Breeder Removing Dew Claw's

[sanfordssj]

How many of you (breeders) remove the due claws before you sell them at 6weeks? It seems like every pup i have bought has still had them, so i'm curious to know what the general rule of thumb is.

[beagle crazy]

I was taught to take them off when the pups are 2-3 days old. Fingernail clippers work- you don't necessily need surgical scissors.
It doesn't seem to hurt the pups much, and there is little-if any- bleeding. You can hardly tell the next day that there was anything there.

[WhiteRock Ken]

I always remove them. Saves future problems.

[Chris Shoopman]

i cut mine off my self when they are bout 2 days old

[SouthernBeagles]

I remove the rear dewclaws but never remove the front ones. Hemostats work real well, just clamp on, cut the blood supply off, then flick them off with your fingernail. You have to get close to the leg for a clean look but the pups don't bleed near as much (if at all) as they do with cutting.

[xdawg]

2-3 days of age I cut off the rear dew claws with large fingernail clippers and then dab alittle baby powder on to stop the bleeding.

-Jack

[TallDog]

I see that Southern doesn't remove the front dew claws and there have been a couple more breeders in the past who said they never remove the front claws. I'm curious... why the choice to leave them.? I wish my two hounds didn't have theirs. They're like razors if I don't keep 'em trimmed. They slice right through my old, dried skin.

[Joeyman]

My past litter I removed just the rear dew claw and not the front. The back one's are a lot easier to remove than the front. That is why I left the front paws alone. I used the biggest toe nail clipper I could find for the back.

[jcrowner]

I was taught to remove both the front and the back dewclaws between 2-3 days old. I did however lose a pup because I could not stop the bleeding. Did I do something wrong? Out of 33 pups I have never seen one bleed like that.

I too am curious why some breeders only remove the back dewclaws.

[Honey Pot Hounds]

I remove mine about 4 days of age. I clamp as close to the bone as I can with hemostats, try to pop that dew claw knuckle joint out, and then scrape the toe off with my nail like Southern does. I put either silver nitrate or iodine on the little wound...you can also use styptic powder for nails.
I remove front, back, and any extra toes...had two extra rear toes in my last litter. You sure can't tell that they had extra toes now though and both are wicked agility prospects.

[SouthernBeagles]

The front dew claws have never posed any problem to me. My line has very tight (up against the leg) front dews.

I have noticed my hounds using these extra toes to wipe at their eyes after running. I have never had an injury from one either, so I leave them alone. My hounds are kept on concrete and the dew claws stay just as trimmed as the feet. They must be using them in some way for traction?

Either way, if it aint broke, I won't fix it.

Jcrowner, Does the pup in your avatar have its front dew claws? Or is that just a shadow?

[jcrowner]

SouthernBeagles: yes she does. Her breeder only removed the back dewclaws.

[tiffinis]

I have said it before. If you ever have to do first aid on a ripped dewclaw it will make you a firm believer in removing them. I have had to deal with a couple of them. One of which ended up being a trip to the vet for stitches. I have labs and beagles. One of the girls has her dewclaws, when the breeder contacted me about possibly wanting one out of another litter he was expecting I asked him flat out, are you going to remove the dewclaws? He said let me check into it. He did it and now wonders why he hasnt done it all along. Cheaper and easier then fixing them later.

[TOBY SPRINGFIELD JR]

HOW OLD IS TO OLD TO REMOVE THE DEW CLAWS. THANKS

[Chief Long Hair]

Our vet says no older than 6 days old max. After that, the vein has connected to the dew claw which then requires putting the dog out for surgery. It cost me about $350 when I had a hound that ripped off the front one. Thank God I was running my dogs in town near our vet's office during normal business hours or she would have bled to death according to him. Who knows how much more if it required a 24 hour vet hospital service, maybe $1,000, or worse---death?

We now always remove all of them, front and back, when they're 3 to 4 days old and we use our vet who charges only $2 per pup plus a $15 visit fee. I like the way how he burns the wound shut after cutting them off which means no bleeding to death.