puppy question

[apatz]

I was wondering if the pup should have the dew claws removed? As you can see in my signature i have a mix EM and NEO. the person i got him from did not expect this litter to happen but it did and my wife couldnt resist the pup or the price so now we have him and we are all happy. The other question is the guy just wanted to get rid of them so we got him kind of young he was 6 weeks to the day we took him to the vet thursday and he weighed 11 pounds is this good or bad?

 

[Lorri monster]

normally yes, dew claws should be removed about 3 days after birth.. if he's already 7 weeks old, the only way to do it now is to go to the vet, but i think its cruel to do it now.

 

[apatz]

thats what i was thinking and my vet also said she can do it but he should be just fine. what do you think about the weight

 

[Marrowshard]

My adopted Bullmastiff still has her dews. From what I understand, dewclaw removal is mostly done to keep an indoor dog from scratching up the floors (if there's another, more clinical reason, I'd love to add it to my "what I learned today" list). We do have hardwood floors in the house, and stick-tile elsewhere but since we already have 2 cats with claws (I also won't ever declaw cats) it's not much of an issue. My husband groans about it sometimes, but I've been gently breaking the news to him that between the cats, the furniture, and just general wear-and-tear, his floors aren't going to be mirror-finish.

~Marrow

 

[apatz]

Thanks for the info what do you all think is 11 lbs light at 6 1/2 weeks

 

[Marrowshard]

That one I don't know. I don't have a puppy (and haven't had for a looong time), but that question gets asked a lot here. I say if he's healthy and eating well and all systems *ahem* check out, he's fine. But that's just me, and like I say I haven't got the strictly puppy experience.

~Marrow

 

[J-Varns]

From what i have learned the vets really only recommend they be removed if they are "hanging" or detached from the bone, because they will sometimes snag. My Bullmastiff's are attached to her bone and the vet said that it would be more painful to the pup, with a longer healing time, if they were removed. i would check to see if they are attached or detached first, because in my opinion why cause more pain to the pup than need be . . .

 

[Cody]

The front dew claws or rear?
Front dew claws are optional. My Boxer has his, as does my CC and my future pup, according to the standard can go either way. Our dogs use theirs to hold on to things, like bones and toys, especially as they are laying on their backs being goofy .
As for weight, that sounds fine to me.

 

[TxHorseMom]

My understanding of dew claws was that they were removed to prevent breakage. They can catch on things and "break" (I guess if they are attached) and then once broken they snag on things worse and can be actually torn off (accidently by the dog).

 

[Lorri monster]

true TX, that is the main reason why they are removed, so they don't get caught on stuff n tear off

 

[Enzos Dad]

My EM pup was 8 pounds at 6 weeks so the weight sounds right to me

 

[apatz]

Thanks for all the info

 

[BelleMere03]

Thanks for the info what do you all think is 11 lbs light at 6 1/2 weeks

My EM was 11 lbs at 9 weeks if that makes you feel any better...