Dew Claw

[meggers]

We bought our dog, who is almost 10 months old now, from a breeder last July. His dew claws were removed after he was born, but one of them has grown back. The vet said that dew claws grow back if they were improperly removed and that we should contact the breeder to reimburse us the cost of removing the dew claw. Do you think that the breeder should be responsible for the cost since it wasn’t done right the first time? Since he is already 10 months old, should we just leave this one dew claw on him or have it removed? We have already neutered him, so we would have to put him under anesthesia just to have this dew claw removed.

[ladybug777]

One of our dogs still has his (5 years old). We didn't see that point in putting him under just to remove something that is cosmetic. They don't seem to bother him at all.

[colleenjoy]

Our first dog didn't have her dew claws, so when we got our second and she did have them i was worried about them getting caught on things or them causing problems.

we talked to our vet and he recommended not removing them. he said in most dogs they are never a problem. and as ladybug said we didn't want to make her have anethesia if she didn't absolutely need it.

we've had milly now for going on three years and have never had any problems. she's incredibly hyper, jumping and running around. I figure if she hasn't had a problem by now, she probably won't.

Colleen

[kemorr]

Many times an improperly removed dew claw can grow back "funky" and cause the dog problems, where a normal dew claw wouldn't. They're often deformed and I've seen them growing into surrounding tissue, get recurrent infections etc. So, this maybe why your vet recommended removing it. You can always contact your breeder for reimbursement, but as your breeder probably took your dog to a vet to have them done in the first place (at least I hope he did!) the breeder may not feel that this is his responsibility. I guess you could always see if the vet who originally did the job would give you a deal.

[jesvet]

It's not uncommon for breeders to do them themselves. Not ideal- and you can see why- but not uncommon.

If it isn't bothering your pet and you don't mind waiting, you can always wait until your pet goes under general for another purpose, such as a dental cleaning, and do it then.

[KK812]

I don't mean to threadjack but I have a ? pertaining to this. Tinkerbelle(minpin) is almost 9 months old and is getting fixed next week. Her dewclaws have grown back, but they don't seem to be bothering her. In this case, would you go ahead and have them removed, just in case, or not worry about it? TIA

[sportyj]

We have already neutered him, so we would have to put him under anesthesia just to have this dew claw removed.

I think you have answered your question yourself. My pup has all four dew claws, front and rear. My girl is all grown up and is a VERY active dog and hasn't had an issue with her dews. If she does I will do what is necessary to correct it but I would never put my dog under anesthesia for a cosmetic reason. IF it is defective and causing problems then that is another story. Myvet tells me she has NEVER corrected a dew claw problem, and unless you plan to show its not a big deal. GOOD LUCK!

[fuzzy]

Yup, my pup has all of her dew claws. We live in the country and the vet said he'd only recommend removing them if they started to catch on the grass/shrub in the field. She's never had a problem, so I left 'em. Now, whether you want to seek a refund from your breeder is up to you...