Do dogs need dewclaws?

Should dogs’ dewclaws be removed?

Opinions will differ on this subject. Some people, particularly breeders of show dogs, might argue that they serve little purpose, that they can easily become overgrown or injured, and their removal will ‘improve’ the appearance of the dog. Others, myself included, consider that the dewclaws form part of the dog’s normal anatomy. The dewclaw has five tendons attached and, when intact, the muscles of these tendons are well developed, implying they are used on a regular basis.

If the dewclaw is removed, these muscles become atrophied. This finding argues toward the dewclaw being an active appendage. Physically active and working dogs use their front dewclaws for stabilisation and gripping, and when the dog runs and turns, the dewclaws come in contact with the ground. Consequently, because front dewclaws serve several important purposes, in my opinion they should not be removed unless there is a good reason to do so.

In rare cases, a dog’s dewclaw may be severely injured, and removal under those circumstances will be in the dog’s best interest. But these problems occur relatively infrequently so routinely removing healthy front dewclaws as a preventative measure makes less sense.

Some puppies do have loosely attached dewclaws, particularly on the hindlegs, and these certainly seem to serve little purpose and can render the appendage more prone to injury. I would typically remove such dewclaws in puppies less than four days old using a local anaesthetic to provide pain relief while performing the procedure.