(Question) I have a nine-month-old female Lab that we intend to hunt for duck, geese and rabbits. She still has her two front dewclaws. Our vet says it is common to have them removed so they won't snag and traumatically tear off when hunting. However, he follows this statement by saying that he has never seen a Lab get its dewclaws traumatically torn off. So I don't know what to think. I don't want her to go through surgery if it's not necessary. Do you have any advice that will calm my nerves? --KQW

(Answer) I've not seen many torn dewclaws in my years of practice but it does occur. The best time to remove them is at three to four days of age when it is a simple matter to snip them off with sharp scissors and cauterize the wound. The next best deal is to take them off when the dog is spayed. If you have it done at the time of spay surgery be sure to protect the wound with a bandage, changed every other day, until the wounds are healed. Adult-age dewclaw removals are in a spot that is inviting for the dog to lick.

One other observation I've made is that some dewclaws are tight up to the leg and others are rather pendulous and dangle out from the leg. The latter are obviously more prone to trauma. Also, the more pendulous kind is seen in the rear dewclaws if the dog should happen to have them.

(Question) Last week we put down a one-year-old pointer. She had been sick with an "on and off again" fever, loss of appetite and lethargy. Numerous trips to the vet and specialist brought no diagnosis. She was treated with "Doxy." She did feel better for a short period of time only to relapse. We put her down because after an emergency visit for breathing trouble an X-ray was taken and they found her chest cavity full of fluid and one lung collapsed.

Our vet asked permission to do an autopsy. What he found was a lot of fluid and one lung stuck to the ribs. We were really left with no options and no answers. Extensive blood work had been done for numerous tests and joint taps were also done. We currently have no answers. Our vet did send blood and tissue samples to Texas A&M.

I am really wondering about the possibility of spear grass causing infection or any other foreign body that would cause similar symptoms. In past years I have read articles about spear grass, but I have not been able to locate them again to reference the information. --MR

(Answer) This disease is high up on my Top 10 List of nightmare diseases. This disease occurs when the foreign body is sucked in as the dog runs. The material inhaled can be spear grass in your region or any other type of small, pointed seed head. In my region (central Iowa) brome heads and other grass heads are the common offenders.