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If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Whippet dew claws

13 replies

Girlwhowearsglasses · 04/02/2017 19:34

Whippet puppy is 11 weeks old and from established KC breeder etc. All good. He's gorgeous.

Breeder took the litter to have dew claws removed at a few days old as is usual. Somehow the vet missed some of the claws and they've grown back - breeder v unhappy and took £100 off price.

Now puppy would need a GA to have removed. I don't care but I'm concerned about them getting infected. One was a bit red the other day but seems ok now.

Will I just have to watch them all the time? Should I bite the bullet and have them removed? Don't want to do this!

Any experiences. I had no idea about dew claws

OP posts:
toboldlygo · 04/02/2017 20:25

Are these front or hind leg dewclaws?

Catch583 · 04/02/2017 20:53

Leave them. Most dogs have their dew claws and they very rarely cause any trouble. Those in your pic are too small to catch on anything.

Original poster
Girlwhowearsglasses · 04/02/2017 21:00

They're front

OP posts:
toboldlygo · 04/02/2017 23:42

Leave them, they're meant to be there! It is absolutely not usual to have them routinely removed as puppies.

Floralnomad · 05/02/2017 00:22

I would imagine its a minority of breeders that still have dew claws removed , it's really not normal .

Original poster
Girlwhowearsglasses · 05/02/2017 00:25

I think it's more common for whippets and sight hounds because of the running at 35mph and damaging them - they tend to be quite wobbly and easily caught with long thin legs. They don't show them with dew claws AFAIK.

I'm not for procedures like this ordinarily at all at all so I'll just watch him. Thanks for the advice

OP posts:
Floralnomad · 05/02/2017 00:33

The kennel club does not support the routine removal of dew claws and having them removed is not in the breed standard for any breed , personally I think it should go the same way as docking , particularly the fact that they can be removed without anaesthetic if done before the pups eyes open .

olliegarchy99 · 05/02/2017 07:46

dew claws can be a problem in lurchers (so assume this applies to whippets and greys) as my 'lurch' has problems (he is 13) with an ingrowing dewclaw on his front leg which needed vet treatment as it curled round and grew into the leg. That said my previous lurcher had no such problems Hmm
Best to keep an eye on them and keep them short when other claws are trimmed.

Whippetgood · 17/07/2021 06:40

I think my 6 year old whippet’s left front dew claw is growing back. Has anyone else had this experience.

Whippetgood · 17/07/2021 06:42

Hi, does anyone else have a whippet?

Monsterjam · 17/07/2021 06:43

My whippet regularly rips his offhimself whilst speeding through woods etc. He never seems bothered by it and when it happens we keep wound clean and all seems fine x

79andnotout · 18/07/2021 21:42

We trim ours (greyhounds) as they do get long and break off mid run otherwise.

Wolfiefan · 18/07/2021 21:45

By growing back do you mean curving round and growing into the leg?

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