[Navah]

I believe they meant the dew claws were floppy, not the ears.

Oh LOL that makes sense. =) I thought it was something i just never heard of.

 

[Deuce]

If she will be under for the spay you might as well get it done then. Saves your another trip down the road.

 

[KZoppa]

the ears comments that have been made, i've actually heard of people having their shepherds ears cropped. Kinda like the crop they do on dobermans. Its very odd looking and makes you pretty furious if you see it because its not something you do with the GSD breed. as far as dewclaws go, if its not a breed like Bernese Mountain Dogs who require them as part of breed standard, they should come off. I would be a little weirded out to see a shepherd with rear dews

 

[AgileGSD]

It depends on the type of rear dewclaws she has - some dogs have rear dewclaws that are just like the front ones - well attached and flat against the leg. Those I would probably be inclined to leave on if the dog was already grown (as in not a couple day old puppy). In general though, most rear dew claws are loose and not well attached and IMO it's best to have them removed if the dog is already going in for surgery.

 

[jakeandrenee]

I had Jake's one rear floppy dew claw removed today, he didn't need anesthesia. They heavily sedated him and it took about 10 min. They kept him for the day and he has a few stitches that need to be removed in a week. I was going to wait until I neuter him but that's a long time from now and the possibility of him tearing it was becoming greater the larger it has become as he gets older. The fee was 75.00....and no risk putting him under. I will update on how the recovery goes and if he has to wear the cone of shame in a few days...

 

[Montana Scout]

can the rear dewclaws be bred out?

 

[48496]

Dakota had rear dewclaws and our vet removed them when she was spayed. She had very tiny incisions and recovered quickly and without any problems.

 

[AgileGSD]

can the rear dewclaws be bred out?

It could be but most serious breeders who have it in their lines are more concerned about more important things to do breedings based on if the parents had rear dews or carry the gene. Rear dewclaws are extremely easy to remove when the puppies are a couple days old and serious breeders do so. Chances are pretty great that if you got a puppy from a show or working breeder, you'd never know if your pup had rear dews or not unless the breeder mentioned it to you.