Please help dewclaw queation

I posted on this about a year ago and wish I could find my post. here is my dilemma.

Wylie is continually injuring her front dewclaws they now get hurt more because they grow outward and are easier to snag and get hurt.


the vet wants to remove them and say its no big deal. She is 8 years old and I just worry about surgery, but she also has a tooth her front fang that eventually will need to be removed, cant remember the name of whats wrong but it had trauma so it turned pink. So I amthinking of doing both

any toughts on this dewclaw removal??

 

If Wily has to go under for the tooth and the injuries to the dew claws being an ongoing problem it shouldnt take too long to take them off.
The dilemma with doing dental work and another surgery is there can be an added risk of infection (infection getting into the bloodstream easier via the gums) although if the vet knows ahead of time he may recommend an antibiotic course starting about a week earlier.

Some vets dont seem to worry about it, some do and Ill be honest with working in emergency sometimes weve had to remove fractured teeth as well as suture up wounds on the body....and all within an hour after the dog eating a full meal....and theyve come through okay (as long as there werent any life threatening injuries to begin with).

Also would recommend pre-anaesthetic blood work due to age (routine).

 

thanks Delauk, I forgot about the foot/mouth associations, 2 years ago I
had foot surgery scheduled went in for pre-op, any health issues, I said no - as an afterthought as I was leaving I told the nurse, my gums had been bleeding a lot lately, she brought the Dr back and he said yes thats a huge problem go see the dentist now. so I did and had a gum infection and had to cancel my surgery until my gums healed. I would never have thought of that!

its just the surgery thing makes me nervous, but if removal of teh dewclew is a simple operation, I should have it done because even though she is 8 her energy ever is sky high

 

Its not as quick as rear dewclaw removal but all the ones Ive seen have only taken about 10 minutes or so (per dew claw) and sometimes not that long. The after care, the vets Ive seen in US usually put a couple of sutures in, the vet that works here at the shelter just uses skin glue and then they need to stay bandaged for about a week....personally I think they heal better/faster with the sutures.

 

Delauk another question , the vet wants to keep her overnight and also also on iv fluids, is that typical?

geez, I had major foot surgery and and went home an hour after it was done

 

Aaaah, but when you had foot surgery your doctor could tell you "If it hurts don't do that. Even if it doesn't hurt, don't do that." You can't tell a dog the same thing and expect him to "...not do that." Your vet doesn't have any insurance companies breathing down his neck to keep costs down either.

The doctor may also want to keep her overnight because of the tooth/dental problem, not the foot surgery.

 

Its probably better to keep her in overnight, again her age is most likely the reason, its recommended that they dont eat from the night before surgery and a lot of pets wont eat for about 12 to 24 hours after, also eating or drinking too soon after anaesthesia can result in vomiting, so keeping her on fluids is a good thing, just kind of keeps everything running smoothly in her system, she wont get dehydrated. Plus as shine says you cant tell a dog to sit still and not use the foot, keeping her confined will cut down the risk of over doing it which could cause the gum or the foot to bleed so soon after surgery.
Personally if she were my dog I would expect them to at least tell me they wanted to keep her in.

 

thanks, that makes sense about the fluids and overnight stay, now I just need to come up with $400

 

Ah! cant help you with that one...sorry.

 

My vet charged $300 to x-ray Nala's leg and tell me it was nothing, LOL.