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Ingrown dew claws



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 11th 06, 10:20 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.health
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Default Ingrown dew claws

I dropped my daughter off at a new friend's house this afternoon and
wasn't gone 5 minutes before my cell phone rang. It was my daughter.
She sounded really odd - sort of tense and strangled - and she asked me
if I could please come back *now* with the dremel tool and look at her
friend's dog's feet.
I circled back around, grabbed the dremel from the back of the van and
had a look. The dog was a 21 year-old, three-legged beagle who could
barely walk. His family had assumed that it was just old age, but his
nails were so overgrown they had curled around to the side and under and
were in danger of cutting into his pads. Working with the dremel and
the guillotine clippers, after about 45 minutes I was able to get the
toe nails trimmed back to where they were no longer touching the ground
when he stood.
But the dew claws had grown into a circle and the tips were imbedded in
his flesh. There was no place to start with either the clipper or the
grinder. There is no doubt in my mind that the dog needs to be seen by
a vet, and I told the girl as much, but I suspect that finances are a
major issue. The only way I can imagine to do it would be to use a
cutting wheel head on the dremel to (carefully!) remove a chunk of the
middle of the claw, then back the amputated tip end of the nail out of
the flesh. And I don't know if I'm up to that.
Is there any method or technique I can use to deal with this with any
degree of safety if they can't/won't take him to see the vet? If not, I
will pony up the vet fee myself to get this poor old boy seen to.
It made me feel really good to see the old guy's lameness miraculously
cured when we finally set him down, but the dew claw thing just really
gives me the heebie-jeebies.

Kathleen

  #2  
Old February 12th 06, 02:24 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.health
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Default Ingrown dew claws

The dog was a 21 year-old


21 years old! wow, I hope I get that long with my dogs.



  #3  
Old February 12th 06, 05:26 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.health
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Default Ingrown dew claws

MauiJNP wrote:
The dog was a 21 year-old


21 years old! wow, I hope I get that long with my dogs.


21 years old at the bare minimum (he was a rescue). And yeah, me, too.

Kathleen

  #4  
Old February 12th 06, 02:55 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.health
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Default Ingrown dew claws

If it's embedded I would be more inclined to have the vet do it. You may be
able to clip it but tugging it free could be darn painful and it may be
grown in so much it requires some surgery.

Celeste

"Kathleen" wrote in message
...
I dropped my daughter off at a new friend's house this afternoon and
wasn't gone 5 minutes before my cell phone rang. It was my daughter. She
sounded really odd - sort of tense and strangled - and she asked me if I
could please come back *now* with the dremel tool and look at her friend's
dog's feet.
I circled back around, grabbed the dremel from the back of the van and had
a look. The dog was a 21 year-old, three-legged beagle who could barely
walk. His family had assumed that it was just old age, but his nails were
so overgrown they had curled around to the side and under and were in
danger of cutting into his pads. Working with the dremel and the
guillotine clippers, after about 45 minutes I was able to get the toe
nails trimmed back to where they were no longer touching the ground when
he stood.
But the dew claws had grown into a circle and the tips were imbedded in
his flesh. There was no place to start with either the clipper or the
grinder. There is no doubt in my mind that the dog needs to be seen by a
vet, and I told the girl as much, but I suspect that finances are a major
issue. The only way I can imagine to do it would be to use a cutting
wheel head on the dremel to (carefully!) remove a chunk of the middle of
the claw, then back the amputated tip end of the nail out of the flesh.
And I don't know if I'm up to that.
Is there any method or technique I can use to deal with this with any
degree of safety if they can't/won't take him to see the vet? If not, I
will pony up the vet fee myself to get this poor old boy seen to.
It made me feel really good to see the old guy's lameness miraculously
cured when we finally set him down, but the dew claw thing just really
gives me the heebie-jeebies.

