# So Angry



## DanaLachney (Feb 18, 2012)

Ok so last night I was looking at my Shih Tzu Chewy's feet and noticed something disturbing. His dew claw which I thought had been removed has grown completely around and entered into his toe!!! I take him regularly to be groomed and his groomer (not petsmart or Petco) well lets just say she hasn't been trimming his dew claw with the rest of his nails. And now it's grown into his toe badly and INFECTED!!!


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## Maggie Cummings (Feb 18, 2012)

Take pictures and document the whole thing in case you decide to make a law suit out of it. I am sorry for the dog, I certainly would start anti infection medication until you can get him to a Vet...bet that's gonna be surgery time...


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## Laura (Feb 18, 2012)

his front or back dew? 
the back ones are sometimes removed.. but not the front ones.. not sure how a groomer would miss that.. that doenst happen overnight..


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## DanaLachney (Feb 18, 2012)

maggie3fan said:


> Take pictures and document the whole thing in case you decide to make a law suit out of it. I am sorry for the dog, I certainly would start anti infection medication until you can get him to a Vet...bet that's gonna be surgery time...



I really hate to sue her because she is as sweet as can be and always does an awesome job with chewy. My best guess is she assumed like me they were removed. Now unfortunately the problem lies with the fact she handles his feet regularly and apparently she couldn't feel the dew claws? Doesn't make sense. The only medicine like that I have is for humans and it's muprocin a cream which he will like off. I called the vet and they said they can clip them but it's already entered the toe and puss comin out so idk



Laura said:


> his front or back dew?
> the back ones are sometimes removed.. but not the front ones.. not sure how a groomer would miss that.. that doenst happen overnight..



It's his back dew claws. I had a min pin she passed away but anyway I bought a min pin from a breeder and her's were already removed. Most breeders do it. My step mom doesn't but she isn't a "real" breeder. The lady I got Chewy from I thought was a real breeder he came with papers.


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## Laura (Feb 18, 2012)

they can grow back if not done right....
does your dog get shaved? 
depending how bad it is.. with certain toe nail clippers it could be done, and then start to heal. Antibiotic creams.. but vet might be best.. in case it bleeds a lot or you need good Rx...


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## DanaLachney (Feb 18, 2012)

Laura said:


> they can grow back if not done right....
> does your dog get shaved?
> depending how bad it is.. with certain toe nail clippers it could be done, and then start to heal. Antibiotic creams.. but vet might be best.. in case it bleeds a lot or you need good Rx...



I get him groomed but not shaved. And I can't get the clippers under it it's too deep and the nail is thick. Here is a pic 

View attachment 17060






View attachment 17061


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## ALDABRAMAN (Feb 19, 2012)

Laura said:


> they can grow back if not done right....
> does your dog get shaved?
> depending how bad it is.. with certain toe nail clippers it could be done, and then start to heal. Antibiotic creams.. but vet might be best.. in case it bleeds a lot or you need good Rx...


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## DanaLachney (Feb 23, 2012)

Well I took Chewy to the vet on Monday and they cut the dew claws out of his pads, fortunately they weren't deeply imbedded. So no surgery was required  and I called his groomer and she appologized but said she didn't know they were there because since he is a full blooded registered shih tzu one of the requirements is that their dew claw be removed before the breeder can register them. Bad thing is the breeder didn't do it! So she made a note on his card to make sure she trimmed them from now on


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## TotallyTank (Feb 23, 2012)

Glad you took him to the vet. It is very common problem believe it or not. It is more common with dogs that spend time outside away from there owners. Just an FYI if you have a problem like that you can use things like pediatric Tylenol for pain ect. I was a vet tech for years and most k-9 meds are pediatric human meds. My daughter got an ear infection and at the time I did not have insurance for the amoxicillin so ( not recommending this) I was able to get some from work, same yummy pink bubble gum stuff from when I was a kid!!! Glad to hear your baby is better.


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## DanaLachney (Feb 23, 2012)

Thank you  and Chewy is an inside dog  but I like the groomer assumed they had been removed shame on the breeder for not doing like she was supposed to!


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## TotallyTank (Feb 23, 2012)

Yes I saw she was an I side pup, those are the best kind!!! I was agreeing with your groomer point, I worked on the mountain so what I meant to say was most common in those dog. The kind of dogs that you wonder why people have!!! That don't get taken care of like chewy I am sure


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## DanaLachney (Feb 23, 2012)

Well on a side note I got to see two VERY beautiful Newfoundland dogs at the vet Monday  the female weighing at 170lbs also the smallest of the two came up past my waist when she was sitting down! The male weighed 200lbs!!! Chewy went crazy when they came in the animal clinic they looked like two grizzly bears lol


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## wellington (Feb 23, 2012)

That is the BIGGEST LINE OF CRAP I ever heard. NO dog has to have their dewclaws removed to be registered. Also, there is NO excuse for your groomer not to know your dog had dewclaws. I was a groomer and fired groomers for less than that. If I were you, no matter how nice and sweet she is, I would never bring my dog back to her, EVER! 



