My dog's dew claw is angled strangely. Is surgical removal costly?

Typically, dew claws are removed around 3-4 days of age. If the claws are not removed at this age, most experts suggest waiting until the dog is spayed/neutered to have them removed. Dew claws can be removed in older dogs but it is a more costly and painful procedure. Many vets will only remove dew claws in adult dogs for medical, rather than cosmetic, reasons. If you have an older dog, contact your veterinarian to discuss the reasons for or against removal of the dew claws and the cost of the procedure which must be done under anesthesia.

Just because the rear dew claws are floppy is not a good enough reason to remove them. Should your dog hurt them frequently they can be removed when needed. Dew claws can be removed under local anesthetic provided the dog is quiet enough to hold still during the procedure. Most vets will not do this procedure unless general anesthesia is applied.

It can take awhile for a torn toenail to grow back, but I think it's a good idea to have Otto examined if he seems painful. It is nearly impossible to say how much the visit would cost - veterinary services can vary widely depending on your area and even hospitals close to each other can have different costs for services. Your veterinarian will perform a physical examination and could either recommend pain medication and continued bandaging if the nail looks okay, or might recommend sedation to clean the nail area, antibiotics, pain medication or even x-rays if there are concerns about the appearance of the nail base. I often recommend a cone or e-collar as well to prevent licking. You could always call your vet in the morning and ask about the cost of a physical exam, and then request an estimate for recommended tests and treatments once your vet has a chance to see the nail.

This will depend on the veterinarian and the location of the veterinary office.. The vet will likely charge an exam , cutting the nail, and , depending on whether there is an infection or not, some antibiotics.

He can live with out and most people have them removed as puppies as they tend to cause problems for some. the nails never touch the ground so the nail can get ingrown and long and scratch easy or get caught in blankets and rugs when laying down. They serve no purpose to a domestic animal

The price will depend on the type of sedation used and also varies from area to area and vet to vet. I do not understand why your veterinarian is not giving you a quote. I suggest you call a few vets in your area to find out. You could also take your dog to a veterinarian for the nail clip, but make sure that they know that he is difficult. There are a lot of very good techs that are good at dealing with difficult dogs and with a muzzle (and possibly some sedation before bringing him in, in exceprional cases) they may be able to do this.

They won't take Brent away and put you in jail for not clipping his nails! It sounds like he does need his nails clipped, and if you are having trouble doing it yourself, I would take him into the vet. The good news is that getting your dog's nails clipped is actually really cheap as long as he doesn't need a sedative to do it. Typically it costs between $10-$15 to get it done. Not much at all! I would call local clinics to get their price, and make an appointment for him. I hope this helps!