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Dew Claw Drama

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So... Tango has managed to catch a dew claw again, and it is now sticking out at a lovely 90 degree angle :shock::roll: (That will serve her right for barking like a lunatic at the postman).

 

She has caught her dew claws several times before - sometimes pulling off part of the claw, sometimes twisting/bending it (like today) and sometimes tearing it right off down to the quick.

 

Either way, it's happening fairly regularly and costing me a small fortune in sedation, antibiotics and painkillers.

 

So I've had a chat with the vet this morning, and after looking at her dew claws and agreeing that they are very stick-outy, she is booked in to have them removed on Friday :(

 

Not looking forward to 10 days of keeping her quiet, but I think it's going to be for the best in the long run (including for my purse!!!).

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Absolutely for the best. Dew claws can cause so much misery. Obviously follow your vets instructions but the aftercare isn't that bad.

 

We were adopting a dog from the dogs home, he still had his bits so they had to castrate him before we could take him, standard policy and we were fine with that. He had the most horrendous dew claws, and I asked at the time whilst he was under anasthetic could they remove them as well, I would be happy to pay any extra expenses incured in doing so. They flaty refused, got all shirty that they didn't perform "cosmetic improvements" I pointed out that there was already significant scar tissue and so they had obviously caused a problem in the past, he was coming to a farm environment (one of the reasons they wanted us to take him!) and so the chances of him catching them again would be quite high and so it was purely from a welfare issue and not wanting to put him through another operation when it could all be done in one. End result they wouldn't let us have him, he was adopted and I saw him in our local vets a couple of years ago in a really bad way having virtually ripped it off :(

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Oh dear, poor Tango, dew claws are an evolutionary disaster, I think it would be better if all dogs had them removed when they are neutered, they cause so much grief. A couple of times, Willow has managed to get dew claw caught in her name tag ring on her collar - you couldn't make it up :roll:

It will be a bit traumatic (much more for you than for Tango, I suspect!) but I think Tango will be much better off without her pesky dew claws.

Good luck!!

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Thanks for your replies - you have made me feel a bit better :D I don't like the idea of her having them off (like having your thumbs amputated I guess!) but when she's into the vet every couple of months having injured a dew claw again, it does get a bit ridiculous! Especially when both the vet and the receptionist say, 'Ah yes, I remember Tango' as soon as you walk in :shock: At least that will be the end of the problem once and for all.

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No, it's not like having your thumbs amputated at all ... thumbs are useful (usually!) and you'd miss them if they weren't there, but Tango is absolutely NOT going to miss her dew claws, they are useless at best and flippin' painful at their worst - I think you'll both be very relieved when they are gone!

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We definitely share the same views Bramble!

 

She will not miss them in the slightest!! As my Nana would say "neither use nor ornament" and they aren't. They do nothing other than get in the way.

 

The dogs I've had done have come home with their legs bandaged, we've left the bandages on for 5 days, then taken them off, restricted exercise only so much as they can't go galavanting through muddy fields. Kept clean with a quick hibbiscrub wash twice a day and dry off, a bit of wound powder if it looked like it needed it, usually you go back to the vets for the stitches out, we do ours ourselves but certainly don't unless you know what you are doing.

 

Compared to the pain of catching them and the visits to the vets you are doing her a favour :D

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We definitely share the same views Bramble!

 

She will not miss them in the slightest!! As my Nana would say "neither use nor ornament" and they aren't. They do nothing other than get in the way.

 

The dogs I've had done have come home with their legs bandaged, we've left the bandages on for 5 days, then taken them off, restricted exercise only so much as they can't go galavanting through muddy fields. Kept clean with a quick hibbiscrub wash twice a day and dry off, a bit of wound powder if it looked like it needed it, usually you go back to the vets for the stitches out, we do ours ourselves but certainly don't unless you know what you are doing.

 

Compared to the pain of catching them and the visits to the vets you are doing her a favour :D

 

 

Well said Kinsk - can't imagine how painful it must be when dew claws get broken/torn - young Tango will be much better off without them!

