Dewclaw issues

[celstu1]

I noticed my Fletcher is having problems with his back legs. He has gained 3lbs from 9 - 12 lbs since January when he got fixed. I thought it was the added weight that was causing problems with his jumping. I get his nails trimmed regularly at the pet store and the other day I finally got his calm enough to let me look at his back legs and I was horrified. His dewclaw nails are soooo long and curled that they are touching the pads. I realize this could be a source of his pain. I am getting them trimmed tomorrow and hopefully that will help, but what has me MORE concerned is his dewclaws seems almost detached from his leg, they hang out and flap very easily.

I am debating having them removed by the vet. I heard this was very painful for the dog though, is that true? I'm afraid at this point his dewclaws are causing him a lot of pain and I hate thinking what could happen if he rips one off by accident. What should I do?

[celstu1]

Anyone? anyone?

I do have a vet appt on tuesday to get his dew claws checked out to see if they should be removed... but I am taking him in the morning to have them cut shorter to see if that helps! My poor baby!

[Mom to Hot Rod]

I don't know about having it removed but poor Momo of mimimomo ripped his. Maybe try pm Jenny and see what she wound up doing. Best of luck.

[Deuce]

I've noticed that Rizzo still has his dew claws, would it be a good idea to get them removed when get goes in for a neuter or should I just leave them be until they do or don't become an issue?

[celstu1]

Not that too many people actually saw or responded to this thread... but for those who did I wanted to follow up.
Fletch went to the vet yesterday. One dewclaw has no boney attachment and the other one is fine. The vet said she does recommend removal but there is no hurry. We are on a teeth cleaning plan and when the boys go in for a dental he will have his dewclaws removed. She told me a lot of groomers see a docked tail and assume the dewclaws were removed (like they should have been) so they never check the dewclaw nails, she told me to specify to the groomer to check and clip the dewclaws. She clipped his super short and we are going to reevaluate in 6 months. Fletcher has to go on a diet. He went from 8.9lbs in Jan (too skinny) to 12.9lbs today. He got fixed but gained too much weight. Not sure how he did but he has to be monitored for food now... he was always my super skinny boy and now hes overweight slightly! She'd like to see him at 11lbs. She also said he has exceptional knees. No sign of anything wrong with them at all, she says thats GREAT for a yorkie because they are known for knee problems. She told me if he fell while jumping then he's just a bad jumper because there is nothing wrong with him. LOL **PHEW**

[Nancy1999]

Very interesting, I'm always upset when a breeder says they don't do the dewclaws, if a knowledgeable person does it, it's painless for the puppies and some good breeders say that the puppy doesn't even make a noise with removal. Of course, as they get older dewclaws can cause many problems, including ripping them off, and this can be serious. Removal at an older age is much more complicated. I'm glad you noticed the problem, if you still have contact with the breeder, I hope you tell her about it, because so many think if they don't hear anything negative, that it means what they are doing works. I read all the time; "I've been doing this for 25 years, and haven't got one complaint."

[MyTrixie143]

I've heard of several getting the dewclaws removed at a later time in life during a surgery and they all did fine. It actually heals up pretty quickly.

I have two adults here that didn't have their dewclaws removed (maltese and our border collie mix who is a rescue). If they ever go back in for a teeth cleaning or something they will have them removed. It is so much easier and less worry about them catching on something but it is manageable for the time being.

[jrsygal37]

I Have two that still have their dew claws. At the time of spaying I had asked about having them removed and was told that it would be like removing a finger or toe on a human. That it would be very painful because everything was now formed now. We opted to just leave them and keep them trimmed. It is a pain in the butt and I worry they will snag them, and they are very small so I have to use baby clippers to trim the dew claws.

[megansmomma]

Originally Posted by celstu1

Not that too many people actually saw or responded to this thread... but for those who did I wanted to follow up.
Fletch went to the vet yesterday. One dewclaw has no boney attachment and the other one is fine. The vet said she does recommend removal but there is no hurry. We are on a teeth cleaning plan and when the boys go in for a dental he will have his dewclaws removed. She told me a lot of groomers see a docked tail and assume the dewclaws were removed (like they should have been) so they never check the dewclaw nails, she told me to specify to the groomer to check and clip the dewclaws. She clipped his super short and we are going to reevaluate in 6 months. Fletcher has to go on a diet. He went from 8.9lbs in Jan (too skinny) to 12.9lbs today. He got fixed but gained too much weight. Not sure how he did but he has to be monitored for food now... he was always my super skinny boy and now hes overweight slightly! She'd like to see him at 11lbs. She also said he has exceptional knees. No sign of anything wrong with them at all, she says thats GREAT for a yorkie because they are known for knee problems. She told me if he fell while jumping then he's just a bad jumper because there is nothing wrong with him. LOL **PHEW**

