Oh that does not sound good. Is this where they put the rubber band on the tail and wait for them to fall off? I could not do that to them, I would think the risk of infection would be higher. I like to get it over with quick, actually I would like to no do it at all..lol.

wow!!
 

It all sounds bad to me... I am afraid to do it myself.. My doc did it last time and they bled and screamed...
:eek:
so chopping sounds cruel... pinching with the hemistat and pullings sounds cruel... sigh...
I guess I let the doc do it again and ask him to do the bloodless way:aimeeyork

I do not like doing it either and have taken to telling our puppies..."I am so sorry we have to do this...but it is a barbaric American Custom."

You know I used to really dislike the full tails until I lived with one, now I adore them. I could not imagine our Espe or our Kiki without them! :D They were lucky enough to be born in Europe!

Personally, if your vet won't let you watch...FIND a different vet. My vet lets me help and watch everything.

We had a Pug puppy that was a junkyard dog and he ate a bag of candy...wrapers and all...we had to have surgery one Christmas night and I got to assist!!! I was in the operating room and all. So, ask and if he says no then tell him you are gonna be in the room. They are your pups and that is that!!!!

Tail Docking
 

I just viewed the Anti-Docking Site. Thanks for sharing. I also Joined the ADA (Anti-Docking Alliance) I like their long tails. Scoop

How old should the pups be?
 

Hold old should they be?

Three to Five days old.

can anyone recommend a vet in the Boston area for docking ?
We have 4 pups 5 days old and I really would rather not do it myself.

I think you have waited too long.tails are usually docked between 3-5 days old.after that they consider it an amputation and will put the dog under.
If I were you I would tell them they were three days old but you need to make that app.asap. hope this helps(and by the way this is exactly what I did with my pups)I did not think they were big enough to me to go through it so I waited a little longer and told then they were younger.no problems and they didn't cry.good luck

thanks, I'm going to get it done today hopefully. Any idea what the going rate is ? I think I read $40. is that PER pup ?
prob too late for rubber bands , huh ?

just read this:
What I do is take a rubber band and cut it in half. Place it on the pups tail (have someone hold the pup for you so you can use 2 hands). Tie the band tight at about 1/4 inch. The tail grows but the band restricts blood flow and the tail simply dies and falls off. No pain and no fuss. It usually take 3 - 5 days.

My Zoe didn't have her dew claws removed either...drives me insane. She is constantly chewing on them.

In my area, it's ALWAYS too late for the rubber band method--it's illegal and carries felony animal cruelty charges if you are caught.

Not a recommeded method. :mad::thumbdown It's a cheap and easy option for the breeder, but certainly not best for the dogs. Not sure how "pain free" it is, but it is completely unneccessary given the better methods available. The wound, until completely healed, is essentially open, making it very easy for infection to set in, not to mention that the wound does not heal as cleanly.

Generally speaking, I'm not sure why anyone would opt for this route.:( If there is not a vet who will offer the service that can be used, either bite the bullet and learn to do it yourself PROPERLY, or don't breed.

questions on docking and dew claws
 

i was wondering about doing this task on day 2.... is this too early? the pups are about 12 hours old now... but what is too early? also can i use hemostats and then cut the tails instead of twisting? exactly where should i cut the dew claws? i did this last year with my mentor for the first time, but i forgot all the details.. thanks for any help...:)

The blood clotting mechanism doesn't kick in until they are 72 hours old so 2 days is too young. You can use hemostats and cut, that is what I do. The dew claws are cut between the joint and the leg.

I hope I don't offend you, but posts like yours really scare me, it sounds like you are forgeting some really important details, and details on this sort of thing are so important. Wouldn't it be possible for you to visit your menter again and take careful notes, or see a vet?

thank you.. i didnt know about the blood clotting...:)

dont be scared please... :eek: i am not offended.. but opinions are welcome on an open forum...:) this forum is a great place to go for answers.. i am new to breeding.. and i appreciate all the help i can get.. i will be seeing my vet for a follow up health check.. but all the puppies appear very normal and healthy.. i did do tails and dew claws once already on 2 litters with supervision, and i feel prepared.. but its a good thing i asked those questions...i did help deliver 3 breech puppies last night.. and my vet was on call for me... i am just counting my blessings today.. i certainly would not want to hurt them.. :)

yes i have a male and a female both with there tails they are beautiful they look like fans they curl up

Exactly my sentiments
 

:thumbup::thumbup:Thank you so much for your post.

