Lurgee wrote: »

I'm a vet. If a stranger came to my clinic blatantly looking for a vet to cut tails off pups no questions asked, I would tell them to sod off. Perhaps you need to build a relationship with your own vet?

How do you feel about the debate on tail docking Lurgee do you feel it's right to dock the tail of a working dog at 4 day old to save it from been injured at a later stage in it's life.

snipe49 wrote: »

How do you feel about the debate on tail docking Lurgee do you feel it's right to dock the tail of a working dog at 4 day old to save it from been injured at a later stage in it's life.

I'm skeptical of any benefits to be honest. We'd a working spaniel we raised ourselves and over 10 years we didn't see any disadvantage to not having the tail docked.

electrichunter wrote: »

hi lads , personally i am in favour of docking tails to working dogs and maybe a system of showing a vet your gunclub membership or licence would put a lot of docking for cosmetic purposes to bed , and on another note a workmate of mine has a juck russ after having pups and i said i would take one as a pet for the kids so he told me today he is having them docked by a lady down the road so i told him its against the law now and he never knew about it , where will i stand now if i buy a pup thats docked or how am i to know if it was done all above board.

If it came to you would be liable, I'm afraid. However it's unlikely that it would be brought to the attention of anyone interested unless the dog was a welfare case or is straying and picked up by the warden. Done legally you should get a copy of the vets letter stating it has been done in accordance with the legislation.

sniper83 wrote: »

Im in the same boat, my bitch due the 2nd week in June all going well. Asked the vet and he said he can't do it because he was advised not too by the vetinary council, even though it's perfectly legal as all I have are working dogs . I would'nt mind but my father has used him for the last 30 years with stock on the farm.
Could a vetinary nurse do it and issue the paperwork?

No, a vet has to do it.

It's the tail wagging side to side in brambles and the like that causes the damage. I've never really had ear damage on mine but they do get scratches on their muzzles/faces from pushing into bramble/bracken/gorse to retrieve birds.

snipe49 wrote: »

How do you feel about the debate on tail docking Lurgee do you feel it's right to dock the tail of a working dog at 4 day old to save it from been injured at a later stage in it's life.

I'm not a frequent poster on here so sorry for the late reply. No, in theory I am opposed to all mutilations of animals including those that are done for perceived welfare benefits. That includes docking puppies tails, lamb and piglet tail docking, teeth, wing and beak clipping etc.

BUT...in theory is all very well but until our farming husbandry practices catch up with animal welfare research, a lot of those procedures are unfortunately necessary.

So in a situation where a regular client whos dogs are known to me (and not just in the 'call the fire brigade' situations but for yearly checks, vaccs etc) and who has all the paperwork to back up the claim and who has a genuine concern for the dogs and where I feel there is a legitimate threat of tail damage in the future, I would do the procedure. I would have a damn good go at trying to persuade him to change his mind first though...

Lads, DoneDeal will no longer take ads that include pictures of dogs with docked tails. Friend of mines ad was rejected around late September for a litter of GWP pups - he had to take other pictures with the pups tails hidden. Has anyone else had this problem?

the difference would be if you could dock your dogs tail to stop the unnecessary pain your dalmatian is having every-time that tail opens up i think you would. With working dogs the amount of blood they loose if that happens in the field is unreal/.

Imagine a dog that both sides of their body drenched in blood :eek: thats what happens with a working dogs tail if it isnt docked and bleeds while in the field, aint pretty

Hi,

It's a pitty DoneDeal wouldn't take the same firm line when it comes to some of the people they allow to advertise the sale of puppies. One I can think of, has been little better than a puppy farm in the past five years and I suspect must be doing damage to the couple of bitches they have.


Getting back to the issue of docking, while I appreciate the point previously made by one or two of the vets here, when it comes to a stranger ringing them asking for tails to be docked... the flip side of it is, what happens when your existing vet who you have been going to for a couple of years, tells you they won't dock a tail ? You have to go somewhere else, odds are your bitch is pregnant and you don't have a lot of time to start building up a new relationship with another vet etc.

The simple solution is for a list to be published, of vets who will / will not dock tails and remove dew claws. That way, people can pick their vet in the knowledge of their policy, from an early stage.

While everyone is entitled to their view and make a decision for themselves etc. people who do not have first hand experience of hunting with dogs in the field really would benefit from some personal experience before taking a stance on this issue.

Springwell wrote: »

If it came to you would be liable, I'm afraid.

How would you be liable if you bought a dog with a docked tail?

Apart from exemptions, it is illegal to dock the tails but it's not in legislation that you can't buy a dog that has already had its tail docked.

jonon9 wrote: »

Almost 2016 and people still dock tails. :rolleyes:

What a silly post :rolleyes: