extra toes and dew claws=me confused

[DivaDog]

ok, I have some toe questions. What is a dew claw (sp?) Is this the funny toe that is sortof in the possition of a thumb? I have heard so many things I don't know what is fact and what is fiction. Do the dew claws fall of by themselves? Do they have to be removed?

The reason I ask all this is that Zitoe has an extra toe on one of her back feet, it is really floppy and I think it is so cute (it's where she got her name). I know this isn't terribly uncommon. Our vet knows it's there and didn't say that it was bad, really didn't say much at all except that that was her rottie side showing. I've had all sorts of people though telling me I need to have it removed and have had soooo many different reasons as to why. I hate to do it if it's unnecessary, but if it's going to cause some kindof harm I don't want to leave it.

Please, someone, enlighten about the world of doggie toes:D

[CarolineS]

The dew claws are what you described, the sort of floppy ones, higher up than the rest and on the inside of the leg. They do not fall off by themselves, they are usually removed shortly after birth. Some breeders leave the front ones on, some remove them. It's usually dictated by personal preference and the type of showing one does with the dogs.

Good Rottweiler breeders always remove the rear dew claws. Apart from the fact they are considered a fault according to the breed standard, the rear dew claws can snag on things and be torn which is quite painful for the dog.

When you say your dog has an extra rear toe, you mean an actual toe, not the dewclaw? I'd ask your vet if he thinks that its position is going to cause any problems and be guided by him as to whether to leave it or remove it.

[KristaS]

How old is Zitoe? Is she already spayed? If so, the dewclaw can be removed at any other time she may need to be under anesthesia, be it for a teeth cleaning or whatever. It is not wrong to leave it there but as was mentioned above, they are prone to being torn off and can bleed profusly if it happens when you aren't around for some reason. If it is really floppy like you can completely rotate it w/ out it hurting the dog, that would be floppy enough that I would recommend removal.

[C Ross]

My pup had large floppy double dew claws on his hind legs. They were practically extra toes - each had a nail and a nearly full-sized pad. These things bounced when he walked! We had them removed when he was neutered on the 14th. We feared (and our vet agreed) that if they were left they might be torn off and require emergency surgery to remove/repair.

(My pup has front dew claws as well, but they are singletons and very small without a pad. He seems to use them as thumbs. He got to keep those.:D)

The recovery from the dew claw surgery has been worse than the neutering. He is the amazing pretzel dog and can get to his feet even with an e-collar. We've had to put the e-collar on him and crate him - yoga dog can't twist around enough in the confines of the crate.

We'll never know if we did the right thing. The surgery was a preemptive strike so who knows if he would have ever torn them?
We go for our sixth recheck on the feet today. Wish us luck.