Dewclaws: The forgotten about part of your dog’s anatomy

Dewclaws: The forgotten about part of your dog’s anatomy.

What are dewclaws?

Have you ever seen that little claw on the inside of your dog’s paw that doesn’t touch the ground when they are standing up? That is their dewclaw and although it is only small and doesn’t look like it does much, it actually plays a pivotal part in your dog’s mobility as well as other aspects of their daily lives. The term dewclaw comes from the tendency that the claw has to wipe the morning dew off grass as your dog enjoys a morning walk. It is thought to be the equivalent of a thumb for the dog and can be found on many other animals like cats and deer.

Why do some dogs have them, and others don’t?

If you’re thinking ‘my dog doesn’t have one of them!’ don’t worry, it is common for some breeders to remove the dewclaws on their back legs at birth and advertise their puppies as “dewclawed” meaning their dew claw has been removed, however the dewclaws on their front legs will remain. This procedure is usually justified because the dewclaw is a loose appendage on a dog’s paw and can easily get caught and snap. This can be very painful for a dog as the nailbed underneath the dewclaw houses a blood and nerve supply. This did happen to our Cocker Spaniel, Lola, in December 2022 when she got very excited at the arrival of one of her best friends and caught it while playing. A broken dewclaw will bleed profusely due to that blood supply in the nailbed. We shall cover other ways that dewclaws can get damaged and what to do in the moment to minimise risk of further damage later on.

What do they do?

Although these little loose digits don’t seem important when examining a dog standing still, they become very important when a dog is running and jumping. As a dog runs their paw pad flattens out and the dewclaw comes into contact with the ground. If you want to test this out, grab your dogs front paw gently and push it into the ground, the end of the dewclaw should touch the floor. While running the dewclaw digs into the ground and plays a key role in preventing the twisting of the ankle joint and the rest of the leg. There is some evidence that dogs without dewclaws are more susceptible to foot injuries because of this. If your dogs dewclaw does not come into contact with the ground when running it can start to grow and curl in on itself as it isn’t naturally being worn away from the contact with hard surfaces. In this case most vets recommend filing it down or having it trimmed regularly.

How can they get damaged?

Dewclaw breakages and tears are very common in active or working types of dogs. These include Spaniels, Retrievers and Pointers. The most common ways that dewclaws can get damaged is through play and work. Sometimes the claw can get snagged on the ground and breaks when the dog is in motion. The dewclaw can break or get damaged at several points along it and depending on how far up the break is depends on how much blood there will be and how dangerous it is. Keeping the dewclaws short is important in preventing this. We recommend using an electric claw sanding device. Dremel is the leading brand for these (Link to Amazon). The quiet electric sanding motion can keep the claw at the right length without clipping. Clipping can be dangerous as clipping off too much can be very painful for your dog and expose the nailbed.

What to do if they do get damaged?

As previously mentioned, when the dewclaw breaks it is often a very bloody scene due to the blood supply in the nailbed. The key piece of advice to remember if this happens is to stay calm. Even though there will be a lot of blood and your dog will most likely be in pain, it is not life threatening if you can stop the bleeding. To do so, apply pressure around the paw with an absorbent material. Holding this in place for 5 minutes or so should stop the bleeding. Unfortunately a broken dewclaw does mean a trip to the vets. This is because it is very important to prevent infection of the wound and your dog is likely to need pain relief. When Lola did this in December 2022, she was in a lot of pain and there was a lot of blood. However it was a Sunday afternoon and the injury did not warrant a trip to the emergency vet. Therefore we cleaned the site of the wound with an alcohol wipe and wrapped her paw up for a night. She was in a bit of pain and did not want to bear weight on it but was fine for an evening. Your vet is likely to prescribe antibiotics and pain relief unless the break is very high up the claw, in which case they may have to sedate your dog and have it removed. Once on pain relief and antibiotics, it is back to normal for your dog. The claw will naturally fall off after 7-14 days. It was also advised to us to clean her paw with salt water every time she went outside and stop her licking it to prevent further infection. We are pleased to say that Lola made a full recovery and after 7 days the claw dropped off.

We understand how anxiety-producing a broken dewclaw can be for a dog guardian and the dog themselves, but the good news is that it is highly likely they will make a full recovery and be back to themselves in no time. If your dog continues to have problems with broken dewclaws it is best to speak to your vet as there could be a deficiency in your dog’s diet or it might be best to have them removed. We hope if you are reading this because your dog has injured their dewclaw that you found it useful and remember to stay calm and seek veterinary care.

Written by Jack Fairclough

Published 28th December 2022

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