Docking puppy tails

[Boinky]

Yes they do band the sheep tails for cleanliness. It can cause infections and stuff after lambing ect.

I've watched banding being done on animals (testicles, tails ect) and they never seem to be in much if any pain from it and it certainly doens't seem to last long.. now if you've ever seen an animal crimped, gelded, ect you can see the clear level of pain from those procedures. Quite frankly i've always wondered why they don't band stallions.... I'd much rather opt for that than surgical methods... always wondered if it was just a way to make money for vets.

 

[Sonya]

If you have to do it, then I would take them to the vet. If you feel your vet's office/operating room/etc is unsanitary, it's time to find a new vet! I especially wouldn't try the dew claws yourself...

I rescued a mix, 1 year old at the time, he had dew claws on his back feet...they were very dangley. We had him about a month when I noticed he was licking them all the time and one was bleeding a little...I had them removed by the vet for fear of them getting ripped off. Both of my dogs have front dew claws and never felt the need to remove them, but those back ones on the mix where so dangley. We (me and the vet) thought they were going to be a piece of cake to take off since they were so dangley....wrong...it was a very serious operation to get them off, maybe because he was older?? He required many stitches. I'm glad I had them removed though because in this dogs situation I'm sure he would of ripped them off. He is an indoor dog, but we spend lots of time outside camping/hunting/boating and being in the woods.

I don't agree to docking but unfortunately it is still accepted in our society and is a must if you want to show. I don't consider it cruel and I wouldn't flame anyone for wanting to do it...but I do stress to go to the vet to have it done. And again, if you feel the puppies are at risk for infection because of the cleanliness of your vet.....you definately need to get a new vet!

 

[Boinky]

it's not that the vets office is nessarily uncleanly..it's that there are all sorts of germs flying around in a vets office (one of them took MANY precautions including bleaching the vets table ect on her own. I know many people that had puppys contract parvo and a few other diseases because of their visit to the vets either for shots or for tails and dew claws. Think of the millions of different germs and bacteria that is floating around in a vets office (heck a doctors office or hospital for that matter). some of these diseases puppies are highly sensitive to.

dew claws are actually the easiest to preform and seem to be the least painful of the two proceedures. They can be a real problem once they are adults to take off hence one of the reasons they are done as puppies (and many can be dangly as you described which usually are problems).

 

[Neil]

Boinky, when I saw this topic I had a feeling it might take a few bad turns. I started docking tails on my litters back in the early 70's with the help of my vet. I bred and showed Kerry Blue Terrers and Norwich and Norfolk Terriers.

Rather than describe how I have done it and set off some more people if you will send me an email at [email protected] I will try to expain how I did it for over 30 years.