Kathleen



  #5  
Old February 12th 06, 04:39 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.health
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Default Ingrown dew claws

In article zAwHf.2030$lG.446@trndny01, "Spot" wrote:

- If it's embedded I would be more inclined to have the vet do it. You may be
- able to clip it but tugging it free could be darn painful and it may be
- grown in so much it requires some surgery.

Or at least some antibiotics.

--
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~~~~~~
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today than I was yesterday." -Adlai Stevenson

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  #6  
Old February 12th 06, 02:57 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.health
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Default Ingrown dew claws


"Kathleen" wrote in message
...

But the dew claws had grown into a circle and the tips were imbedded in
his flesh. There was no place to start with either the clipper or the
grinder. There is no doubt in my mind that the dog needs to be seen by
a vet, and I told the girl as much, but I suspect that finances are a
major issue. The only way I can imagine to do it would be to use a
cutting wheel head on the dremel to (carefully!) remove a chunk of the
middle of the claw, then back the amputated tip end of the nail out of
the flesh. And I don't know if I'm up to that.


..........what a savior you were to this pup! How did he take to all the
grinding and cutting? If he was OK, I think I'd just bite the bullet and do
it if you can make yourself. Does he react when you touch the nail? Take a
really good look at it and maybe draw a crayon line where you want to cut,
get a couple of people to gently restrain him and give one a go. Maybe put
something between the nail and the paw to keep from going too far. How many
dew claws does he have? OTOH I wonder if a groomer would have a
technique/tool for this situation? Perhaps worth a call.

buglady
take out the dog before replying


  #7  
Old February 12th 06, 05:26 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.health
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Default Ingrown dew claws

buglady wrote:
"Kathleen" wrote in message
...


But the dew claws had grown into a circle and the tips were
imbedded in his flesh. There was no place to start with either the
clipper or the grinder. There is no doubt in my mind that the dog
needs to be seen by a vet, and I told the girl as much, but I
suspect that finances are a major issue. The only way I can
imagine to do it would be to use a cutting wheel head on the dremel
to (carefully!) remove a chunk of the middle of the claw, then back
the amputated tip end of the nail out of the flesh. And I don't
know if I'm up to that.



.........what a savior you were to this pup! How did he take to all
the grinding and cutting?


There was a lot of groaning and mumbling but he was amazingly tolerant.
The girl was in tears, though, which got my daughter going. And
since nobody cries alone in my presence, of course I welled up, too. It
was a freakin' awful situation, and by the end of it we were all covered
in tear-streaked beagle dust.

If he was OK, I think I'd just bite the
bullet and do it if you can make yourself. Does he react when you
touch the nail?


No, not really. I suspect I'm more bothered about it than he is. But
oh god, they are big thick nails, and they're in there really deep.

Take a really good look at it and maybe draw a
crayon line where you want to cut, get a couple of people to gently
restrain him and give one a go. Maybe put something between the nail
and the paw to keep from going too far.


That's what I did with some of the curlier toe claws - stuck a piece of
cardboard between the claw and the pad to keep from accidentally
grinding living tissue. I think for doing the dew claws I'd want
something sturdier than a piece torn off of a kleenex box, though. A
piece of plastic. Maybe a section cut from a fast food cup. Getting
the dew claw out will involve cutting towards the leg and I'd want to
make damned good and sure I don't go to far.

How many dew claws does he
have?


Two. Both front, no back.

OTOH I wonder if a groomer would have a technique/tool for
this situation? Perhaps worth a call.


I'm going to call the vet Monday. They use the same vet I do. Maybe
she'll have some thoughts.

Kathleen

  #8  
Old February 13th 06, 01:06 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.health
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Default Ingrown dew claws


buglady wrote:
"Kathleen" wrote in message
...

But the dew claws had grown into a circle and the tips were imbedded in
his flesh. There was no place to start with either the clipper or the
grinder. There is no doubt in my mind that the dog needs to be seen by
a vet, and I told the girl as much, but I suspect that finances are a
major issue. The only way I can imagine to do it would be to use a
cutting wheel head on the dremel to (carefully!) remove a chunk of the
middle of the claw, then back the amputated tip end of the nail out of
the flesh. And I don't know if I'm up to that.


