Dew claw removal
by JudyS
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
Archie and Zoe are 6 months old and are scheduled for neutering and spaying and extraction of leftover baby teeth next week. My vet recommends that she remove their dew claws while they are under anesthesia. She says that they aren't too old for this, and that there won't be much pain from the procedure. She is very knowledgable about maltese--judges them in show, and I do trust her opinion. But--these are my babies, and I worry about causing them extra pain. Does anyone have any experience with this?
DISCUSSION:
I had the exact same thing done with my Lilli last December. She got along fine with the exception that she was obsessed with removing the bandages from her front legs. I took her with me everywhere I could and stayed home from work to watch her. Nonetheless, by the time we saw our veterinarian for stitch removal, there was only one stitch she hadn't removed herself. I would definitely recommend you have the dew claws removed. My groomer specifically requested that I have the procedure done so that they would not get caught in her hair, cause grooming problems, etc. The big question is why breeders don't do this when the babies are very young and the procedure is much less complicated.
Karen
Judy, my Bailey has her dew claws and there has never been a problem with her or other pets I've had in the past. My theory is "If it ain't broke - don't fix it". Like you, I wouldn't want to cause any possibility of x-tra pain so my vote is not to do it. Good Luck!
Robin D.
I see no reason, medical or otherwise, to remove dew claws. To me it is like docking a dog's tail for "breed standard" purposes (which seems barbaric to me and should be outlawed!) I think an animal should be left with whatever appendages God gave it. I have no problem finding and trimming Puff's dew claws when I trim her other nails. And if they are kept trim, like the other nails, they wont get caught on anything.
Sandy and Puff
Are you going to show you dogs? Is that a requirement in the show ring? I would not do it. I guess on my two little sweeties. It doesn't bother me, so why would I put them through that additional pain. Just my opinion ;)
Suzi
Judy: When I got KoKo her dew claws were removed already so when we adopted Shayna I didn't want to fuss with dew claws and she still had hers. The Vet said he would remove them at Spaying time (6 months old) and that sounded great to me. It was a little more painful than just the spaying judging between KoKo's recovery and Shayna's. Shayna was kind of out of it for about 3 1/2 days, laid around in the dog bed and we moved it from room to room so she could be with us. Sometime during the 3rd day she jumped out of bed pulled KoKo's topknot out and we announced "Shayna was Back in Town". I recommend removal, but I know you are going to hear from a lot of people that will say NO. Also, the Vet pulled 2 baby teeth from Shayna's mouth at the same time. People told me I should not have put her through so much at once. Well she did fine, I was probably in more pain than her. Just understand what they are facing and be prepared to nurse them back to heath. Good luck and let us know what you decide. We will be there for you.
Shelley
As a breeder I always removed dewclaws at 3-4 days while the bone in that area is still soft. It is not barbaric but a strong safety factor. If you have ever seen a nail grown in a circle buried in the skin of the pastern you would agree. Maltese do not always have owners and/or groomers who are careful with this. They also can catch on things and rip causing a bloody mess and much pain for the dog. HOWEVER, I had two dogs that came to me with dewclaws at age 8 weeks and I elected not to have them removed. It is difficult to keep the dog from chewing at that stage and requires stitches which are not done at 3 days. It also is more painful because it is real bone at the joint. If you are careful and learn to clip them yourself every week you should not have a problem with them. Just clipping the tip every week keeps them really short. If you cannot clip the nails yourself you may be better off having them removed rather than asking a groomer to play catchup for you.
Mary Lou
When Tasha was spayed I didn't have her dew claws removed, in fact I didn't think of it as she had to have some baby teeth removed, I was just a basket case when it came to spaying her, so no, Tasha still has dew claws, but personally I would recommend removing them, wish I had of but won't do it now as she would have to go "under" again and I'm really not up to another "ordeal"
Dottie & Tasha
Benji came to us with front dew claws; it appears he was "overlooked" when the breeder removed them from the rest of the litter. I asked the vet about this when Benji was checked the first time (10 weeks old). The vet said at this point, it's like removing a person's thumb almost. He does not recommend it unless it gets infected for some reason. He says this is an optional practice many breeders have adopted, but there is nothing to make him think removing the dew claws is a must.
MaryM
Noah has his dew claws. He is almost 2 now, and they have never been a problem.
April B
Hi, sorry it's taken me so long to post a followup, but I've really been torn. To sum things up, I went along with my vet's recommendation, and had her remove the dew claws and baby teeth when Archie and Zoe were neutered and spayed. They came through all procedures great, and I'm sooo glad that it's over!!! They were done 2 days ago, and seem to be almost back to normal. I'm really glad that this is all behind us. Thanks for all of your support!
JudyS
| Please bear in mind when reading topics pertaining to health issues, that most of these questions were answered by helpful Maltese owners with no formal education in veterinary medicine. When in doubt seek a professionals advise. |
|
1996-1998© Maltese Only Discussion Created by Jay Bianco All rights reserved |
