doing your own puppies dew claws?

arabianequine

Crowing
9 Years
Apr 4, 2010
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Is it legal to do this yourself?

What states is it legal and not I don't know if it is or not I would hope not and don't think it should be.
 
It is legal here in Washington State. I live here too. I have done tails and dew claws at home on my own puppies and also helped my friend with her GSD pups.

How do you do it? I have seen it done several ways. It is BEST to removed dews after the pups are two days but no older than three days. This is because you don't want to wait for the toes to be growing fast and gaining nerves and lots of connective tissues -- and -- if they are fully articulated (meaning there is bone holding them on) then you definately want to do them early so the bone dosen't harden.

Removing a body part from an animal is brutal. Young or not, it is not a thing that will make you feel really good.

I have done it on small breed puppies with human toenail clippers. It is fast and accurate, not to mention the clippers are very sharp and easy to sterilize. There is a better way though if you have larger breed puppies (such as a Lab or Shepherd)

Get a hemostat surgeon tool (you can order them just about anywhere online that sells medical supplies). Clip the hemostat to completely dislocate the dew claw. The pup will squeal (
sad.png
). Then have a scalpel or a razor ready to cut. You can use the hemostat as a guide to make a very clean cut, the puppy won't feel the cut at all due to the hemostat clamp. Have some styptic powder ready, before removing the hemostat you apply the powder to the wound. Go as fast and accurately as you can and the pups should have minimal pain. Usually they go back to nursing without hesitation.

IF your puppies are older than three days..I wouldn't do it yourself, take them to a Vet and have it done.
 
How can I find out if it is legal in other states? I would never do it myself I couldn't.

So if they grow back it was not done right or what?
 
I have never heard of a toe regenerating. If a toe was to "come back" after it was removed I think I would be very suspcious it wasn't totally and properly removed in the first place.

May I ask why you are trying to find this out?
 
My younger Doberman has a partial dew claw because it wasn't done right. Now we have to make sure we clip the nail because it grows funny. There is no actual toe there just a nub and a nail that curs back and will grow into the leg if we don't keep it trimmed. We got him from a breeder, we did not do it our selves.
 
You need to know what you are doing, (I am a registered Vet Tech) and do it at exactly 3 days old. More than 5 days old is cruelty. If you don't get the little white round bone out, it may grow back.
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Quote:
Jamie this is exactly y......

exactly y same here and they did do them selves....but I feel if it was done by a vet it would have been done properly and would not be in this position....I needed it done for show and asked if done and they said it had to be done for akc standards

both back paws have been there since the day I got my pup it is on the vet records I had done the day after getting my pup now 6 months old. the fronts feel funny but can't see anything or feel the nails.

expensive to have redone even back when pup was 8 weeks I was told just $175 for one.
 
When I used to have puppies I took off the dew claws myself at about two days of age. I had a very small, very sharp pair of sidecutters and I clipped the dew claws off as close to the base as I could. I would remove the dewclaws on all four feet. Very little bleeding. Maybe a drop or two. I have no idea whether my clipping the dewclaws was legal or not. Didn't care either.
 
I wouldn't think it would cost too much to get them done. We are getting our pups done with the fixing, I highly doubt he would want that much even though in our city vet care is expensive!
 

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