DanaLachney said:


> Well I took Chewy to the vet on Monday and they cut the dew claws out of his pads, fortunately they weren't deeply imbedded. So no surgery was required  and I called his groomer and she appologized but said she didn't know they were there because since he is a full blooded registered shih tzu one of the requirements is that their dew claw be removed before the breeder can register them. Bad thing is the breeder didn't do it! So she made a note on his card to make sure she trimmed them from now on


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## DanaLachney (Feb 23, 2012)

wellington said:


> That is the BIGGEST LINE OF CRAP I ever heard. NO dog has to have their dewclaws removed to be registered. Also, there is NO excuse for your groomer not to know your dog had dewclaws. I was a groomer and fired groomers for less than that. If I were you, no matter how nice and sweet she is, I would never bring my dog back to her, EVER!



Well I do know that on the registry paper of my Min Pin it said in the requirement section tall must be docked and dew claws removed. I'm not making excuses for her at all I agree she SHOULD have been able to feel them when she clipped his other nails or have been able too see them when she trimmed the hair around his feet. BUT my problem lies with the fact the next closest groomer is Petsmart a whole hour and a half away from me. And I will not be taking him there not after the things I've found out about them lol. I live in the country where things are not always easily acsessable unfortunately.


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## wellington (Feb 23, 2012)

Be very careful. Those requirements are for show dogs. I even called the AKC to make sure they did not change things since I was breeding and showing. Non of those things need to be done for a dog to be registered. Only if you are going to show, those things need to be done in order to show, not in order to register. I understand your concern. Does she own the shop? Scary if she does. But if not, I would talk to the owner and explain what happened and the excuse you were given. If she is the owner, well I would either still say something to her about the poor excuse she gave you and if you didn't want to do that, I would check my dog out thoroughly every time before you leave the shop. Things like that are unexceptable and ownership of it is what you should have gotten, along with the money for the vet bill, not a poor excuse. I can't imagine what else they have done. Please be very observant. I don't mean to scare you, but I kinda do also. Like I said, I was in the grooming business. You hear of a lot of horific grooming "mishaps" when you are in the business.




DanaLachney said:


> wellington said:
> 
> 
> > That is the BIGGEST LINE OF CRAP I ever heard. NO dog has to have their dewclaws removed to be registered. Also, there is NO excuse for your groomer not to know your dog had dewclaws. I was a groomer and fired groomers for less than that. If I were you, no matter how nice and sweet she is, I would never bring my dog back to her, EVER!
> ...


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## Jacqui (Feb 23, 2012)

Let's not just blame the groomer, as the dogs owner, you too should have noticed it before it got so bad. Just as when you get an animal back from a groomer, you should check it over for any problems that might have happened. The end responsibility is always the owners. ...just sayin'


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## TotallyTank (Feb 23, 2012)

Wellington having been in the business you are so right!!!! I always find that groomers skimp on the anal glands!!! YUCK!!! But still part of the job. I know from personal experience on dogs with long hair around their legs dew claws can be hard to find. I also have to say that removing the dew claws and docking tails is often just for show dogs and does. It have to be done to have them registered. I know several min pin as well as many other breeders. Are you looking for a pet or breed standard is the question.


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## wellington (Feb 23, 2012)

Purebred puppies can be AKC registered in the condition they are born in. If you are going to show the dog, then the requirements of the AKC for the peticulare breed has to be followed. This includes if the standard calls for ears cropped tails docked and dewclaws removed. Some breeders, if they have a substandard puppy in the litter like, let say in the Shar-Pei, if you get a bear coat or a flower colored some breeders won't register them as they don't want it known that they produce this. However, as long as they are purebred, they are AKC registerable.




TotallyTank said:


> Wellington having been in the business you are so right!!!! I always find that groomers skimp on the anal glands!!! YUCK!!! But still part of the job. I know from personal experience on dogs with long hair around their legs dew claws can be hard to find. I also have to say that removing the dew claws and docking tails is often just for show dogs and does. It have to be done to have them registered. I know several min pin as well as many other breeders. Are you looking for a pet or breed standard is the question.


