The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) does not promote removal unless required because of a legitimate medical reason. In practice, Australian vets tend to recommend removing a dog's dew claws if they hang loosely off the paw and provide a risk for injury or if animals repeatedly injuries them.
It is not recommended to remove dewclaws unless there is a medical reason to do so, such as severe injury (a partially torn-off dewclaw) or disease (i.e., cancer).
A dewclaw injury is not the same as accidentally trimming a toenail too short, and bleeding will typically not be resolved with an over-the-counter styptic powder. "While it is not a medical emergency, owners should see their veterinarian for treatment as soon as possible," says Dr. Arce.
The first thing to do is keep an eye on your pup and see if the problem persists over time. If so then it may need medical attention from a vet. Dew claws can heal naturally eventually but there are some home remedies you can try before taking them to the vet as well!
When a dog's dewclaw is torn or broken, the “quick” of the nail is often left exposed. The quick of the nail houses the nail's nerves and blood supply, so it is incredibly painful when injured.
3-5 days of age is the ideal time for a dewclaw removal procedure because the nervous system of the puppy is not yet fully developed, although the procedure is still possible with older puppies and dogs as well.
Most, but not all, dew claw injuries may need to be bandaged. If your pet had a foot/paw bandage applied, this is usually removed by one of our veterinarians.
If your pup's nail is cracked and not bleeding, it won't require a lot of treatment. You just need to keep the claw clean until it starts healing and give your dog some pain relief. However, you can consult your vet about minimizing the chances of infection in your dog's paw.
Dogs will lick their dewclaw if it irritates them. Irritation can be caused by being too long and catching on things, being split, or due to infection within the nailbed due to allergies or repetitive licking. If your dog has caused an injury to their dewclaw, their natural reaction is to lick the wound.
Dew Claws Can Become Ingrown
For this reason, they can be ignored for so long that they become overgrown or ingrown, meaning that they can curl back toward the dog's leg and grow into their skin. This is a painful situation for your dog and can lead to infections easily as well.
Run your finger under the nail: a dewclaw needs trimming when it catches or hooks your finger. Trim it back only until your finger slides off it easily. If you cut too far you will cause pain and bleeding. Use good quality bypass clippers and make a quick, precise and confident cut.
The name refers to the dewclaw's alleged tendency to brush dew away from the grass. On dogs and cats the dewclaws are on the inside of the front legs, similarly to a human's thumb, which shares evolutionary homology.
They're located higher up on the limb than the other toes and make no contact with the ground when the dog is standing. As such, it became routine to remove the dewclaws to prevent injuries that dogs sometimes suffer when the dewclaw catches on vegetation as the dog runs, lands from jumps, and turns.
A claw can snag something or even crack in some cases, resulting in a very painful wound. Dogs need their nails clipped and filed on a regular basis, usually every 3 to 4 weeks. It is not uncommon for dog owners to wait too long between nail clipping.
Paracetamol is a very popular painkiller in humans but it can be toxic or fatal in small animals. Dogs are less sensitive to paracetamol than cats. A 20 kilogram dog would need to ingest over seven 500mg tablets in order to suffer toxic effects.
A pet with an infected dew claw will often lick or chew the effected foot and you may notice blood, pus or an unpleasant smell from the nail bed. An infected dew claw can cause pain, redness and swelling to the area.
If it is torn but still connected to the leg, then the nail will probably need to be removed completely (it will re grow). If it is broken, the broken part of the nail will be trimmed off. A bandage, pain relief medications and antibiotics to stop infections are also often required.
27.20 In England, Schedules 1 and 9 to the Mutilations (Permitted Procedures) (England) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/1100) state that the removal of dew claws is a permitted procedure with the condition that 'an anaesthetic must be administered except where the dog is a puppy whose eyes have not yet opened'.
Do dewclaws grow back? If the nail has been broken or split a dew claw will grow back in most cases. However, if the actual claw itself has been surgically removed and the germinal epithelium in the nail base is completely removed then it will not grow back.
Nearly all dogs are born with front dewclaws, however rear dewclaws are rarer.
Today, most dogs have dewclaws only on their front paws, and it is rare to find them on their back paws. However in several breeds, such as the Great Pyrenees and Briards, rear dewclaws are common, they may even have a double dewclaw! It is not uncommon for dogs with injury-prone dewclaws to have them removed.
Vets usually charge a puppy exam fee and a dewclaw removal fee for each puppy. Depending on the practice, this cost is around $30–$40 per puppy and up. People sometimes ask, “Can you remove dewclaws on an older dog?” Dewclaw removal done at a later age is a surgical procedure requiring general anesthesia.
Trim the nail to a length that cuts away the curl, but leaves visible room between the quick and the cut. It is imperative to not cut the dog's claw too short. Always opt for longer if you are unsure. You can go back and trim more if necessary, but cutting too close could cause serious pain and injury to your dog.
Do All Dogs Have Dewclaws? All dogs are born with a front dewclaw on each paw, and some of them have more: The breed standard for Great Pyrenees dogs is to have double dewclaws on each hind leg!