Hi All

Some weeks ago, Sox ripped his Dew Claw right the way round. I managed to trim it off so there were no bits he could catch and kept it clean. A smaller nail was underneath which seemed to be coming on nicely, though it was quite soft like baby claws.

Tonight I happened to notice its gone!! I havent noticed it bleeding and he hasnt yelped or anything. He let me touch it quite firmly and wasnt uncomfortable so hes not in pain. There is the smallest trace of a nail there now and he is keeping it clean himself. Its just a small hard black area which feels like nail but its not formed.

Do we need to pay a visit to the vet? Im just wondering if he needs it removed completely or something for the new nail to come back or will it come back on its own? Are there any dodgy signs I need to look out for in terms of ingrowing or is this generally not a problem with dogs?

Sorry for the barrage of questions.
Thanks :)

When my dogs have lost a dew claw it usually grows back, but is usually smaller & not as well formed as the original. Some just end up like a sort of stump of a nail. I've had no problems, just keep an eye on it to make sure there's no infection. The small black area might just be the remnent of a pad which dogs seem to have where the dew claw grows.

i am looking after my sisters dog for a few weeks and have noticed that on hisright back leg  on the inside he has a claw that sticks out towards his other leg. what is it and should it be removed. he seems to walk funny( a bit like john wayne)

That sounds like a hind dew claw - there's probably a matching one on the other leg. Hind ones (he probably has them on his forelegs too) are easily torn - that could have happened to him which is why it sticks out. These are often removed when pups are about three days old to avoid damage and surgical removal later on.

My puppy has just had his hind dewclaws taken off as he had started to chew on them & I was having to trim them every three/four days

He had very flashy blue bandages on for 48 hours & then had a check up after 10 days. His back movement is now normal :D & he's back to normal !

he only has the one it is very low on the leg( just after the bend)