Removing dew claws

[isabellnecessary]

My 6 year old bitch is constantly pulling out her dew claws during runs. It doesn't bother her much but I do worry about infection and also that 3yo DS may accidentally knock her leg when it's feeling tender and provoke an unwanted response (she is soft and adores him, never bitten, but you can't be too careful). I was thinking of having them removed by the vet but has anyone had this done for their dog?

Specifically:

Was the healing the same sort of time as it would be if the claw had come out by accident?

What did it cost roughly?

Much appreciated!

i had to get one of my dogs removed after he ripped it - from memory it cost about £90 - the reason i remmeber it at that cost it wasnt worth going thru the insurance
healing time was about a week

The op isn't quite the same as just having a torn claw removed. The whole of that toe (basically his thumb) is surgically removed, so essentially he won't have a flappy bit to catch on anything, he will be left with a wound flush to the leg. Healing time is the same as any op with sutures, so usually around 10 days.

He will need a general anaesthetic, I would call your vet for a quote as this varies a lot depending on area etc.

Thanks chips and Aked. She's healthy so hopefully GA won't be an issue although it does make me worry, putting her under for an operation that is for the most part unnecessary. The claws/nailbeds are obviously really weak there but short of stopping her from running on grass I'm not sure what else to do. Little booties?!

My dog had had his dew claws partially removed before he went to rescue (ie, with a penknife ).

The vet removed them properly when he was castrated since the remnamts grew oddly, and he needed a cone for 10 days, stitches removed at 14 days. He didn't seem very worried

Sorry, she, not he!

There are dog booties, but I don't think many dogs can be happy with them, and it is probably hard to get them to stay on in the first place!

Usually it is because that toe is quite loose and flappy, so gets caught easily. I suppose if you had a self-adhesive bandage, you could wrap a piece round before each walk to keep them protected? Just be careful not to do them too tight.

Then perhaps in the future should she ever need an anaesthetic, you could ask for her dew claws to be taken off at that time.