Reasons Not To Remove Dew Claws

[Alkhe]

I've never had a problem with dew claws and I know of no people who have. I've also never had a dog with no dew claws as the practice is illegal from where I come from (as a preventative, not as a treatment to an already existing injury). It is considered as a cosmetic procedure the same way as tail docking and ear cropping is and really that's how I feel about it too as all of the mentioned practices have had their purposes in preventing injuries. Why is one of them still justified but the rest are frowned upon?

My reasoning would be that for the majority of breeds that originally were utility/working breeds, ear and tail docking were performed for preventative reasons as you mentioned. But the work and activities etc that justified that prevention is no longer as prevalent, so there is no longer any need for docking for most dogs and the procedures are just cosmetic.

But dew claw removal is preventing the risk of the kind of injuries that some dogs can obviously still get, just from getting them caught on things, etc. So it's not like the preventative removal was ever linked to particular activities that the dogs no longer really do.

My Whippets hunt

... In which case my post applies to your whippets.

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[moosmum]

My pup uses hers a lot. Shes very dextrous with them and its easy to see how they can be used as thumbs. I thought the pics were worth bringing up this thread again.

[Christina]

My pup uses hers a lot. Shes very dextrous with them and its easy to see how they can be used as thumbs. I thought the pics were worth bringing up this thread again.

Oh so you are in the mood to stir the pot again :laugh: Interesting photo.

[moosmum]

My pup uses hers a lot. Shes very dextrous with them and its easy to see how they can be used as thumbs. I thought the pics were worth bringing up this thread again.

Oh so you are in the mood to stir the pot again :laugh: Interesting photo.

:laugh: No stir intended!

I figure to remove or not is an individual choice with different factors to consider.But these pics seem clearer to me of the purpose well attached dew claws can serve.

[Little Gifts]

Who knew the humble canine toenail was such a hot topic!

I've always had rescue dogs so they've always had dew claws. Only one was a problem child. He was an anxious boy prone to ripping metal to shreds and digging his way through walls if he got scared so he had a couple of incidents, although none required surgery. Our only other partial problem child is my sbt who has nails that grow at the speed of sound. She was manhandled by a groomer a couple of years back and retains a fairly strong fear of anyone even lightly touching near her nails now so it is a constant battle to keep them all short. None of her nails seem to be maintained by exercise. Typical isn't it!