Dew claws

[poiuytrewq]

My dog has pulled his few claw. He did it first about a week ago, at least, probably longer and it was sore and bled a little but then was fine, he then did the same one again this Friday just gone.
Again he was sore, hobbled round a bit. I washed it and was going to spray it but knew he’d lick obsessively so didn’t.
It’s now still there but sticking outwards instead of neatly close to his leg like the other side he’s not bothered by it but I fear he’s going to pull it again as it’s at a duff angle.

Probably my own fault as he’s on onychotin and last time it was out of stock and I purchased a cheap brand which I’m now assuming was not as good.

Will it heal and go back to place or dies it need to come off now it’s wonky?
Tried to photo but not really coming out. As he’s had claw problems he’s very adamant they are not to be touched.
I could pin him down and get a proper look but don’t really want too for his sake!

 

[CorvusCorax]

I'd stick some Vetwrap on it to stop him catching it on things and see what the vet says. Dew claws can be a bit of a balls to manage once they get damaged.

 

[poiuytrewq]

It needs a vet then?

I may try a plaster his legs are too short for vetrap! I think even if I tear lengthways it would affect his joints.

 

[Birker2020]

Ouch, our beagle has got her dew claw stuck in her collar tag two or three times when scratching, even when cut short, it's for that reason we take her collar off when we leave her alone now.

Our first dog (beagle again)was saved from a hunt kennel (too short as runt and was going to be shot at 3 months) so when we had her she'd had both her ears tattooed and her dew claws removed at birth. Shame they can't do that 'humanely' with each hunting dog pup born as they cause so many problems and pain later in life.

 

[skinnydipper]

My dog has pulled his few claw. He did it first about a week ago, at least, probably longer and it was sore and bled a little but then was fine, he then did the same one again this Friday just gone.
Again he was sore, hobbled round a bit. I washed it and was going to spray it but knew he’d lick obsessively so didn’t.
It’s now still there but sticking outwards instead of neatly close to his leg like the other side he’s not bothered by it but I fear he’s going to pull it again as it’s at a duff angle.

Probably my own fault as he’s on onychotin and last time it was out of stock and I purchased a cheap brand which I’m now assuming was not as good.

Will it heal and go back to place or dies it need to come off now it’s wonky?
Tried to photo but not really coming out. As he’s had claw problems he’s very adamant they are not to be touched.
I could pin him down and get a proper look but don’t really want too for his sake!

Is the claw damaged because it is brittle or has it been caught on something because it is too long?

Either way, vet visit.

 

[skinnydipper]

Our first dog (beagle again)was saved from a hunt kennel (too short as runt and was going to be shot at 3 months) so when we had her she'd had both her ears tattooed and her dew claws removed at birth. Shame they can't do that 'humanely' with each hunting dog pup born as they cause so many problems and pain later in life.

Dew claws have a function. I'll post this info again in case anybody is thinking of having dew claws removed.

"That function is to prevent torque on the leg. Each time the foot lands on the ground, particularly when the dog is cantering or galloping (see Figure 2), the dewclaw is in touch with the ground. If the dog then needs to turn, the dewclaw digs into the ground to support the lower leg and prevent torque. If the dog doesn’t have a dewclaw, the leg twists. A lifetime of that and the result can be carpal arthritis, or perhaps injuries to other joints, such as the elbow, shoulder and toes. Remember: the dog is doing the activity regardless, and the pressures on the leg have to go somewhere."

Do the Dew(claws)? « Sugar Factory Vet Clinic

sugarfactoryvetclinicmt.com

 

[poiuytrewq]

Is the claw damaged because it is brittle or has it been caught on something because it is too long?

Either way, vet visit.

I don't think it was too long, although it now looks long, I'd say its where its been pulled out. The other one is short and neat
The first time i'm not really sure how he did it, I was in the shed and he was in the garden and suddenly howled and was on 3 legs, then this weekend he was just running ahead of me out walking, I didnt see him do anything obvious, However reading the above he could have turned and just caught an already damaged claw in the rough ground.
He's not lame on it but is licking pretty consistently now.

He has always had a claws problem, this is the first time he's damaged a dew claw but he used to frequently pull paw claws out. He is on Onychotin and Salmon oil and its been a real miracle cure for him. Problem being last time I couldn't get proper Onychotin and bought a cheaper unbranded version which was a 90 tablet pack so three months worth, which would be enough for things to go wrong again if they are not as good quality or different amount of active ingredients i guess. Proper ones are ordered!

That article is really interesting thank you! I had been thinking why can't they just be removed. Now i know!

He has an appointment at 3.30 today.

 

[Birker2020]

Don't all hunting dogs (from kennels) automatically have dew claws removed though? I thought they did. I sadly don't think hunt dogs don't last into later life (or so I've read) so it doesn't really become apparent if they have arthritic problems. Thanks for explaining.

