Pet Information > Others > Pet Articles > Dew Claw Injury and Removal

Dew Claw Injury and Removal

2016/5/4 10:19:36

I will discuss in this article my experience with dew claw injury and removal. It's one very important aspect with respect to dog health. The dew claws on a dog are located several inches up on either their front or rear legs or both. Some dogs are not born with them. Some only have very small ones and others have ones that grow quite long.

One day our dog was out in the woods with us and was hunting rabbits as usual. The brush is somewhat dense and there are many trees on our land. We heard a distinctive yelp like he was in pain and we soon saw him limping back to us. We knew almost right away what had happened again.

This was the fourth time that this dog had suffered a due claw injury. It was time to have them removed. We made an appointment with the vet that day and he was taken in for the minor surgery. He had to have his legs wrapped in a sort of cast for about a week or so. It was not a big deal for him after a while. He looked and acted rather pitiful, but he swas fine with doing both legs at once.

When he suffered a dew claw injury, one of is claws would catch on a tree branch or something and get pulled way back. It would go back so far that it would break it down on the bone where it was attached. There would usually be blood present so the danger in a dew claw injury is that an infection could set in and develop in the bone. These types of infections are often life threatening. So if you dog suffers this joint injury due to a severe dew claw injury or rips any other claw very badly, always take him or her to the vet. They may only clip it off and then give her or him antibiotics to prevent infection.

It is OK if the only clips the dew claw, but it will grow back and only happen again. It is best to have a surgery where they can go in and remove the root of the claw so it won't grow again. Many people have the dew claws removed when the dog is only a puppy. In this case, the "surgery" is not nearly as serious and can be done without general anesthetic.

A dew claw injury and removal is not a fun thing to go through for you or your dog. But once they are removed, it never has to happen again. The cost depends on your vet and the area you live in. Our dog's dew claws cost $200 to remove. But it was money well spent.

See our Cactus Canyon website for more information about treating arthritis using all-natural supplements such as glucosamine for dogs. Our products are extremely effective for safely treating arthritic joint disease.