Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hopefully, I will not get too much negative feedback for this. My mother decided that during her cancer recovery she could not keep the JRT female that I bought her and I presently had a male JRT about the same age. We were in the process of relocating long distance and my mother's dog went into heat. My male JRT bred with her and we now have four beautiful JRT puppies that are three weeks old. Is it to late to take them to the vet to have their tails snipped? Thank you for your help and feedback. I do plan on having her fixed just as soon as she is done nursing.

>>Hopefully, I will not get too much negative feedback for this. My mother decided that during her cancer recovery she could not keep the JRT female that I bought her and I presently had a male JRT about the same age. We were in the process of relocating long distance and my mother's dog went into heat. My male JRT bred with her and we now have four beautiful JRT puppies that are three weeks old. Is it to late to take them to the vet to have their tails snipped? Thank you for your help and feedback. I do plan on having her fixed just as soon as she is done nursing.

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Removing the tail is an amputation, and even under the best conditions can cause unpredictable and lifelong pain to the dog. This can result in some nasty temperament problems among other things. Ask the veterinarian about the age, in fact ask at least three veterinarians before going ahead with it. I'd say no, don't do it. It's not going to be just a snip.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

I wouldnt dock tails at three weeks even if my vet agreed to do it.
Should do at around 3 days

In my opinion, it is too late to dock the tail without causing the dog undue pain, and for what purpose? I can think of no compelling reason to dock a dog's tail unless it is a show dog, and I hope those rules change. Some countries already outlaw tail docking, ear cropping and other such surgeries. Your dog should do just fine with a whole tail and I think dogs look adorable with whole tails and whole ears. I doubt you will regret not docking the tail and you may well help start a trend in this breed, a long overdue trend. I would love to see pictures of a JRT with a whole tail. As an afterthought, I would seriously question a vet who would dock a tail at this age and would suspect profit as the primary motive rather than the best interest of the pup. Let us know what you decide. You might want to read some of the messages on the miniature pinscher board as a new puppy owner there just recently made the decision to leave her pup's tail and ears the way God made them, and the pup is absolutely adorable!

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