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## DanaLachney (Feb 23, 2012)

Jacqui said:


> Let's not just blame the groomer, as the dogs owner, you too should have noticed it before it got so bad. Just as when you get an animal back from a groomer, you should check it over for any problems that might have happened. The end responsibility is always the owners. ...just sayin'



I agree with you whole heartedly but as I said in one of my earlier posts I assumed like she did that they had been removed. And if you know anything about shih tzus it's that they are VERY hairy dogs  you must know my heart dropped when I saw what had become of his two "thumb" toes and I nearly cried because of it. I care very dearly for my animals and would never want them too hurt which is why I took him to the vet right away 



wellington said:


> Be very careful. Those requirements are for show dogs. I even called the AKC to make sure they did not change things since I was breeding and showing. Non of those things need to be done for a dog to be registered. Only if you are going to show, those things need to be done in order to show, not in order to register. I understand your concern. Does she own the shop? Scary if she does. But if not, I would talk to the owner and explain what happened and the excuse you were given. If she is the owner, well I would either still say something to her about the poor excuse she gave you and if you didn't want to do that, I would check my dog out thoroughly every time before you leave the shop. Things like that are unexceptable and ownership of it is what you should have gotten, along with the money for the vet bill, not a poor excuse. I can't imagine what else they have done. Please be very observant. I don't mean to scare you, but I kinda do also. Like I said, I was in the grooming business. You hear of a lot of horific grooming "mishaps" when you are in the business.



Yes she is the owner of the shop


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## wellington (Feb 23, 2012)

Might I also add. Most GOOD breeders will have the dewclaws and the tails docked before they are even old enough to go to a new home, approx. Two weeks old. The ears, well they have to be done at an older age then the tails and dewclaws. I always had my puppies dewclaws removed, I hate them. They always seem to get torn. Some breeds, well I think it is just one breed, must not have the dewclaws removed, for show only, has nothing to do with registered. Dumb to me but, whatever


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## Jacqui (Feb 23, 2012)

DanaLachney said:


> I agree with you whole heartedly but as I said in one of my earlier posts I assumed like she did that they had been removed. And if you know anything about shih tzus it's that they are VERY hairy dogs  you must know my heart dropped when I saw what had become of his two "thumb" toes and I nearly cried because of it. I care very dearly for my animals and would never want them too hurt which is why I took him to the vet right away



Yes, I know Shih Tzu quite well, as I have in the past not only showed and trained several, but lived with one, too.  I think you need to just take this as a lesson, that you need to do actual mini physicals on your dog any time your petting, brushing or playing with him. This will help you to spot things like this or even if your dog picks up a tick. The groomer too, I hope takes this as a lesson to always check for dewclaws no matter if they know the dog lacks them.


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## DanaLachney (Feb 23, 2012)

Jacqui said:


> Yes, I know Shih Tzu quite well, as I have in the past not only showed and trained several, but lived with one, too.  I think you need to just take this as a lesson, that you need to do actual mini physicals on your dog any time your petting, brushing or playing with him. This will help you to spot things like this or even if your dog picks up a tick. The groomer too, I hope takes this as a lesson to always check for dewclaws no matter if they know the dog lacks them.



I believe she is still young in fact I know she is younger than me I'm 27 so she is still learning I guess but she had to go through some training I assume. Anyhow lesson learned by both parties  I'm usually very observant when it comes to things but sometimes things slip past you :-/ the main thing is I caught it in time before it got too bad and he is doing great and on antibiotics and was a real trooper at the vet


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## Jacqui (Feb 23, 2012)

DanaLachney said:


> I'm usually very observant when it comes to things but sometimes things slip past you :-/



That they do and more often then we would like to admit, or atleast for me. Truth is, I had something happen very close to yours. When I was in my teens, one of the dogs I owned and showed was a Lhasa Apso ( a lot like a bigger version of a Shih Tzu). I missed one of his dewclaws and caught it just as it was starting to press into the pad.  The main thing is to take these things as a life's lesson and learn from them... which I am sure you will.


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## DanaLachney (Feb 23, 2012)

Jacqui said:


> That they do and more often then we would like to admit, or atleast for me. Truth is, I had something happen very close to yours. When I was in my teens, one of the dogs I owned and showed was a Lhasa Apso ( a lot like a bigger version of a Shih Tzu). I missed one of his dewclaws and caught it just as it was starting to press into the pad.  The main thing is to take these things as a life's lesson and learn from them... which I am sure you will.



Yes Ma'am


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## Jacqui (Feb 23, 2012)

DanaLachney said:


> Yes Ma'am



*gets out the stern Mother-ish voice* "Don't Ma'am me young lady!"


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## DanaLachney (Feb 23, 2012)

Jacqui said:


> *gets out the stern Mother-ish voice* "Don't Ma'am me young lady!"



Ha you guys are great I'm so glad I found this forum y'all crack me up lol


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