DEWCLAWS
Dewclaws
are actually rudimentary thumbs and rear dewclaws are residual fixtures from
the past. They have no function and are situated high on the inside of the leg
above the foot. The do not make contact with the ground but are said to brush
the dew from the grass and it is thought that this is where they get their
name. They are called "Wolf-claws" in
Dewclaws
may be Bilateral or Unilateral although most breeds seem to have bilateral
front dewclaws. Rear dewclaws are not as common and are often removed from
infant pups when they are present.
Sometimes
there is only a vestige of the extra toe and it may be just in the skin or
under it. Some Geneticists say dewclaws are Dominant and some say they are
Recessive. This conflict does not alter the fact that the dewclaw represents a
fifth toe, which is, through some evolutionary process no longer needed. There
are some very good arguments for removing them from the rear legs as they can
interfere with movement. Whether front or rear they can catch on things and
even on each other and lock in a "handcuff" situation, causing a bad
fall, fractures, and tearing of the skin surrounding the toe.
Because
the mode of inheritance is still unclear and seems to behave differently in
certain breeds it is accepted that dewclaws are Dominant Recessive with
Incomplete Penetrance. They are definitely autosomal which means they can be passed on to either sex.
More
confusing yet interesting facts are that, double dewclaws are recessive to
single ones, dogs can carry both genes and that those genes can act
independently of each other. This means that we can see parents without
dewclaws produce pups with 1 or 2 or 1 double and 1 single or none at all.
Although
they are usually removed within a few days of birth if the breeding records
show that two pups were born with rear dewclaws, when mated together the pair
may never produce them or may produce any of the combinations demonstrated
above.
Copyright 2001 Karmachis/Kribyan