[stephani_m2001]

Our adult rescue still have her dew claws. Should they be removed? We plan to start either fly ball or agility once she has developed more muscle according to the vet because of muscle atrophy. Should I worry about them snagging on something or are they pretty strong? She's now pretty active.

 

[Julie W]

No. If they weren't removed when under a week old I would leave them. It would be exceedingly rare that they cause any problems and it's a much bigger deal to remove them on an adult.

 

[Amelia_]

My boy has still got his dew claws (vets don't remove them in the UK anymore) never ha any problems. My friend has a labradoodle which catches them all the time however, so it's probably down to the breed and the individual dog. IMO, if it ain't broke!

 

[stephani_m2001]

Thanks. Guess i'm trying to be a little proactive. I'll leave them be.

 

[melbrod]

Just remember to trim them down the way you do the rest of her claws so they don't curve around and stab into her leg.

 

[OliviaB]

Just remember to trim them down the way you do the rest of her claws so they don't curve around and stab into her leg.

This!! My parent's sheltie still has his dewclaws and because of all the hair on his legs, they forgot they were there. Last time I went to give him a bath, I found the dewclaws so long that they were curved back and almost stabbing his skin. Other than that though, they've never caused any problems for him and he's outside and very active a lot.

 

[the_discowhore]

Removal of dew claws isn't that common in NZ and most of the agility dogs here have them, it's just show dogs here that seem to get them removed. Some breeds certainly do seem prone to injuring them, but Dobes don't seem to be one of them... just keep them clipped.

As Julie said, removing the dew claws on an adult dog is not like taking them off a puppy.. it's a painful surgery with a long recovery time.

 

[DogsR4Life]

IF they really stick out, you can use a little bit of vet wrap. I used some vet wrap on a german shepherd cross that kept catching them when running around playing with the dogs, just be careful to NOT wrap tightly, and to take them off as soon as your done.