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Sorry to hear that L_B.

 

I've fostered dogs without dew claws before and they are much less accident prone. Cyrus' are a bit sticky out and he went through a phase of catching them on things when running hard. I cut the nails down as far as I dared and he went out with them bandaged with vetwrap for a bit - looked like a show pony :roll: he hasn't snagged them since but I was prepared to get them removed.

 

Love and hugs to Tango.

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You are all totally right, of course. The 90 degree angle nail removed itself on our afternoon walk. I discovered this when hubby came home from work and told me he couldn't see what the problem was as neither claw was sticking out! It had obviously twisted right off as she ran around - thankfully not down to the quick. But then that made me think, does she really need to have the claws removed? Reading this makes me realise it is the best option as she WILL catch them again in the future and it WILL hurt and it WILL be expensive. Fear not, I haven't cancelled the appointment :D

 

I cut the nails down as far as I dared and he went out with them bandaged with vetwrap for a bit - looked like a show pony :roll:

 

The annoying thing is that I had noticed this claw was getting long, so just a couple of weeks ago I took Tango to the vet nurse to have it clipped back. She still managed to catch it though!

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I think that you are doing the right thing getting them removed. Most dogs never have a problem with dew claws but for those that do, it is best to have them removed. It is not a difficult surgery but keeping the dressings clean and dry in this wet weather will be a bit of a pain but it does seem to have been wet all year so it wouldn't have made much difference when you had it done :roll: Good luck :)

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Thanks CM, I've been told I'll need to take Tango back a couple of times for a check up and wound re-dressing, so fingers crossed we can keep things reasonably clean. I've always been given old drip bags to cover bandages before, although they don't always stay on too well. I just have to try and avoid the worst of the wet weather and keep out of the grass and mud for a few days to try and minimise the damage. You're right that it wouldn't have helped to have had it done earlier in the year given the rubbish summer we have had!

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I did use that method a few times too as he has had a few done and had to have them bandaged for 3 weeks at a time and was still walking it saved the bandages getting wet and dirty. I used several bags and some of my daughters scrunchies which was ok till he weed up one! Stayed in place for lead walks but flew off when he got to a sprint.

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:lol: just be careful that any solution (and the initial bandages) aren't too tight as sometimes that can cause more problems than the initial wound. You can get neoprene stopper pad protectors online for racing dogs and they might be good to protect her initially when it has healed and she's back out running. They'll come up in an online search.

 

Cyrus had stitches in his side last year after a barbed wire incident ( :roll: ) he was intent on mithering it but I just kept it clean, dressed and dotted some menthol (Tiger Balm) around it to deter any 'investigations'. It healed well and I took the stitches out a week later and rubbed HyperCal ointment into it to help it heal fully. He has a tendency to lick and cause granulomas, even a T shirt won't stop him :roll:

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Well my poor darling has had her operation and is now home. The vet was excellent and told me he had looked back through his notes for the last few dew claw ops he had done to see if there was any way he could improve the procedure as he didn't feel the last few had healed quickly enough for his liking. He has made the tiniest cut he could get away with on each of her legs to minimise the size of the wound and the skin tightening as it heals and he hopes that this will help Tango to heal quicker - fingers crossed!

 

She is very woozy as you would imagine after the GA, she refused food at the vets (unheard of) but ate some scrambled egg and a tinned pilchard enthusiastically when she got home. I only gave her a small amount to see how she got on, and I will give her a little bit more later if she wants it.

 

She is cold and shivering as she was after her spay, so I've covered her with a fleecy blanket, popped her bed by the radiator and cranked the heating up :lol: She is now spark out asleep.

 

She has got some industrial strength painkillers and will be going back on Monday to have her wound checked and redressed if necessary.

 

I feel so guilty at the moment for putting her through this, but I know it will be best in the long run. I nearly chickened out at the last minute, but when the vet pointed out I had been in 5 times since January with claw injuries, I did decide that the operation was indeed for the best!

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