Why Do Hunting Dogs Have Their Dew Claws Removed? | Hunting Pup

Many dog owners often wonder whether they should have their dog's dew claws removed. Hunting dog owners likely never get confronted with the question as the breeder has the dew claws removed before the owner receives the dog. But why?

huntingpup.com

 

[poiuytrewq]

This is going to sound really stupid but I'm a quite worried about this appointment. Because he's had problems with claws and used to be really sore quite often he is antsy about having his claws handled. He wont snap or bite but hates it, really hates it. Since being on the medication I've spent time just quietly handling his paws and he's getting better but still dislikes it.
I think this will put us right back to square 1!
Can they just mildly short term sedate a dog, like horses?

 

[CorvusCorax]

Dew claws are very important, I know two people with sports dogs who have had the fronts removed due to constant damage and it does make me wince as they are very important for dogs doing high impact activities. Neither dog got regular exercise outside of training, which I don't think is a coincidence. I do at least 20 minutes of brisk but low-impact roadwork a day on top of other exercise and training (well, night) which I feel makes for firmness/dryness and keeps the nails down, yes, even the dew claws.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Do they not grow back? When he used to completely remove claws leaving just the quick they grew back surprisingly quickly. I suppose when they are surgically removed they take the whole lot so it cant grow back rather than just the nail part

 

[Clodagh]

Do they not grow back? When he used to completely remove claws leaving just the quick they grew back surprisingly quickly. I suppose when they are surgically removed they take the whole lot so it cant grow back rather than just the nail part

They lop off the whole thing.

 

[CorvusCorax]

This is going to sound really stupid but I'm a quite worried about this appointment. Because he's had problems with claws and used to be really sore quite often he is antsy about having his claws handled. He wont snap or bite but hates it, really hates it. Since being on the medication I've spent time just quietly handling his paws and he's getting better but still dislikes it.
I think this will put us right back to square 1!
Can they just mildly short term sedate a dog, like horses?

It doesn't sound stupid, you just sound really worried and then of course the dog will be worried too. If this is a recurring problem, then he simply must be handled. Stress is a part of life for all of us and he has to learn, IE, you have to teach him, that he has to undergo stress and get through the other side and it will be OK, there might even be a big reward. We can't all be sedated to undergo mild discomfort. I used to get a McDonalds as a reward after maths tutoring. If you just touch his feet, which he hates, and he gets no positive out of it, then why would he enjoy it?
I'm sorry but no animal goes through life without stress and it is up to us as owners to teach them that, yes, stress will come, but it's OK, you'll survive. Personally speaking, if this is such an issue, I would take photos to show the vet, then from now until the appointment, the only time that dog gets fed is when I am handling his paws. And be generous, not one or two bits of food. No touchy, no eaty. Then on the day of the appointment, no food from the night before and take as much cooked chicken as you can carry in your pockets.

ETA I see the appointment is today and I guess he has already eaten but this is advice you can take for going forward.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Yes it’s today!
I hope it’s not an ongoing issue, he’s been fine for the best part of a year now I think. I think I just got crap tablets which haven’t done the job. Hopefully back on the decent ones claws will no longer be a problem again.
I’ve been playing round with them, both just in the evening when he’s lying round and when he comes in we “dry” them and he gets a treat or praise he’s been massively better, sometimes if he’s sleepy I think he doesn’t even notice I’m handling them, he used to leap straight up, so hopefully getting somewhere with that.

It’s the vet I like and we generally end up having a laugh about some bizarre subject that has nothing to do with the reason I’m there so with any luck he will just be p’d off I’m laughing when he’s suffering huge trauma

 

[CorvusCorax]

OK, so it isn't a problem then? You intimated it was and you were 'quite worried', hence my reply.

 

[poiuytrewq]

The me worrying or him not liking it?

The him but I mean we are working on and getting improvement but I do think after this I’ll have to start again

The me thing, I’m worried yes, I’m trying not to be. Im hoping the vet will chat rubbish and it will be ok

 

[skinnydipper]

The me worrying or him not liking it?

The him but I mean we are working on and getting improvement but I do think after this I’ll have to start again

The me thing, I’m worried yes, I’m trying not to be. Im hoping the vet will chat rubbish and it will be ok

If he doesn't like his nails clipped you could try a Dremel or dog nail grinder.

The big girl doesn't like her nails clipped but following desensitisation is okay with me trimming her nails with a Dremel. She lies down and lets me do them, treats help

 

[poiuytrewq]

If he doesn't like his nails clipped you could try a Dremel or dog nail grinder.

The big girl doesn't like her nails clipped but following desensitisation is okay with me trimming her nails with a Dremel. She lies down and lets me do them, treats help

So far he’s not needed them clipped! I do purposely walk on the roads quite a lot in an attempt to naturally wear them.
I do have a dremel though so could just start getting him used to that in case they do need doing.

 

[poiuytrewq]

They lop off the whole thing.

Grim

 

[misst]

I have a terrier with wonky legs who damages a dew claw on one leg or the other most years. I have managed to clip them slightly and dremel them slightly (thank you Skinny Dipper).

