 |
Health Controversies:
1. Dew Claw removal or not
-
Some breeders insist on
removal of dew claws mostly for the cosmetic look. I
do not remove them as I feel that they serve a purpose.
The dewclaws on the rear feet served no purpose and
therefore with time, Pharaoh hounds no longer are born with
rear dewclaws. The front dew claws are present on
every pharaoh hound puppy and I have seen all my pharaoh
hounds use them on the coursing field, in my backyard as
well as in the house. Cosmetics is not a good enough
reason to have these dewclaws removed. Anesthesia is
not used when they are removed on newborn puppies. The
other reason that folks use to support the removal of dewclaws is that they
are concerned that the dewclaws can get ripped
off by accident running around. In 15 years of having
pharaoh hounds, I have yet to have
any of my dogs or puppies rip or damage a dewclaw.
-
A Canadian
orthopedic veterinarian,
M. Christine Zink DVM, PhD, DACVSMR, has treated many
performance dogs and has found that those with dewclaws
removed are more likely to have "wrist" injuries due to the
weakening of the ligaments as a result of the dewclaw
removal.
http://www.caninesports.com/uploads/1/5/3/1/15319800/dewclawexplanation.pdf
and
http://www.sadonalabradors.com/dewclawsinjury.pdf
2. Age to neuter or
spay
|
