hi, my vet has advised that i get my dogs hind dew claws removed as they are only attached by a loose bit of skin.  he is only 4 months old so i am leaving it to see if i am getting him castrated so that i will only have to have him operated on once. is this a neccessary operation (the dew claws) or can i just leave them. the vet was worried that they might get ripped off as he is very active

It is generally recommended that hind ones are removed. It isnt absolutely essential but could save alot of pain if one does get ripped off.Dew claws tend to heal alot quicker when the dogs are younger and still growing. the younger the better really. A friends dog (5) recently ripped a front dew claw off and it took weeks to heal. i dont know if anyone else has had a similar problem?

also if this is the same pup that you want to show then he will need to keep his bits im afraid, so no castration :)

hi, thanks for the advice. i hadn't even thought about healing time... i knew that i wouldn't be able to show him with out his bits but he is a pet dog first so if he develops any problems that can be cured with training they might have to come off.  i groom dogs for a living and have a small child so controlling aggression will be top priority.  we have been putting in plenty of training and he is turning out lovely at the moment but it is always a distant thought.

I groom several dogs with rear dew claws, doesn't seem to cause them troubles but it's a pain for me - one Yorkie even has double dew claws, very weird. OTOH my cousin's Labrador once tore his dew claw and it was bleeding everywhere, poor boy!

Torn nails really do make a mess. Quick Stop is a wonderful invention :)