martySQ Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 Well, Bess had an incident today I didn't even notice until she drew my attention to it by putting her foot into the galvanized washtub I put water in for her outside for a drink when we play ball or frisbee, and ythen licking her right leg where her dewclaw attaches. Apparently she caught it on something and ripped it all the way to almost the bone according to the vet. I went ahead and told him we could just take them off and do her spay surgery tomorrow. But now I am wondering what they use them for other than hanging onto my calf and scratching it up. Is it necessary for her to have those to herd goats, sheep, or ducks? What sort of situations do they use them for in their natural activities?Bess turns 7 months here Thursday, so I figured it would be ok to spay. Her parents are still alive, so if she turns out to be a "great" in the herding lineup, they can breed mom and pop again, I know nothing of that stuff and certainly don't want to become a BYB even though it would be so much fun to raise pups. (yup, I know, but more work that I realize.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 As far as the dew claws go, I guess it depends on what the vet thinks. Personally, I like them to have their dew claws (front), as they seem to come into play when dogs are making fast low turns (so in stock work or agility). There is a picture illustrating this in the book on teaching jumping by Christine Zink and Julie Daniels. As far as spaying at 7 months goes - some like to wait longer - till after the growth plates have closed, but because I've not been in a position to ensure the safety of a bitch in season, I've spayed mine at about 7 months. I like your thinking about the genes still being in the gene pool in your girl's parents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb Scott Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 If her Dew Claws are loose enough to get caught on things and rip like that, it seems she's better off without them. My vet removed my Aussie's dew claws when she was spayed because hers were hanging almost just by skin. Of our BCs, 2 had dew claws removed by the breeder; it doesn't seem to interfere with their jumping or turning so far. Barb S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoZo Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 My dogs use their dew claws a lot for high speed turns. I never realized this until Jinx once caught his dew claw on a hidden sprinkler head in the park while playing frisbee and snapped the nail in half right up the center. After running around a few minutes like that, his leg was covered in blood, what a mess. I cleaned him up and bandaged him and the next day at the park, when he tried another low, fast turn, he went skidding on the grass for about 10 feet on that leg as he didn't have that dew claw to stabilize him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS Cressa Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 Here check out this article about dew claws removal. http://www.jandemellobordercollie.com/DewClaws.htm Hope that help you make the decision Stella Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK dog doc Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 My personal opinion is that the front dew is a functional toe, and I don't usually advise removing it unless 1) the dog is a sled dog that will be wearing booties (booties and dew claws don't mix, because the booties rub them raw) 2) the dew claw is abnormal in some way that is creating a problem 3) the dog will be worked in such rough terrain that the dew claw will be frequently injured (this is actually pretty rare). The article that Stella linked has some good information on it. I'd also add that the risk of toe dislocation in dogs that turn at speed (like sighthounds and BCs) is greater in the absence of a front dew. I own a sighthound/BC cross, and let me tell you that when he makes a right-angle turn at his usual pace (which is approximately 47 mph, unless he's, like, running, in which case multiply by about 10), you can actually see his toes spread to grip the ground, and if you're quick you can see that dew is engaging the ground as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailrider Posted October 25, 2008 Report Share Posted October 25, 2008 What about the hind leg dew claws. I`ve had 3 dogs with double dew claws in the rear. They never have had trouble on the hills, working sheep, rocky streams, or dog sledding. Are the hind dews more useful or more of a problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silhouettestable Posted October 25, 2008 Report Share Posted October 25, 2008 What about the hind leg dew claws. I`ve had 3 dogs with double dew claws in the rear. They never have had trouble on the hills, working sheep, rocky streams, or dog sledding. Are the hind dews more useful or more of a problem? Most times hind dews are removed because they're often not attached by much and can tend to flap around getting caught on things. The hind ones don't seem to serve any purpose. My lead dog Lightning has hind dews on both feet that I never had taken off. I thought about it at the time he was getting neutered, but the vet said that they see very few injuries from the dew claws so I decided to leave them. Now that I'm using him for sledding though I do worry about him getting them caught up in the lines and ripped. Also, they don't get worn down like the other nails and I have to trim them more often or they begin to curl into a half circle, which makes trimming even harder and I'm sure puts him more at risk for snagging them. In hindsight I should have had them taken off I guess. He's never actually had a problem with them but I do worry about them a bit. I've never taken off front dew claws and had never even heard of such a thing being done until I learned that sled dogs often have them removed for booting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanillalove Posted October 25, 2008 Report Share Posted October 25, 2008 Is this a fairly common thing? To remove hind dew claws? Let's say if we were to put up a poll of the frequent posters on these boards, do you think it's a majority decision to remove them? Pete's are intact and we trim them so they don't curl up. It's never been an issue and I'm not sure I'm aware of anyone else who's ever had their dogs' removed. Am I living under a rock when it comes to dew claws? Haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silhouettestable Posted October 25, 2008 Report Share Posted October 25, 2008 Is this a fairly common thing? To remove hind dew claws? Let's say if we were to put up a poll of the frequent posters on these boards, do you think it's a majority decision to remove them? Pete's are intact and we trim them so they don't curl up. It's never been an issue and I'm not sure I'm aware of anyone else who's ever had their dogs' removed. Am I living under a rock when it comes to dew claws? Haha. It's quite common to remove hind dew claws depending on what vet you use. It seems that many people, some vets included feel that they're just an accident waiting to happen if they're not firmly attached and tucked in close. My own vet, knowing that I have a pretty tight budget caring for so many dogs, tends to be a bit more conservative in what she recommends to me. Back then when Lightning was a pup and getting neutered I didn't know how deeply I was going to become involved in dog sledding or I would have had them taken off, just in case he catches them on a line. If he ever has to be anesthetized again for any other procedure I'll probably ask to have them done at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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