I didn't understand the function of them and begged my vet to remove them. They kindly explained that it is unethical except in extreme circumstances to remove them, that it is a painful serious orthopaedic operation so not to be undertaken lightly, and that it often leads to further issues especially with a dog like my whose wonky legs load wrongly already.

I feel your pain as my lad has to be muzzled at the vet (all 5.5kg of him) to allow his claws to be examined and he is sedated if they need clipping off or lots of dressings. We are due an injury any day now as my phone just threw up a memory from one year ago of him in a cone with vetwrap on his foot - bless him. I hope your lad gets on ok. x

 

[poiuytrewq]

I have a terrier with wonky legs who damages a dew claw on one leg or the other most years. I have managed to clip them slightly and dremel them slightly (thank you Skinny Dipper).

I didn't understand the function of them and begged my vet to remove them. They kindly explained that it is unethical except in extreme circumstances to remove them, that it is a painful serious orthopaedic operation so not to be undertaken lightly, and that it often leads to further issues especially with a dog like my whose wonky legs load wrongly already.

I feel your pain as my lad has to be muzzled at the vet (all 5.5kg of him) to allow his claws to be examined and he is sedated if they need clipping off or lots of dressings. We are due an injury any day now as my phone just threw up a memory from one year ago of him in a cone with vetwrap on his foot - bless him. I hope your lad gets on ok. x

Do you use Onychotin? If not seriously do give it a try. Its been the difference between constant lameness and complete normality for mine, until this blip. It's worth a go.
They do look completely useless don't they, yet so important when you know why they are there.

Thank you! He's currently fast asleep in the sun completely unaware!

 

[SkylarkAscending]

I’ve had a number of greyhounds and lurchers who have ripped out dew claws repeatedly, and one of my terriers damages his regularly.

I’ve also seen many puppies having their dew claws removed over the years, and have observed the effect it has had on them.

I know what I’d do…..

 

[maisie06]

This is going to sound really stupid but I'm a quite worried about this appointment. Because he's had problems with claws and used to be really sore quite often he is antsy about having his claws handled. He wont snap or bite but hates it, really hates it. Since being on the medication I've spent time just quietly handling his paws and he's getting better but still dislikes it.
I think this will put us right back to square 1!
Can they just mildly short term sedate a dog, like horses?

Yes they can, but it's usually a tablet given an hour or so before the appointment - one of mine is vet phobic so I have a couple of sedatives on hand as a just in case he needs treatment.

 

[maisie06]

Dew claws are very important, I know two people with sports dogs who have had the fronts removed due to constant damage and it does make me wince as they are very important for dogs doing high impact activities. Neither dog got regular exercise outside of training, which I don't think is a coincidence. I do at least 20 minutes of brisk but low-impact roadwork a day on top of other exercise and training (well, night) which I feel makes for firmness/dryness and keeps the nails down, yes, even the dew claws.

Interesting - My Cocker has no Dew claws and he definatley struggles when climbing up a steep bank for instance, whoever docked him removed the dew claws as well...I rehomed him at 16weeks so I have no idea why they were removed because my 2 springers both have their front dew claws just no backs...

 

[CorvusCorax]

Not all dogs have rear dewclaws, just some breeds and for those that do, they can be flappier/more problematic.

My mother wrote a letter to the canine press when she was a teenager, talking about the cruelty of routine dewclaw removal

 

[misst]

I will look up onychontin thank you. Not come across it before.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I will look up onychontin thank you. Not come across it before.

I buy it from Amazon.

 

[skinnydipper]

@poiuytrewq, how did the little fella get on at the vets?

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

Bear had a rogue hind dewclaw, never an issue, looser than his fronts which he damaged more than once. The vet just chopped it as close to the pad as he could, they were never taken off, it’s like removing a digit, surely? The vet sedated, it was obviously painful. We kept them as short as we could but he damaged them more than once. Once one was cut as short as possible, it grew back at an odd angle so had to be repeatedly trimmed, it was sticking straight out.

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

I don't think it was too long, although it now looks long, I'd say its where its been pulled out. The other one is short and neat
The first time i'm not really sure how he did it, I was in the shed and he was in the garden and suddenly howled and was on 3 legs, then this weekend he was just running ahead of me out walking, I didnt see him do anything obvious, However reading the above he could have turned and just caught an already damaged claw in the rough ground.
He's not lame on it but is licking pretty consistently now.

He has always had a claws problem, this is the first time he's damaged a dew claw but he used to frequently pull paw claws out. He is on Onychotin and Salmon oil and its been a real miracle cure for him. Problem being last time I couldn't get proper Onychotin and bought a cheaper unbranded version which was a 90 tablet pack so three months worth, which would be enough for things to go wrong again if they are not as good quality or different amount of active ingredients i guess. Proper ones are ordered!

That article is really interesting thank you! I had been thinking why can't they just be removed. Now i know!

He has an appointment at 3.30 today.

How did he get on?