are gone with the exception of one on a front leg. It must not have been clipped right at the joint and can still be felt although there’s no nail on the end of it. We are watching it to make sure it doesn’t become an issue but my wife has been worried about it due to the fact that she’s going to be a working dog and we’ve always been told that they needed to be removed to prevent injury. We’ll see what she says about the article! Hopefully it will put her at ease a bit.

I've always been told that dew claws were removed to avoid them being ripped out if getting caught on brush, etc, when out in the field. However, I've never had any of my dog's dew claws removed and never had any issues. I always figured if we were hunting in a particularly brushy field I could always tape his legs if needed.

This Vet makes a good case considering the anatomy involved of the muscles being attached to the tendons that are cut for the removal. From an older thread on another dog forum having a debate on keeping dew claws (or not)...

"Among rehab vets it is felt that dewclaw removal results in a higher incidence of carpal arthritis. The tendons of the dewclaw stabilize multiple rows of bones in the wrist."

[smitch320]

Dogs have been around long before dew claws were being removed.

Que Sportin’s “could not of happened to a better dew claw”

[Rabbitman09]

The dewclaw the a dogs damn thumb. I don't understand why the hell someone would remove it other than they don't like being scratched by their lap dog. I see my beagles using their dewclaws to grip while climbing through and over log piles. If a breeder is removing dewclaws it's because he is selling pot lickers...period.

[duckcommander727]

The dewclaw the a dogs damn thumb. I don't understand why the hell someone would remove it other than they don't like being scratched by their lap dog. I see my beagles using their dewclaws to grip while climbing through and over log piles. If a breeder is removing dewclaws it's because he is selling pot lickers...period.

You really have no idea what you are talking about. Complete idiot. No dewclaw means he is a potlicker?

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[WoodieSC]

The dewclaw the a dogs damn thumb. I don't understand why the hell someone would remove it other than they don't like being scratched by their lap dog. I see my beagles using their dewclaws to grip while climbing through and over log piles. If a breeder is removing dewclaws it's because he is selling pot lickers...period.

I have no doubt that many/most 'pot lickers' have had their's removed, however, it's been my experience that many field trialers and sporting dog owners have been following this 'advice/opinion', also. I also have no doubt that this may well have started centuries ago in the show rings (whenever they started).

Anyway, I didn't post this original link to have a long debate, just to pass on what appears to be some good info for fellow dog owners to understand and think about.

[mudminnow]

I have a Golden with no dew claws and a lab with dew claws. I looked at the research 9 years ago when we got the two pups. Now they are about to turn nine and one is out for the last week of the season with an injured front leg. It’s the lab with dew claws.

The Golden has never really had a problem and I thought I’d start seeing symptoms at about this time of their lives.

It makes sense to leave the dew claws, but I think a lot of factors go into dog injuries and dog longevity

[Catdaddy]

I always trimmed them on 1 day old beagle pups. Used a set of toenail clippers. Give them right back to the mother afterwards and she cleans them up.

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[Duckkiller]

I’ve seen a lab rip one open in a dove field. My 13 year old lab ripped hers three weeks ago on one of our children’s toys. My puppy had hers removed and I’m happy about it.

[WoodieSC]

It makes sense to leave the dew claws, but I think a lot of factors go into dog injuries and dog longevity

There’s no question about this statement about there being a lot of factors involved in longevity,

In regards to your lab’s leg injury, is it at all related to having his dew claws?

I had never really looked into this issue until I ran across that first thread in an email digest today, and after reading up on the anatomy it convinced me that what apparently is a rather minor risk of a dew claw injury isn’t worth the opposite risk. Of course, each person has to determine that for their own dogs environment. I also have always kept my dogs’ claws filed fairly short so that may play a part, I don’t know.

For those of you who have your dogs DC’s clipped or cut out, there was a point made in one of those threads about just cutting off the external claw vs cutting deeper and snipping the ends of tendons. Apparently if you’re just removing the external claw and leaving the tendons alone it doesn’t create the leg torque issues, but I’m not a Vet so hopefully one of ours here can shed some light on that point.

[Shallow Minded]

Good read. Thanks for sharing.

[willyworm]

I've owned a lot of working(hunting) dogs and know a LOT of people with hunting dogs. I've never not never heard of people removing dewclaws for fear of the dogs injuring themselves. The practice of removing the dewclaws started with yuppies turning dogs into house pets. They don't like to get scratched when their bad behaved dog jumps up on them and scratches the shit out of them with the dewclaws. I have never heard of a hunting dog injuring their dewclaws....ever. If you need your house pets declawed because they jump up on you them you are a bad dog owner. Train the damn thing not to jump!

Well make this count #1. My Feist was out chasing squirrels like she had a tendency to do, and somehow just about ripped the dew claw on one of her front legs clean off. She had dew claws all on 4s. Doggy doc sewed her up and bandaged it, said keep it clean, get her to take it easy for a few days and she should be all healed in a few weeks. Never happened again, but until then I'd never heard a first hand account of it happening either.

[mudminnow]

It isn’t related to dew claws. But it appears to be lower leg muscle sprain. He’s had a couple days of rest and is good to go now

[MKW]

Most folks that buy puppies and don't breed them have no choice in the matter of dew claw removal. Most breeders seem to have them removed. Both of my Boykins had their dew claws removed because that's what the breeder did.

[Quack07]

The dewclaw the a dogs damn thumb. I don't understand why the hell someone would remove it other than they don't like being scratched by their lap dog. I see my beagles using their dewclaws to grip while climbing through and over log piles. If a breeder is removing dewclaws it's because he is selling pot lickers...period.

Wow.

[WoodieSC]

Most folks that buy puppies and don't breed them have no choice in the matter of dew claw removal. Most breeders seem to have them removed. Both of my Boykins had their dew claws removed because that's what the breeder did.

I'd be willing to bet that if you talked to a breeder before the birth of the litter and agreed to take a pup (pay a down payment, etc), and told him/her you wanted the dew claws left alone, most would agree to do it.

Still waiting and hoping one of our Vets will stop by to explain this question of 'removal of the external nail vs the complete removal and severing of the five tendons, etc'.

[MKW]

I'd be willing to bet that if you talked to a breeder before the birth of the litter and agreed to take a pup (pay a down payment, etc), and told him/her you wanted the dew claws left alone, most would agree to do it.

Yeah, I'm sure that they would, but I imagine most folks hear about a litter after the pups are born.

[Islandguy85]

My .02.
My understanding is that they are removed to prevent tearing injuries while working in the field. I have had several dogs with theirs removed and do not think it caused one bit of issue. They do it very shortly after birth without anesthetic and it is a quick clip and covered w some surgical glue to heal generally without issue. You can still feel the bony part of the digit under the skin after it heals. If you are cutting it, you want to remove the entire nail bed otherwise you will have all sorts of issues with the nail trying to grow back under the skin and I recommend having a professional do this. I am sure there are situations where ppl screw this procedure up and have or cause complications.

I have also seen plenty of working dogs without them removed and have never had issue with it.
I believe the theory is that it is less traumatic and less expensive to be proactive..... In 17 years in the industry I can not say that I recall seeing a single ripped dew claw but I am sure it happens. Others will chime in at some point but sometimes it is easier to not jump on some of these threads.....




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