Dew C;aws

[tanza]

When they are a couple of days old, the clipping off of the dew claws is easier because the bone is soft.. and yes it hurts for the first few minutes but within (at least with all my pups) 5 minutes they are happily nursing… as there are no stitches, just glue...

When they are older it is major surgery...

[Barklessdog]

Just like babies can't feel circumcisions- my son came back screaming!

They have to feel it and it has to hurt.

[basi]

They do feel it but it doesn't last long.
IMO it is much kinder for them at 3 days to have them removed rather them tear them while an adult and have them removed and try to heal.

[tanza]

@basi:

They do feel it but it doesn't last long.
IMO it is much kinder for them at 3 days to have them removed rather them tear them while an adult and have them removed and try to heal.

I totally agree, while in some countries you can't remove them.. it is a generally accepted procedure in most… and I think for the good of the dog. Of course, think about it... BYB's don't want to do it because it costs money...
But there are many breeders in the US that do their own (NOT me... I am a chicken) but one of my Basenji breeder friends is a Vet Tech and she has come to the house and done my pups...

[Beckis]

I don´t think that´s alloud in sweden (if I understands right). I never heard of it. Why are they doing that?

[basi]

It isn't allowed here in Germany either though both of mine have them removed as they were bred in the UK. I do my own only because I was brought up watching my mum do them. My new puppy is going to have them on so will be very strange as I have never had a dog with them left on before.
I actually think it will be banned in the UK soon also as people are finding it harder to find a vet that will remove them.

[JazzysMom]

@Barklessdog:

Just like babies can't feel circumcisions- my son came back screaming!

They have to feel it and it has to hurt.

Not saying it doesn't hurt, but all three of my sons {no, not all at the same time} came back sleeping!:D I was so relieved!

[JazzysMom]

@Beckis:

I don´t think that´s alloud in sweden (if I understands right). I never heard of it. Why are they doing that?

Because the dew claws are an unnecessary claw and can catch on other objects and tear, causing the dog great pain, risk of infection, etc.

It's a preventative measure.

[tanza]

Yes, and while they are easy to see and remember to trim on short haired dogs they are mostly forgotten on long haired dogs, don't know how many of you have seen dew claws that have completed grown around and back in the skin… pretty nasty....

[Beckis]

Ok, I see. Is it the little claw a bit up on the leg?

[tanza]

@Beckis:

Ok, I see. Is it the little claw a bit up on the leg?

Yes, it is like the "5th" toe… or we sometimes refer to it as "thumbs"....

[JazzysMom]

@tanza:

Yes, and while they are easy to see and remember to trim on short haired dogs they are mostly forgotten on long haired dogs, don't know how many of you have seen dew claws that have completed grown around and back in the skin… pretty nasty....

Yeah, like I said on Gypsy they are not visible at all so dh has to try to remember to cut them. When he doesn't, it doesn't take long at all for them to become a serious PIA to cut because they curl under so quickly.

[Barklessdog]

That is pretty odd, I think.. but I have known cases that the have grown back if not removed properly…. bottom line is however, in the US responsible breeders do remove them..

My dog's dew claw was bothering him tonight once again - It's obvious a source of pain/discomfort to him, 7 years later!

[tanza]

Looks to me like it was not totally removed or it partly grew back…..judging by the redness at that area... and like I said, if all the bone is not removed it can grow back...

[massagemom3]

Sally still has her's, she came w/them she is 2.5 yrs. old She already broke her 4th reg,nail. Should I get tehm removed? I think I should….

[renaultf1]

@massagemom3:

Sally still has her's, she came w/them she is 2.5 yrs. old She already broke her 4th reg,nail. Should I get tehm removed? I think I should….

I don't know…based on Pat (Tanza's response) it sounds like it is a big ordeal for anything other than a pup.

I took pet sat for of a Jack Russell for years who had his dew claws (lived to the age of 15). There were times they bothered him (when he caught them on something, but if you looked at them it didn't look like something that could be easily removed.

[massagemom3]

o.k. I'll skip it then, she already so nervous about everything in life. Except for us. I think she was negl. or abused.. No more trauma.

[nkjvcjs]

Reviving an old thread, but this is something I am interested in.

All of my dogs have had dewclaws, as I have always had rescues. (I am using 'dewclaws' and 'dews' here to refer to both actual dewclaws and 'fore claws' for simplicity.) One foster had both front and rear dews, and they were loose, and floppy, and hardly seemed attached to his leg at all. Most dogs I have lived with had tight, front only dews. On most of my dogs, they have just been there, never a problem, but never particularly useful either. (My dogs get nails trimmed every Tuesday, and I am used to them, so they never grow around).

Katie is different. She uses her dewclaws. They are tight, but not as tight as on my boy, and she has some control over them. She can move them slightly laterally, and and slightly up and down. She uses them a lot. She holds toys and bones with them, uses them when hunting, picks her teeth with them, washes her face with them, and digs them in when climbing our (6 foot, stockade) fence. She also gets very low, and uses them when she runs, especially on corners. I almost feel like it would be unfair to have taken such a useful tool from her.

After seeing Katie use her dews, I am not so sure about dewclaw removal anymore. I have also read that carpal arthritis is more common in performance dogs that have had dewclaws removed. (http://www.jandemellobordercollie.com/DewClaws.htm) So, since I am interested in a performance dog first, and show dog second, would it be best to look for a breeder who is willing to leave the dewclaw? Are there good, responsible breeders that would leave the dewclaws?

Thanks,

-Nicole

[khanis]

A basenji does not NEED dewclaws. They are not there to help him in any way.
He isn't a water dog that can use additional swimmers.
They are mostly an annoyance when they catch them on something and then need vet care for it.
I do them myself, generally at 24=48 hours old.
One time I had two grow back, same pup.
That was what happened when some moron stood above me asking me over and over if I was done yet!
The owners did have them both removed at 5 months of age [my vet wanted to wait til then since he was putting him under]. It was a short surgery and he was healed up in just a few weeks. He was walking like normal that evening.
It is much less traumatic than a dog breaking a leg, having an umbilical hernia repaired, etc.
If there are continual issues, I would have some removed.

Personally, I prefer the dog to have the least opportunities to 'catch' themselves on something. I have had quite a few rescues over the years, but only part of them with dew claws. One of them 3 years ago pulled out the nail on a dew claw… I was not happy.. neither was he!
Were he dew claw free, he would not have had that issue.

To answer your question, I cannot see any breeder leaving them on for you. They do not know what pup you'd be getting, and I cannot see anyone leaving them on their pups for one potential puppy owner. If you like the breeder and they like you, that is what should be most important.

[Benkura]

I think this post is really interesting. It really shows the difference between US breeders & UK breeders. I also think it is unfair to call breeders who leave dewclaws on BYBs! I have 4 Bs and only one has no dews. I have bred a litter and left the dews on as I see no reason for removing them. I won't be removing them in future either! As Basi says it is likely to be made illegal to remove dew claws in the UK.