I swear that I posted to you about the dew claws and it's not here. I'm so sorry...............I have dew claw experience with both my boys. They had danglie dew claws like you are taking about and when they were neutered I had the vet remove them. They seems fine afterward. They did have a couple of stitches but as far as I could tell no pain. Too bad you didn't notice when they were neutered you could have had it done then. I can also say that Doodlebug was a puppy but Bogey was well over a year old when his were done. As for the going on a diet I can totally sympathize with that as well. Bogey gained weight while I had my foster Truman who could not see well and had doggie dementia. He would wander away from his bowl and Bog would help himself. I tried to cut back on his food and went back and he gained a 1/4 lb. So I literally started to count kibble pieces and he has now lost almost 3 lbs now But you really need to cut back. I also changed his food from Venison and Sweet potato to Lamb and Brown Rice.

Glad you were given a good report at the vet and she was able to trim back the dew claw for him.

[megansmomma]

Originally Posted by Deuce

I've noticed that Rizzo still has his dew claws, would it be a good idea to get them removed when get goes in for a neuter or should I just leave them be until they do or don't become an issue?

If it were me I would have them removed during the neuter.

[Pateut]

I would have to agree. Celine has front dew claws and I think there is no bone in them. They seem to kind of dangle and I too am afraid that it will one day be caught on something and accidentally torn off. I think I will ask the vet next time I am in about it. I just worry. I do clip them.

[celstu1]

Thanks everyone!!!
This is good to know! My vet says that when my boys go in for a dental that she'll remove Fletcher's dewclaws. Dexter has an appt in Sept for a check up and distemper shot so I'll find out then if she thinks she should remove his, but I actually don't think his dewclaws developed. I don't think he has actual nails there so I think he's all set. But I'll see what she says about that.

As for his diet. I am not quite sure how I'm going to do the logistics of this. I have 2 boys who have always been free fed. They eat out of the same bowl even. Dexter is TINY right now. He has lost weight and I don't want to take food away from him, but Fletcher can't eat it. I work all day so I'm not sure how to handle leaving Dexter food but not Fletcher. Dexter won't eat it when I'm not there so I probably shouldn't bother leaving food down. It would be a lot easier if they would eat it when I put it down in the morning but they don't eat it, they just follow me around. Any idea how to get them to eat 2x a day instead of free feeding them?

[Lizzie07]

Originally Posted by celstu1

I noticed my Fletcher is having problems with his back legs. He has gained 3lbs from 9 - 12 lbs since January when he got fixed. I thought it was the added weight that was causing problems with his jumping. I get his nails trimmed regularly at the pet store and the other day I finally got his calm enough to let me look at his back legs and I was horrified. His dewclaw nails are soooo long and curled that they are touching the pads. I realize this could be a source of his pain.

OMG, I didn't know yorkies had rear dewclaws! Lizzy doesn't have them, so I guess they were removed when her tail was done? She does have her front dewclaws, however, and they don't seem to be a problem. Are just the rear dewclaws removed?

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Lizzie07

OMG, I didn't know yorkies had rear dewclaws! Lizzy doesn't have them, so I guess they were removed when her tail was done? She does have her front dewclaws, however, and they don't seem to be a problem. Are just the rear dewclaws removed?

Not all dogs have problems with dewclaws, just make sure you keep the nails clipped, usually when there is a problem, it's because the nail got caught in something. Dogs are rarely born with rear dewclaws.

[Lizzie07]

Originally Posted by celstu1

I noticed my Fletcher is having problems with his back legs. He has gained 3lbs from 9 - 12 lbs since January when he got fixed. I thought it was the added weight that was causing problems with his jumping. I get his nails trimmed regularly at the pet store and the other day I finally got his calm enough to let me look at his back legs and I was horrified. His dewclaw nails are soooo long and curled that they are touching the pads. I realize this could be a source of his pain.

OMG, I didn't know yorkies had rear dewclaws! Lizzy doesn't have them, so I guess they were removed when her tail was done? She does have her front dewclaws, however, and they don't seem to be a problem. Are just the rear dewclaws removed?

I know removing the front dewclaws has become a little controversial in IGs as some breeders feel removal compromises the integrity of the strength of the leg and boy, IGs are a breed that suffers a LOT from leg breaks.