Dew claws

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jemima

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This is just an interested query!

I'm not doggy person (too many cats at home!) but my elder daughter has just bought a beagle puppy. He's a sweet little thing but I was surprised to see that he appears to have scars from dew claw removal on all four feet. Is this normal for beagles or indeed for other breeds?
 
Do you mean bad scars or just small dots or the fact that he had them on all four feet?
Many dogs have them on all four although mostly just the front, I don't think it's specific to any particular breed although I'm willing to be proved wrong! At least he had them off so they can't cause trouble which sometimes happens in a working breed.
 
Thanks for that - the scars are around 6mm long and 1mm wide on a 7 week old puppy - so not dramatic. I was just surprised it had been done at all and he has apparently never seen the vet - but I suppose there are people who do it themselves!
 
Yes, they're very easy to do (for experienced people!) and you don't have to be a vet to do them though I'm squeamish so mine does ours! They'll be done at 2/3 days old, it's a matter of moments and they're back with Mum so don't really know much about it at all.
 
Yes it is usual (a) for breeders to remove dew claws, Mum does so for all the puppies she breeds and has done for years and (b) for dogs to sometimes have dew claws on all 4 legs not just the front ones.

Its not a big deal for the puppy if done at a couple of days old, and it saves loads of potential hassle later on in life - as evidenced by our rescue lurcher who has one dew claw and one huge scar where the other one was either ripped off or cut off later in life. He now can't even have his claws clipped without being sedated
frown.gif
 
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i wish my dogs breeders had removed their dew claws, there a nuisance.

xx

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Ditto.... my pup's 16 weeks can it be removed??? by vet surgically obviously....
 
if a couple of days old you can just cut them off with scissors (i mean get a vet to do it unless you are an experienced breeder). once older than that we do it quite commonly, but have to ive general anaesthetic and remove them surgically. quite common to do it when we spey or castrate where people have bought 8wks pups with them and dont want them.
 
My mum cuts all her whippet puppies' dew claws off at about 2 weeks (I think, could be wrong). Anyways, she does it herself with a pair of sharp nail clippers. Mostly she says the puppies don't even wake up although maybe one or two will give a little squeak. She was squemish at first but says that it really isn't too bad at all and much cheaper and less stressful to the puppies than a trip to the vet.

Our grandma bitch (used to be breeding bitch but now retired to life of luxury LOL) had hers left on and the amount of pain she goes through when she tears them - which she has done a number of times hunting rabbits - is awful. I would always take them off personally.
 
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