dew claw

[vash the stampede]

hello, brand new here. thanks for having me.
i have a 2 year old mix breed dog. i just noticed that she is always licking her right dew claw. i checked it out, and found it to be split and cracked. i plan on calling my vet tomorrow, but i was wondering what was up with that claw. is it needed? do vets remove them on older dogs?

cliff

[lou3]

no its not needed - its a vestige of the fifth toe that just hasnt disappeared fully in some dogs yet. Not all dogs have dew claws and vets will remove them in adults under aneasthetic if they get damaged. When i'm buying a dog I usually check to make sure its dew claws have been removed as a puppy before i buy it because problems like this are very common.
Your dog will be fine once the claw is removed and i garuntee it wont affect him afterwards!
Lou

[vash the stampede]

thanks lou!
my dog has a vet appointment on wed. poor girl is alway licking it. i wonder what the vet will do. i will post her decision.

cliff

[erdog3]

Whether or not the vet removes it will probably be your decision, unless it is completely damaged he will let you decide. The dew claw is still used in some breeds, like Labradors, when they are climbing steep banks to get out of water it assists in their grip.
Dew claws on the back legs are uncommon, but on the front you will find them in every breed.
Not everybody removes them, in all my years of grooming I have only had about 5% of dogs with dew claws removed.