[Hawkeye Labs]

I got a call the other day from one of the buyers of a pup from my recent litter. He said he took his pup in for the 2nd round of shots and the vet noticed that one of his dew claws was growing in. The vet looked at it closer and noted that the dew claw had been clipped but obviously the root was not removed.

The pup is now over 2 months old and the vet is recommending the owner wait until 6 months of age and have the dew claw removed. I told the buyer I wanted to make things right and would be willing to cover the costs associated with such a procedure if that was what they wanted.

The buyer is apprehensive about the procedure since he had an animal die while under anthestesia in the past but I assume positives will outweigh the negatives, in his mind, in the end.

His vet quoted him nearly $200 for the procedure which seems steep for my area but I realize he is closer to a big city which makes a difference. This amounts to half of the puppy price. Although I never advertised them as having dew claws removed I pride myslef as a breeder that does everything possible to make my buyers happy with their experience. That includes matching families with certain pups based on what I feel is the best fit and stearing people away from my puppies if I feel it is a bad fit for them or my pup. Thus, no matter what the decision I will make good with the buyer in the end.

Now my question. What responsibility does the vet have in this scenario? I contacted the vet office today and was advised that they would talk to the vet and get back with me. I've had many litters of dew claws removed and this is my first problem. Last night I discussed it with my wife and she told me that when they went in another vet that helps out in the vet office on Thursdays was the one that actually did the removal and not my normal vet, whom I trust and respect very much.

My first thought was to ask my vet to do the removal in 4 months when the pup is ready but the buyer is 5 hours away so that isn't practical. I may be jumping the gun by playing out, in my mind, what the vet may or may not be willing to do to rectify the situation but I figured someone on here would want to give me their 2 cents.

So, should I shut up and pay for the dang thing already, expect my vet to make the mistake up by crediting me for future visits or what?

Thanks for your insight.

 

[Judy Chute]

Perhaps your vet will offer something that is very satisfactory..to help you out with this. Wait and see what he says?

If the owners of the pup do not want the dew claw removed..is it something that will cause problems?...or can be left as is? Just in case they are really worried due to the history they experienced with another dog..

 

[ErinsEdge]

If they are going to spay or neuter it can be done then and the extra cost would be minimal.

 

[Last Frontier Labs]

The vet I work for guarantees dew claws. If they grow back, he covers all charges.

 

[Hawkeye Labs]

Quick update. I missed his call and he offered to fix it at no charge but I just don't see that working as I said it will be a 10 hour drive for one of us and to me that isn't worth it to save a few bucks.

A question for Last Frontier. I know they say have it done when the dog is neutered but what if you aren't going to neuter it? Can this be done now or does it need to wait until the dog is old enough to be put under?

Thanks everyone for you feedback.

 

[okvet]

have your vet contact the vet who is going to do the surgery--sometimes "professional discounts" are given for other vets. They might work something out for you. It's not a difficult surgery but not a piece of cake either. It requires a general anesthesia of course and amputation usually between p2 and p3. It almost always requires bandages and an e-collar to keep the dog from chewing the sutures out. Antibiotics are usually given also.

good luck--you sound like a very responsible breeder and I applaud you!

todd

btw--when a partially removed dewclaw starts to grow back it oftens grows at an abnormal angle and can cause problems so it probably needs to be removed.

 

[Georgia.Belle]

My dew claws were not removed. When I took her in to be spayed the doctor, who I've known forever and respect, told me not to worry about it. He said that in his opinion that removing the claws at this age(6 months) could possibly cause more problems than leaving them. He knows how hard I intend to run the dog.

 

[Baron]

Is $200 really worth your time and energy to stress about this. Tell the owner you will have the claw removed free of charge if he comes back to your place, if he doesn't want to do the drive, then split the cost and ask your vet for a credit the next time you are there.