General Question

gimmedat's avatar

Other than looks, is there a reason to have my dog's dew claws removed?

Asked by gimmedat (3951points) May 3rd, 2008 from iPhone

I know it is also to prevent them from getting caught on stuff, but is there another reason to have them removed?

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12 Answers

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gimmedat's avatar

Yeah, but I don’t know why. It was because there were too many typos, but there weren’t. Anyway, I’d like some input, got any?

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janbb's avatar

I had a cocker spaniel and his dew claws were never removed. He lived 14 years with no problems. I think you could skip it.

marinelife's avatar

I have had many dogs of all different breeds, and I have never had the dew claws removed and never had a problem. If your dog is not going to have a job involving a lot of walking and running in rough terrain where they might be torn, why do it?

scamp's avatar

As long as you keep them trimmed, it’s not too much of a problem. If you don’t trim them, they can grow in a spiral pattern and embed into the skin which is quite painful and can cause a pretty bad infection.

arnbev959's avatar

My dogs never had them removed. Never had any problems. If it works, I’d say don’t try to fix it.

Plus vets are really expensive, at least in new jersey.

mcbealer's avatar

Not sure what type of dog you have. It is part of the dog show cosmetic look school of thought. I have never volunteered my dogs for the procedure, which I imagine should only be done when they are wee puppies. This type of procedure is akin to docking of tails and cropping of ears IMHB.

scamp's avatar

@petethepothead You got that right! Everything is expensive in New Jersey!

cheebdragon's avatar

If they are not removed they can easily get caught on something and tear off later, that’s the only reason they would remove them.

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