Hi!
Just wanted to share the fact that I hate when it's time to do dew claws. I especially hate when that sweet little rollie-pollie puppy has two fat dews on a back foot. Little toes flying everywhere, very morbid. And I just love it when certain people tell you that it doesn't hurt them, or they don't fell a thing. What a lie (as far as I'm concerned). How do you all perform dew claw removal? any suggestions? I do them on the third day and use a cuticle clipper, and astringent stick to stop the bleeding.Got any tricks of the trade you would like to share? I appreciate it tremendously!

could you tell me what a dew claw is? Had a look in the books I have and cant find any reference to them. Do all dogs have them? Not that I would have to worry about them myself just interested. Ta Gina

Dew claws are the dogs 'thumb' Gina :-) In one of my breeds they leave the back and front dew claws on. They are very flexible and bendy in this breed and don't appear to cause any major problems. I think the problems arise when the dew claws are rigid and don't move easily.

i know someone who bites theirs off, gruesome or what?

Dew claws are an extra toe that is found on sometimes front and back legs of dogs, I believe most breeds have them. Breeders will sometimes leave the front ones on, but should take the back ones off because they can cause the dog problems latter in life by getting caught up on things while running ,or possibly scratching their eye or another dogs that they are playing with.

Hi, when I bred cocker spaniels many years ago, I had them docked and dew clawed no later than 36 hours old, and if they were born in the day time, 24 hours later. I am sure that doing this well before 3 days, did mean they felt less. I once left it til the 3rd day because the bitch was very hyper, and didn't want her to be disturbed, and they did seem to react , by squeaking, which they never did at 24-36 hours. I have always had a vet do it, I wasn't confident enough to do it myself. I leave the dew claws on my Westies now, and luckily, so far, haven't had any on the hind legs, which would have to come off. I think 72 hours is the legal limit for docking and dew clawing, but IMO 24-36 hours is best as long as the puppies are all strong and average weight.

Weve just said goodbye to almost the last of our ESSpups .All were docked at 2 days old by request of vet but dew claws were not removed although I must admit a lot of my new owners did ask if they had been done.

Dew claws are the claws found on the back legs, the fore claws are the ones on the front legs. The ones on the back are usually removed in many breeds, there are breeds where they are left on. I never remove the foreclaws on my dogs, and they are worked, I have been fortunate to never have any incident with them getting torn or caught.
On one dog I own the fore claws were removed before I got her, and I really wish they had not been. She has a long thin spike of a remaining piece of dew claw where it has not been done properly, this spike grows round and with out almost weekly trimming grows back into her leg, causing her a great deal of pain.
An old friend a retired keeper told me that the dogs fore claws were there for a reason and should be left alone. He tells he has never had any damage to these and as the dogs will use their "thumbs", when moving, he always left well alone.

This is the first time I have ever heard the term foreclaws. I have always heard the term dew claws to describe them (even by vets) both on front and back paws. If done before 3 days it is just cartilege and doesn't hurt 'much' as compared to removing later. When my family bred puppies we always had them done. However, if they weren't done on a dog we purchased we had them done if the dog ever had to be anestetised for something else. Dew claws grow at a faster rate than other toenails as they do not wear off on the ground the way the rest of them do. If they are not watched carefully then they can get overlong and grow painfully back into the foot (yes I have seen this). There is current debate as to whether it is necessary. In my breed now (whippets) many do remove them, others don't, but tape them when they are racing as a torn dew claw is an awful injury.

Wendy

For Wendy J....I've had two adults with ripped dew claws. I may just have had bad luck, because plenty of people in my breeds (deerhounds & wolfhounds) leave them on, or it might just be the very rough ground the dogs are exercised over. Both injuries were nasty and required a general anaesthetic to sort out, so I have the dew claws removed when the vet comes to do the post-whelping check.The pups squeal when they are being held for the claws to be snipped off, but settle immediatially the grip is loosened, so I'm convinced that the procedure is painless. I've seen no difference in the peformance of dogs without dewclaws - they still go up the very steep stone clad railway embankment like great spiders! That said, I do know of a wolfhound breeder who had a pup that got a septic arthritis after dew claw removal, and now leaves the dew claws on.

Sharon

Personally I would remove them every time, but not everyone agrees with me! If tails are docked in working breeds because of what 'could' happen (and I now sit on the fence on the docking issue - I understand it in relation to working dogs better than I did before), then the same can be said for dew claws. I find it interesting that in some of the breeds they use them for climbing. I still prefer getting them done, but I can understand again why some don't much better than I did before.

Wendy (and the thumbless whippet and whippet/cross)

Think it depends on the breed, Polly. I certainly never remove the claws of our flatcoats, and it certainly seems to give them extra purchase on walls, etc when climbing out/over. The flatcoats' ones don't seem to grow awkwardly.

However, we always did the labs when we had them, as they were nothing but trouble, and had one nasty one which had ripped off because it was left and caught on brambles or something.

Jo and the Casblaidd Flatcoats

In reply to Jo,
Bill Garrad always calls the "dew claws" on the front legs fore claws as well, as does my keeper friend. He also said that his dogs when working used them when moving and climbing as you have described. When I first started in dogs they were always referred to as foreclaws and dew claws. The idea is that the "dew claw" is the unattached claws dogs get on their hind legs, like dew on leaves, not attached to the plant body and not attached to the dogs body.

Only one of my Labradors ever had trouble with Dew of Fore claws. She tore one out on several occasions. All the rest have kept theit claws with no ill effects.

Regards, John