[PyrNet-L] Re: Dewclaws/entropion

["Lene Nielsen" <sandybear@intercity.dk>]

Jan (Ariege) Wrote:

>>No reason what so ever to remove the double dewclaws. Part of the Breed
Standard and should remain there. On the other hand has anyone out there
managed to breed puppies with single dewclaws such as I have done and if
so,
why does this happen?? I seem to be the only one in this country over the
years who has managed this but I don't think I'm alone on this one. I don't
have a problem with missing dewclaws at all, it's just one of those things
but I'd like to know why? Doesn't even follow that it's in a bloodline. >>

I have had this problem in one of my litters, and I tend to believe that at
least in some case it is in the bloodline. Probably one puppy with the
"problem" can occur as a coincidence in any litter, but in my case I had 2
puppies with single dewclaws on one leg and 3 puppies with insufficient
bone in one of their dewclaws out of a litter of 8 puppies. The sire of
that litter sired an other litter just a few days before mine, and they had
one out of only two puppies with a missing dewclaw. Actually I was somewhat
surprised, when the first thing the owner of the male asked me, when
hearing of the birth of the litter, was how are the dewclaws. 
Now the mother of my litter had other litters with no dewclaw problems but
one of her sons gave the problem in some of his litters, up to three
puppies with missing or insufficient boned dewclaws in some litter, in
other litters no problems at all. Could be coincidence, but could also be
that some of the bitches carried the problem and the doubling up made the
problem surface.
Now my bitch was ill when she had that litter, it was my disaster litter, 
everything seemed to go fine until the bitch was 6-7 weeks into her
pregnancy, when she stopped growing larger. At the end I expected 2 maybe 3
 puppies, but got 8 small week undernourished puppies most of whom died,
one with a deformed tail, and a sick bitch with no or little mik. Could
this have something to do with the other problem. I just don't know, but I
find the number of related dogs with this "problem" too much to be just
coincidence, I believe in the bloodline teori.
Allthough I was not pleased to see this "problem" turn up, and try to avoid
it, it is still a small thing compared to so many other problems, as it
does not in any way bother the dog, and you see it right at birth, so you
can either cull the puppy if it is a large litter, or sell it as a pet. Of
course you are not the only one who get a puppy or two with a missing
dewclaw once in a while, but not every one will admit to ever having a
problem, and a puppy with a missing dewclaw is easy to get rid of, before
anybody gets to hear of it. 

Lene Nielsen
Denmark
sandybear@intercity.dk
http://home.intercity.dk/~ic0795/