.........what a savior you were to this pup! How did he take to all the
grinding and cutting? If he was OK, I think I'd just bite the bullet and do
it if you can make yourself. Does he react when you touch the nail? Take a
really good look at it and maybe draw a crayon line where you want to cut,
get a couple of people to gently restrain him and give one a go. Maybe put
something between the nail and the paw to keep from going too far. How many
dew claws does he have? OTOH I wonder if a groomer would have a
technique/tool for this situation? Perhaps worth a call.

buglady
take out the dog before replying



Another thing to try is using the big orange handled clippers that cut
with a more scissors action. ( I have done this on clients' dogs with
overgrown nails.) Take them and work them so that the edge of the nail
at the place where it is grown into the flesh is in the cutting
position. Then clip. If you don't have someone that can restrain the
poor dog's head you may want to muzzle him. also be prepared with some
quickstop though you probably won't need it. And once the nail is no
longer imbedded you can either "shave" bits of it off with either set
of clippers or maybe get the dremel in to grind it down.
Good luck and I'm glad someone cared enough to take care of the old
boy's feet.

Beth

  #9  
Old February 13th 06, 01:46 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.health
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Posts: n/a
Default Ingrown dew claws

wrote:
buglady wrote:

"Kathleen" wrote in message
...


But the dew claws had grown into a circle and the tips were imbedded in
his flesh. There was no place to start with either the clipper or the
grinder. There is no doubt in my mind that the dog needs to be seen by
a vet, and I told the girl as much, but I suspect that finances are a
major issue. The only way I can imagine to do it would be to use a
cutting wheel head on the dremel to (carefully!) remove a chunk of the
middle of the claw, then back the amputated tip end of the nail out of
the flesh. And I don't know if I'm up to that.


.........what a savior you were to this pup! How did he take to all the
grinding and cutting? If he was OK, I think I'd just bite the bullet and do
it if you can make yourself. Does he react when you touch the nail? Take a
really good look at it and maybe draw a crayon line where you want to cut,
get a couple of people to gently restrain him and give one a go. Maybe put
something between the nail and the paw to keep from going too far. How many
dew claws does he have? OTOH I wonder if a groomer would have a
technique/tool for this situation? Perhaps worth a call.

buglady
take out the dog before replying




Another thing to try is using the big orange handled clippers that cut
with a more scissors action. ( I have done this on clients' dogs with
overgrown nails.) Take them and work them so that the edge of the nail
at the place where it is grown into the flesh is in the cutting
position. Then clip. If you don't have someone that can restrain the
poor dog's head you may want to muzzle him. also be prepared with some
quickstop though you probably won't need it. And once the nail is no
longer imbedded you can either "shave" bits of it off with either set
of clippers or maybe get the dremel in to grind it down.
Good luck and I'm glad someone cared enough to take care of the old
boy's feet.


I've got a pair of wire cutters that would probably do the trick. And
while I'd be game to try the one side, the other is embedded so deeply
that I'm not sure that the claw isn't impinging on or even wrapped
around the inner structures of the leg. I've never seen anything like it.

The girl's mother has agreed to take the dog to the vet. She was amazed
to see the old boy gallumphing around the backyard. But if he hasn't
been seen to by the end of the week I'll take him myself next week.

Kathleen

  #10  
Old February 13th 06, 02:35 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.health
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Default Ingrown dew claws

On Sun, 12 Feb 2006 18:46:20 -0600, Kathleen
wrote:

The girl's mother has agreed to take the dog to the vet. She was amazed
to see the old boy gallumphing around the backyard. But if he hasn't
been seen to by the end of the week I'll take him myself next week.

Kathleen


Bless your heart! It is people like you who make me continue to
believe that there are good heart & minds in the world!
-----
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