Recently our vet made a big decision... they no longer remove dewclaws from puppies. We learned a lot from them after their office made this decision and we educated ourselves with a lot of reading, here is an easy read that we wanted to share with our Wild Roots Labrador families. Let us know what you think! 5 Things You Need to Know About Dog Dewclaws
And for those of you that don't have time to read the whole article check out this FAQ:
Should Dewclaws be Removed?
Because front dewclaws serve an important purpose, they should not be removed unless there is a very good reason to do so. In rare cases, a dog’s dewclaw may be severely injured or develop a disease (e.g., a cancerous tumor) and removal under those circumstances would certainly be in the dog’s best interests. These problems occur so infrequently, however, that removing healthy front dewclaws to prevent them makes little sense.
It is more common for veterinarians to remove loosely attached double or rear dewclaws to prevent injury. The actual incidence of these types of injuries is still quite low, so the value of these surgeries is up for debate. Typically the surgery is scheduled at the same time the dog is being spayed or neutered (while it is anesthetized).
Some breeds of dogs routinely have their dewclaws removed to “improve” their appearance in the show ring. If you choose to have this procedure performed it should done when a puppy is under 5 days of age and only after the area has been numbed with a local anesthetic (e.g., EMLA cream).
