and w/in five minutes of being there Fletcher got poop on himself and Bella tore her dew claw and had blood running down her leg. My poor baby, it didn't seem to bother her at all, she kept running around and playing. If anything it bothered her more that we were leaving so quickly than her losing her nail. I try to keep it trimmed and it wasn't very long and I have no idea what it might have caught on... thankfully the bleeding has stopped. Does anyone know about older dogs getting them removed? I'm thinking when I get her fixed that I'll see if they can remove them while she's still under, or would that be bad? It's not like getting a cat declawed, or is it? I just don't want to have to worry about this in the future anymore but also don't want to hurt her to get it removed at an older age...
__________________ If you don't want dumb answers, don't ask dumb questions
You can get dew claws removed in older dogs but it is a bigger deal than with puppies. It is advised that it is done soon after birth, but as that is obviously not an option, I would recommend that you talk with your vet about doing it when she's already under sedation. It will probably require a stitch or two, but not much beyond that. And it's not like getting a cat declawed--with that, they amputate the first joint of the toe where the claw is at--cats use their claws/paws. Dogs don't use their dew claws and as you have relayed in your experience recently, they do often get caught on things while the dog is playing.
I have never had them removed and have never had a problem. I had always heard and always doubted that a dog with a dew claw was immune to snake bite. Turns out it is an old southern myth. My vet said it just ain't so. I hope your Bella is doing better and Fletcher is all clean again.
Thank you for the advice and well wishes. Not that I've had a lot of dogs, b/c I haven't, but she's the first dog that didn't have the dew claws taken care of when she was a baby and I didn't get her right when she was still a tiny pup. I do plan to talk it over w/ the vet, but wanted to hear your opinions. Again, thank you. She seems to be doing fine now and Fletcher is clean and soft.
karefree, I had never heard that! Very strange myth.
__________________ If you don't want dumb answers, don't ask dumb questions
My dog has the same thing, the dew claws are still on him and the vet said it was ok to take them out while he's getting neuter. So it is possible to get it removed, but then another vet said if you're not planning to have your dog hunt then the dew claw shouldn't be a problem and it shouldn't be removed. So it's up to the owner.
went to the dog park today
My poor baby, it didn't seem to bother her at all, she kept running around and playing. If anything it bothered her more that we were leaving so quickly than her losing her nail. I try to keep it trimmed and it wasn't very long and I have no idea what it might have caught on... thankfully the bleeding has stopped. Does anyone know about older dogs getting them removed? I'm thinking when I get her fixed that I'll see if they can remove them while she's still under, or would that be bad? It's not like getting a cat declawed, or is it? I just don't want to have to worry about this in the future anymore but also don't want to hurt her to get it removed at an older age...
Not that I've had a lot of dogs, b/c I haven't, but she's the first dog that didn't have the dew claws taken care of when she was a baby and I didn't get her right when she was still a tiny pup. I do plan to talk it over w/ the vet, but wanted to hear your opinions. Again, thank you. 
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