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my yorkies dewclaws

20 11:37:37

Question
i have a 3yr old yorkshire terrier and last week one of his dewclaws snapped off. after licking his paw for a few days after it came off he was fine but 2days ago he started to lick his other paw as if this one has started to irritate him. i have looked and his dewclaw is still there but it seems a little swollen around were it is attached to his paw. please could you tell me if i need to take him to the vets or if this is common and will settle down on its own.  

Answer
Liz,

You are experiencing one of the reasons that most purebred dogs have their dew claws removed when they are just a few days old.  Some dogs never have any problems with the dew claws and others, like yours, have problems.

Do you or your groomer cut the dew claws when he is groomed?  If not then the dew claw will grow in a circle and end up piercing the skin.  This can be very painful and it can get infected.  If it is swollen and red then it is infected and you will need to take him to the vet.  If it is just slightly swollen you could wait a few more days to see what happens.

You may want to discuss with your vet having the remaining dew claw removed so that your baby does not have to go through this again.

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