# Irritated dewclaw?



## Grey (Jul 6, 2012)

My boyfriend was cleaning Quinn's paws off today after she decided to go for a cruise in the mud. She started crying out when he touched one of her dewclaws. He tried again, and she was uncomfortable again. I took a look at it and, while it's not bleeding (and I haven't found any blood around the house), it does appear "loose." She doesn't like having it touched and has been licking at it.

Am a bit worried that I did this -- have been trying to clip their nails myself lately and always just take a bit off. She likely just snagged it on something while rough-housing with Riggs, but can't help feel a bit guilty.

Have read online that you should cut it as short as possible, but am not sure if that's true. Do I see how it is in a week or so? Any experience with this?


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## Grey (Jul 6, 2012)

Update - if it happens to you... I just kept putting solution on it and eventually it just fell off one day and the new nail was growing underneath it. Hum!


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

Is it a hind dewclaw? some are more troublesome than others. Before I got Richter the shelter had his hind ones taken off when they had him neutered. His hind dewclaws were very lose and just hung there. I think the way he is that if they had not I would have had a problem with them. Seems to me some dogs have ones that are not just hanging there by the skin and have more of a bone attached to it like the front ones.

None of my other dogs have hind dewclaws but I will have to check my dads border collies I know they had his last ones taken off because they were like Richters but I know his old dog still has hers.


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## Grey (Jul 6, 2012)

Nope! Was a front dewclaw. It seems to be doing much better, but I keep checking it. Am very happy that I didn't over-worry and head to the vet -- sometimes, I worry too much and have went for reasons where I probably didn't need to.


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

Ya I have done the same thing but with things like that I usually do it myself. Marlo once tore a nail on her front foot, not the dewclaw but she was bleeding all over the place. We were on our way up to my dear hubby's parents cabin and I just wrapped it with vet wrap and it quite bleeding. It healed up just fine.


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