Thunder and Cherry's puppies went to the vet for the first time yesterday, when they were a whole three days old. We took them in to get their front dewclaws removed. It might sound strange, but in the dogsled world, its not. The front dewclaws are removed (and back ones, if they have them) in order to be able to comfortably and easily wear booties for paw protection. When they have the dewclaws, the booties can get caught on them when you're putting them on, and they can rub and get painful after a while of wearing them. Booties are usually worn when the trail conditions are harsh, like ice, or gravelly, and when they are running longer distances, just to keep the pads from wearing too much. It's done when the puppies are newborn because its not invasive then and they heal quickly. Two quick snips on each claw and a little kwik stop powder and its over. The pups barely even cry. The vet that we use is about an hour or so away, in Bruce Crossing, MI. We like this vet because he runs sleddogs too, so he understands and appreciates these athletic dogs and their sometimes unique needs. Not every vet does. We make the most of the trip and take any other dogs that need anything, too. This time, we took three other dogs that needed rabies boosters, and of course, Cherry was examined, too.
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After showing us for the first 3 pups, the vet allowed Jeremy to do
the last, so we can do it ourselves next time. |
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| Autumn came with and acted as a "handler" for the pups. |
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Cherry stayed outside for her exam and so she couldn't hear the
pups cry during the procedure. |
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| Their first ride in the dogbox. |
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