My 9 month old Yorkie lost his dew claw today when he was playing...

[gracielove]

I would get it checked out. It is a painful thing to lose. I had a dew claw that had been missed on Gracie removed when she was spayed. It was the only part of the ordeal that she seemed to be bothered by. She would lick the place where that dew claw was removed for days after the surgery. You may also need some antibiotic ointment for the area just to prevent any infection.

[Charlies Mamma]

ok I have never heard of a dew claw so I went online to see what it was and Charlie doesnt have them he never has is this ok???

[KazzyK810]

Originally Posted by Charlies Mamma

ok I have never heard of a dew claw so I went online to see what it was and Charlie doesnt have them he never has is this ok???

They are usually removed as very young puppies (about 3 days of age), at the same time their tails are docked.

[Charlies Mamma]

Originally Posted by KazzyK810

They are usually removed as very young puppies (about 3 days of age), at the same time their tails are docked.

hmmm that must be what happened then I was freaking out a little LOL

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

Not all breeders remove them some believe they are necessary and some don't.

Some also just want to save on vet fees, it takes some skill to learn how to do it properly.

[Charlies Mamma]

Is there specific purpose or function of dew claws? (learning here)

[lisaly]

This is an article written by Dr. Chris Zinc DMV. She works with canine athletes.

http://mokidocavaliers.com/wp-conten...OfTheWrist.pdf

[Teresiana]

Originally Posted by gracielove

I would get it checked out. It is a painful thing to lose. I had a dew claw that had been missed on Gracie removed when she was spayed. It was the only part of the ordeal that she seemed to be bothered by. She would lick the place where that dew claw was removed for days after the surgery. You may also need some antibiotic ointment for the area just to prevent any infection.

My boy only has one dew claw. He's a rescue, so I don't know the whole story behind why only one was removed. I was considering having it removed when he gets some baby teeth pulled. Would you recommend that? Aside from licking, was Gracie bothered by the recovery? It's not really a problem having the one dew claw...it's just difficult to trim the nail because it's so buried under a lot of hair.

[MishyMish]

Dew claws are supposedly used for traction. I don't think all dogs use them because they are too high on the leg to help with that. That's why many breeders just have them removed because the benefit outweighs the risk. Like the dew claw ripping out, the nail growing into the skin, and other complications related to these things.

[lisaly]

I attached the wrong article above. This one explains how the dewclaws help. http://problemsolversenterprises.com...xplanation.pdf

I hope your baby's paw heals and that he is no longer in pain.

[gracielove]

Originally Posted by Teresiana

My boy only has one dew claw. He's a rescue, so I don't know the whole story behind why only one was removed. I was considering having it removed when he gets some baby teeth pulled. Would you recommend that? Aside from licking, was Gracie bothered by the recovery? It's not really a problem having the one dew claw...it's just difficult to trim the nail because it's so buried under a lot of hair.

I agree it is difficult to trim the dew claw, especially on a small dog. No, it wasn't a big deal. I was surprised she even noticed it considering she had just been spayed. I would just catch her licking it for about four days after her surgery and then she just forgot about it. The site looked like they had cauterized the area after they removed the claw as there were no stitches. It was a very small scar.

It has been pretty traditional to have dew claws removed for a lot of years because many people have dogs that are outside a lot. The concern being that they catch the dew claw on something and it gets torn, much like what happened to yours. Of course cutting a dog's nails is hard enough without an extra difficult dew claw to contend with.