Thank you for providing valuable information on All Things Dog Blog. I would like to understand more about Dewclaws, their purpose, meaning and potential problems:
- Some say that the presence of dewclaws has meaning. Can you shed light on this?
- Do Dewclaws have any usefulness or purpose?
- Are Dewclaws dangerous? Should they be removed? I hear that some are, but do not know why.
Thanks, Ken
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Dear Ken,
Great questions, not without controversial answers. I’ve read that the practice of removing
dewclaws began 100-150 years ago by German breeders. To this day, some breeders
advocate dewclaw removal to create the “clean line” appearance of a straight
front leg, in other words, for cosmetic reasons.
I need to explain that there are two different types of
dewclaws—commonly called “floppy” and “attached”. Floppy dewclaws usually occur on the hind
legs of dogs and are only attached to the leg by skin. These nails are loose and freely moveable,
increasing the risk of them snagging on underbrush or carpets. Although some breeds require them for
showing, most vets (including me) recommend removal of floppy hind dewclaws at
time of spay or neuter (if it wasn’t done at 2-5 days of age).
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| A Healthy Dewclaw Nice and Short |
Attached dewclaws, by contrast, are typically present on
dogs’ forelimbs and are connected to the leg by bone. I never recommend routine removal of
“attached” dewclaws.
Why? Dewclaws do have
purpose. My dog uses his daily when
“holding” a rubber bone to gnaw.
Anatomically, dewclaws are equivalent to our thumbs. More significantly, there is growing evidence
that front dewclaws help stabilize the leg and prevent torque on the main joint
near these dewclaws, called the carpus (which is equivalent to our wrist, or a
horse’s knee). The forces applied to the
carpal joint are most pronounced in canine athletes, for example lure coursing
greyhounds, agility dogs threading through weave poles, and flyball dogs making
sharp turns at a gallop.
However this notion of the dewclaws contributing to carpal
stabilization is controversial. Many
orthopedic surgeons deny a connection, but others admit that dewclaw removal
does seem to increase the incidence of arthritis development in the dog’s
“wrist”. One study showed that cutting a tendon in the leg that attaches
to the dewclaw did produce degenerative joint disease in the carpus, supporting
the connection between dewclaws and stabilization of the dog’s “wrist”. To summarize, there is no documented proof
that removing the front dewclaws of dogs as a routine procedure results in any
benefit, but there may be evidence of the opposite.
Finally,
please remember how important it is to provide routine nail care for your
dog. Forgotten dewclaws can grow around
in a curl and embed into the dog’s skin.
Every
day I go to work I see patients with problems resulting from long nails. Here’s more information on trimming yourdog’s nails, which includes a video tutorial.
Dr. Julie Buzby is a homeschooling mom of seven, American Veterinary Chiropractic Association and International Veterinary Acupuncture Society certified holistic veterinarian, and passionate advocate for canine mobility.In her free time she serves on the Advisory Board for The Grey Muzzle Organization. She can be found at Twitter @DrBuzby and on Facebook.com/ToeGrips. You'll also find more of Dr. Julie's posts at our Ask the Vet Archives page.
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Dr. Julie's opinion or advice does not replace an actual exam with a veterinarian.
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