Puppy dewclaw removal

~♥Little Miss - posted on 08/26/2011

Also, Becky, happy tail is different than a dog just standing there and wagging its tail and it hitting you. It is when a dog constantly wags its tail, hitting thing, causing damage to his/her own tail. I have seen tails break from this, huge lacerations, constant open wounds that won't heal because they keep hitting it against things repeately and just not healing....no matter if bandaged to protect it or not. It is not just a willy nilly "my dog keeps wagging its tail and hitting me" thing.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 08/26/2011

Becky, it is not standard to give pain medication to dew claw removal or tail cropping when they are so little and so young. i don't like it either, but their bodies are to young to receive pain meds like that.

Chances are, if your vet that sold you your dog did the dew claw removal when they were about 5 days old, then no. The puppy would not have received any pain management. If it was done during the spay/neuter, then yes, it is likely he/she received pain medication.

Becky - posted on 08/26/2011

My little dog has a thick powerful tail - there have been times were she's been standing by me & started wagging & I swear she's bruised my leg, but I never gave any thought ever to having it chopped off! She;s still got her dew claws too & she's never had an issue!

Our setter is pure breed and show quality. His mom & dad are both show dogs both obedience & breed shows. The breeder we got him from is actually a vet, and she had his dew claws removed at her clinic before we got him. I would like to believe that she used pain medication because she's a wonderful person and almost 3 years later still checking in on how he's doing with us. She always is concerned with his health & happiness.

I didn't know that they don't typically use pain medication to remove dew claws! I'd never be able to do that to a puppy!! Heck I was appalled when I got my little dog (a girl) fixed when she was younger and they told me it was up to me if I wanted to get pain medication for her at home while she recovered! REALLY? She's just undergone major surgery . . . she's in a lot of pain! Why every would I not want to give her a pain medication at home to make her feel better as she healed?

Laura Zoey - posted on 08/23/2011

Happy tail dogs can be dangerous around little kids too! I remember my brother getting knocked to the ground on the sidewalk from a lab's tail! He was all scraped up!

~♥Little Miss - posted on 08/22/2011

He will still be able to wag it, just not as frantically or dangerously lol. I had a lab/great dane mix that actually broke the back of a solid oak chair with her tail! OUCH!

~♥Little Miss - posted on 08/22/2011

They can heal, but it is unlikely it won't happen again. The Doctors will probably leave a few inches of the tail. It will take some healing time, and definitely ask for pain medication to go home with. Also, and E collar would not be a bad idea. But they may require him to go home with one regardless.

Kelly - posted on 08/22/2011

Thanks Marina, that is very helpful. It is very hard to decide to lop off an entire tail, but I think that is going to be the best for him. It sounds minor, but his whole tail is covered with these little cuts. I think, seeing the situation, it would be better to do it before his tail gets an infection, which could possibly spread to the rest of his body and do more harm than the operation. He is 2 years old. Problems didn't arise with it until last winter because he was bigger and spend a lot more time inside than out. We hoped it would improve as he calmed down, but he's such a HYPER dog. It got better this summer, but never completely went away, and winter is just around the corner :(

~♥Little Miss - posted on 08/22/2011

Kelly, I was actually coming in here to talk about "happy tail" kinda funny. I have seen severe cases of it where they bang it to the point of breaking, or bleeding that is difficult to control. It will keep recurring for sure.

Kelly - posted on 08/22/2011

I like the natural dobie better....
My sister is considering having her dog's tail amputated later this year--he has "Happy Tail" syndrome. Basically, his tail is so long and not properly padded with fur or fat, so it gets injured from banging it on stuff when he is "wagging" it. Not serious injury, but lots of little cuts. She's afraid it will get infected if she leaves the tail in tact because he does like to run around outside on her property (which is fenced but does encompass a small wood, pasture, and stream, which is home to many bugs and germs).

I know the reason for tail docking is preventative of "Happy Tail" but it is also cosmetic. Her dog is a dalmatian mutt, so obviously, it's not cosmetic, but she is still on the fence about it. Currently, she has it wrapped up, but she has to unwrap it and re wrap it all the time so it can breath.

Laura Zoey - posted on 08/22/2011

http://dobermanpuppiesblog.com/files/dex...
Cute, but doesn't look like a Doberman to me.

Laura Zoey - posted on 08/22/2011

http://dobermanpuppiesblog.com/files/dob...
This doberman looks magnificent. Natural ears and tails makes them look adorable. Both are great compliments but my ideal dobie is magnificent looking.
I'd never buy a puppy and have them cropped and docked but I might someday find a dobie rescue and adopt one that's already done. I'd vote to make it illegal but I do adore the look. Sort of hypocritical I guess.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 08/22/2011

Laura, I have never heard of an ear cropping to prevent infection. That does not mean it has never happened. But like I said in the Declaw thread, it is usually done for certain breeds for the look it achieves.......or if you have fighting dogs, it is one less thing to grab with your teeth.

Cathy - posted on 08/22/2011

Working dogs are the only dogs that can have their tails docked here. The owners have to provide a lot of paperwork evidence of what purpose they have to have it done and vets can still refuse if it isn't sufficient. The reasons I've heard are usually that the line of work holds a lot of potential risk of broken tails which often then have to be amputated anyway. More traumatic for an older dog to go through.

I personally don't like the idea of it being done as a pre-emptive. Scotland has an all out ban and I think we should have the same.

Laura Zoey - posted on 08/22/2011

At the pet store I worked at we sold small birds, nothing bigger then conures, and we would clip the wings of the conures, I thought it was sad, hese birds have never flown ever! They'd not even know how to fly if they could! They say it's 'for their own good' so they don't fly into fans or glass windows or doors, and so they can't get loose and fly away helpless to hunt or survive wild.

But is this really the best solution? It seems mean to prevent a bird from ever flying? I mean that's their 'thing'...

Laura Zoey - posted on 08/22/2011

Yeah I'm not keen on any preventative surgeries on babies or puppies, some dogs need dewclaws taken off, some don't. So don't just take all of them off just in case! IMO, it's better to do it when they're older and will get proper medical care and pain management then to do it as newborns.
Same with circ, don't take it off just cuz, most boys do fine with theirs natural, only if there's something wrong should we be cutting on them.
Marina, is there ever a recommendation to crop ears for frequent infections?
Is there any benefit at all for tail docking?
Wha is the reasoning behind tail docking, is it just from the guard dogs?

~♥Little Miss - posted on 08/22/2011

Yes, I don't think they need to be removed unless they are problematic.

Cathy - posted on 08/22/2011

My dog has one detached dewclaw. It was picked up at his first check up with our vet. They offered to remove it IF it caused him any problems when he went in for neutering at 6 months old. It didn't cause problems so he's still got it.

Unless there is a solid medical reason I can't get behind any surgeries to alter an animal.

Toni - posted on 08/22/2011

Yeah but that would fall under medically needed if the nail was cutting into her foot because it was ingrown...we remove ingrown toenails in humans.

Stifler's - posted on 08/21/2011

Oh God I've never heard of any of this! I had mutt dogs as a kid who didn't have anything removed and they were perfectly fine.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 08/21/2011

I had to get my dogs dewclaws removed also...but for a different reason. She is a Chihuahua, and hers were attached to the bone. But so close, that I could barely cut her toenails. I mean, if I pulled it away from her foot to even try to cut the nail, she would cry. The nails started curling around, and what can happen is they grow back into the foot. Very painful. I got them removed because there was no way for me to cut the nail.

Toni - posted on 08/21/2011

I think it should be illegal here too Jodi unless there is a reason medically to remove it (like kelly's dog). I had 2 dogs when I was young and neither of them ha their dewclaw removed (I used to play with it and wonder whatbit was).

Jodi - posted on 08/21/2011

I know you were :D But I thought I should clarify anyway. Personally I don't think it SHOULD be a debate, but hey, that's my opinion :P

~♥Little Miss - posted on 08/21/2011

LOL Jodi, I know, I was just being cute!

Kelly - posted on 08/21/2011

Oh, I just read all the replies, and wanted to add that Sprocket was 4, almost 5 years old when we had his removed, and it had been injured more than half a dozen times in less than 3 years (He didn't have issues with it until he was 2 yrs old). Each injury caused at least 4-6 weeks of discomfort for him, and I couldn't continue putting him through that.

Jodi - posted on 08/21/2011

LOL Marina, I just meant that where I live it isn't a debate because opinion is irrelevant. It's illegal period. And I am actually on board with that. But you ladies continue the debate :D

Kelly - posted on 08/21/2011

OMG! That is SICK.

Sprocket actually had to have his removed because it was growing too far outward and he kept catching it on things and breaking it, which was excruciating for him (and rather expensive for us--$94 & up/visit--too keep getting it wrapped and keep it from getting infected).



They DID use anesthesia for him at the vet.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 08/21/2011

Everything is debatable ;)

Jodi - posted on 08/21/2011

It's illegal here, as is tail docking AND ear cropping, as it should be. No debate.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 08/21/2011

I think it kinda falls under the same train of thought as circumsising. Young baibies get it done because they don't "feel" it...even though they do get some pain relief.

One of the clinics that I worked with had some powder to stop the bleeding (quick stop) and it is suppose to have a pain relief in it....they would use that also...not just silver nitrate sticks...just depends on the doctor...some would use skin glue.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 08/21/2011

It is really the specific breeds that would typically have a tail doc that would get the dew claw removal done also....such as schnauzers, pits, rotties, boxers (the list goes on) but some breeders will have the dew claw removed on purebreds...such as your golden. People who just breed to make a quick buck, do bare minimals and don't shell out the money to get it done. Purebred breeders that do it for a living know that is a way to sell them easier.....also they want their dogs to look a certain way for sale.

Kate CP - posted on 08/21/2011

I guess people assume because they're dogs it doesn't matter? I dunno. The screaming is horrendous. But it's the same excuse we used for not using anesthetic on babies during circumcisions:

They apparently don't have developed nerve endings yet and can't really feel the pain of it. Personally, I think that's horseshit.

Laura Zoey - posted on 08/21/2011

Their pain center of the brain must shut down to cope. Is there any excuse as to why we do this? Why is it legal?

~♥Little Miss - posted on 08/21/2011

IMO, it is even worse than assisting on euthanasia, it is terrible. Oddly enough, once they are done, they truly act like nothing happened. I don't like it any better though.

Erin - posted on 08/21/2011

Yuck!! What is with this fascination with altering perfectly normal, functioning body parts?

~♥Little Miss - posted on 08/21/2011

You should not have done that to yourself Laura.

Kate CP - posted on 08/21/2011

Yep.

Laura Zoey - posted on 08/21/2011

I assume America is behind on that too...

Kate CP - posted on 08/21/2011

That's why lots of countries have outlawed it unless it's for a medical reason like a threatening detachment or continual injuries.

Laura Zoey - posted on 08/21/2011

Well I guess it's good you can't do it at home but I find it still highly disturbing.

Kate CP - posted on 08/21/2011

That's actually not legal to do at home, it's considered animal cruelty. They don't use pain meds on puppies at the vet, either.