I docked my babies tail at 3 days old and she was fine. A little blood stop should be on hand just in case there is bleeding.

We are keeping the tails, I LOVE TAIL WAGGING..LOL:D but having the dew claws remove by my son's friend here in the house on monday, he is the senior vet tech at the clinic my son works at, I am suffering already but I understand it needs to be done.
hugs,
Carmen in nj

Oh My Goodness
 

:eek:I can't believe what I am hearing about medical clamps would you like your spine treated like that I think NOT! :mad: Oh and the Blood you are crazy if you think this is humane!:thumbdown

Thank you so much for your post.[/quote]
yes you are lucky to have your puppies from europe we were lucky enough to find a breeder who doesn't dock tails and after reading some of the pro docking messages on this site we are glad we found her cause we live in America yikes!

Why????
 

I can never understand the reason why people "have to" dock dogs tails. I find it pointless - why??

I was given a rescued yorkie 4 years ago with a docked tail and I would have loved her to have her full tail intact.

Reading all the posts... clamping, twisting, scissors, rubber bands, sewing, blood.... all seems so barbaric.... why? who made up this stupid rule that they "have to" have their tails docked? What frightened me is that people are prepared to do it without any proper training. Would you circumsize your child using these methods yourself... i dont think so.

Rubber bands.. someone said its painless... tighten a rubber band around your finger and see how long it is before you rip it off, then try to convince yourself it does not hurt a puppy.

It would not put me off having a dog with its tail on. I would love it! Thats the way the dog was intended to be, if it wasnt then it would be born without one.

Think again before having it done.... is it really essential or is it because someone has said it has to be done so you do it? I know what I would do.

Docking is barbaric...if the person doing it doesn't have a clue what they are doing. :thumbdown (Which seems pretty senseless to me as well.) It's not a matter of "have to" so much as it is a matter of personal preference in regards to appearance or desire to adhere to the standard, which currently does still call for a docked tail.

Banding is a practice I certainly don't agree with. :thumbdown It's actual illegal and considered a form of animal cruetly where I am and is punishable by law. (I would think it would be the same anywhere here in the US? :confused:) However, putting one around your finger is not exactly an accurate basis for comparison. :rolleyes: We have full circulation and sensation in our fingers--pups that are only a few days old, when docking occurs, do not have full circulation or nerve function in their tails, so the would be a considerably lesser sensation that they experienced.

BTW, Welcome to YT! :)

Unless you are a trained professional i wouldn't suggest doing it. I paid 38 bucks to have an entire litter done at my vet

Harveys tail isnt docked, its not allowed anymore in the uk and i wouldnt have him any other way

YES.. please don't twist..it's just sickening to me...

When I DID tails on my cockers and cockapoos (I refuse to do it now) i took a small torn strip of cloth and tied it on the tail where I was going to cut. You MUST cut on the dead side of the cloth (the tip of the tail u want off)..

I waited 15 minutes until it was numb, it will be cold to the touch. Then I would cut with very sharp scissors, or a dog nail clipper..looks like a claw and cuts side to side. It works best. Then I would cover it with septic powder until bleeding stopped. But I never had any blood really..

But every time I took them to the vet they bled like heck and they screamed when they cut. At home they would yelp, but not much. I hated it, I know it hurts them, imagine the pain after? It doesn't just stop hurting after they snip.

I also do not remove dewclaws. No real reason for it, and they can grow back and I have had it happened. Some times they grow back deformed.. But you know, they DO use their "dewclaw", it is an actual digit and the pain of removing them is terrible. The vet has to dig down deep to get all the bone.

Now remember, all the while this is being done, plus the stitches, the pups are not numb!! They feel EVERYTHING.. I don't care if they remember it or not, it's cruel. But I do believe it effects how they run, and sit. this of course is my opinion and I feel strongly about it but I would never tell someone else what they should or shouldn't do, it's not my business.

My experience has been no problems with clotting. I used to always do the "dewclaws" as soon as they were born and they actually bled less. I would do tails day 3. Vets wont do it past 4 days. I ONCE did it at a week because the lady demanded I do it. After that I never docked again for anyone.

You might be interested in this thread: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sic...ml#post2974251. Even though some people say that there is no reason to dock the tails, I hope breeders continue to remove the dewclaws, like anything, you must be trained to do it propertly, and it's should be done early.