[Floppy Dog]

Hi everyone,

Need some feedback here. Our Cocker Spaniel has injured her dew pad/claw for the 2nd time. First time she split the claw. This time she split the pad. She's small for a Cocker (only 20 lbs) and she spends a lot of time in the bush. G-man takes her for long "bush wacking" trips where they will ford rivers, play fetch in the tall grass and generally give Lady the kind of workout she would get if she was a hunting dog. Bottom line, she spends a lot of time in the kind of environment where she can't see where she's putting her paws.

Does anyone have any feedback or information about clipping the dew claw & pad? I know that it is traditional to remove them in working hunting dogs to prevent injury to the tendon. I've known several pointers, larger spaniels and setters with clipped dew claws/pads. Can it be done in adulthood (Lady is almost 4) or only when a puppy? Is it recommended to prevent injuries? Are there any downsides?

Please don't get the wrong idea here, I'm not into mutilating my pets for the fun of it. All my cats have/had all their claws and Lady came to me with her tail docked, I wouldn't have done it myself. I'm more concerned about preventing a possible torn tendon in my dog since I'm not going to stop her from "bush wacking", it's the closest she's going to get to going hunting and she LOVES it. You all should see to doggy joy on her face when she realizes she's going on a long explore with G-man! She's litterally dancing on her hind legs with exitement.