Dew claws?

[Buddy's mom]

Buddy is now almost 9 wks old and he still has his dew claws. I was wanting to hear from some of you on weither or not they should be removed. I had a larger outside dog and the vet said they didn't need to come out but small house dogs should since they can get caught on stuff and be ripped out. I am just not sure and when should it be done?

[wireweiners]

9 weeks is too old to remove dew claws unless the pup is under anethesia. They should be removed when the pups are 3-4 days old. At that time the bones are not hard, mostly cartilage and the pup's nervous system is not developed enough for the removal to cause much pain. After a couple of weeks, the bones have developed enough to cause the removal to be more like an amputation. You can have them removed if you want when you have him neutered. Wheeler and Rita both have their dew claws and other than the trouble of having an extra nail to trim, they haven't had any problems. Be sure to keep the dew claws trimmed as they can curve around and grow back into the leg and if they are too long they can catch on things.

[Kimberly]

Abby still has her dew claws. We got her at 8 weeks and they had not been removed. She is now 6 months old (today actually is her half birthday!) and has never had any problems with them. She scratches on lots of things (towels especially) and has never gotten them caught on anything. If you are going to put Buddy under anesthesia anyway, you might think about it if you are concerned, but I would not put him under just to remove the claws.

[Penny's Aunt]

Are you meaning the front dewclaws or the back dewclaws?

Back dewclaws are often not attached by bone but only by skin, & sometimes catch on things & tear. Not a major disaster, but upsetting to both dog & owner.

Front dewclaws sometimes are & sometimes aren't removed. If they lie flat to the ankle & don't stick out, you probably don't need to worry about them. Just keep the points trimmed off & that's it.

If you do want them removed (front or back), have the vet do it when the dog is under anesthesia for something else. It really isn't worth putting them under just for that, IMHO.

[dutchman]

While the breed standard states that the removal of dew claws is acceptable I think you will find very few Dachshunds have their's removed. I was amazed when I noted that Frank's had been removed.

Tom And Frank

[wireweiners]

I remove the front dewclaws on my pups when they are about 3 days old. I do this because with the furnishings on the wire's legs it is hard to keep the dewclaw trimmed. Plus you tend to catch the dewclaw when you are grooming. It also gives a cleaner appearance to the leg. My dogs all hate to have their nails trimmed so I spare us all the hassle of cutting 2 extra nails. The pups didn't even cry when the vet removed their dewclaws.

[Buddy's mom]

Thanks everyone. I think I won't worry to much about the dew claws unless they become a problem for him. I really hadn't thought of it until an assistant at the vets office suggested I have them removed. One of my cats had a part of a claw torn out and our vet removed the remaining claw without much trouble. I am glad to know I have all these dachshund lovers to ask advice.