It is horrendous - they cut them off the puppies of only a few days old with sharp scissors and no anaesthetic. I personally think it is absolutely obscene and disgusting and nothing on this earth will ever persuade me that it can be anything but downright cruelty.

On the flip side - some dogs catch them all the time and end up having to have ops later on. I sometimes wish I had got Sirens (front) removed when she was spayed - she has caught them a fair few times and been lame for a while

People keep telling me about dogs who have "caught" their dewclaws, but I have yet to ever meet a dog who has.

A bit like the reasoning behind gundogs being docked ... round here we do not chop bits off our dogs unnecessarily, and I know many tens of spaniels with beautiful plumy tails who have never once caught them in brambles or anything else for that matter.

Yep, some of us feel exactly the same about electric collars!

My friends saluki had to be bandaged every time she went walking. The Vets would not remove them while she was spayed due to the dogs response under the anesthetic. Making any further ops worrying. The bandaging helped - but it was not a great solution.

Siren has caught hers making them bleed about 4 times. She has also caught them and sprained (for want of a better word) the front ones a few times.

But I guess that does not count as you do not know them....

As for docking....You chose to have your pups docked did you not? It is not something I agree with.

No, I did not CHOOSE to have them docked. In my naivety I allowed it to happen, no excuse, I had no idea what was happening until it was too late. I will never ever ever have dogs docked again - it is totally unnecessary and downright cruel.

Sorry - I was under the impression it was your bitch and your pups - therefore your choice.

Everyone makes choices - I think ones you have made are downright cruel - you are free to apply the same to other peoples choices.

Yes, and no. We were given Lizzie on the understanding that the girl who owned her would have pick on the litter from the mating that she had planned - I was very young then, probably mid 20's and totally naive. No excuse I know, but it was most certainly not my choice. The vet's wife just turned up one morning and said she was going to dock the puppies. I must have been bloody mad to allow her to do it after the first one, it was absolutely horrendous and I shall never forget it, and I should have grabbed the scissors off the foul bitch and shoved them up her nostrils, but I was not the arsey old moo that I am now and let her carry on. I am ashamed of myself and always will be, but please do not say it was my choice.

One of our crossbred dogs when I was growing up damaged her front dewclaw very badly - on a Bank Holiday Monday! always when the vets are closed - and she ended up having it removed under GA.

It might have been less of an operation for a hind dewclaw as they are usually less attached - it varies, mind! - but even so.... like our fingers, there is a very good blood supply going down to them and an accident will be messy and sore at the least.

I speak here as someone who was badly bitten by a distressed cat a week ago - blood supply to feet, hands, paws etc is full and will bleed dramatically - there was a pond of blood on the floor and I was staring in shock at my hands & wrists streaming like a water tap left on, a bit of an unforgettable experience.

My collie had them on his rear legs. They stuck out at right angles and were very floppy. He used to rip them constantly on the slats on the aframe so when he was neutered I had them removed. It was a pretty hefty op and both of them did become infected but it didn't really take much longer to heal than a badly ripped claw and he's had no trouble since. I'm really glad I had it done, it was the right thing for him but I wouldn't have it done if it wasn't causing problems.