![]() And if they do occur, then they are dealt with like any other injury. ![]() Most veterinarians will say that such injuries actually are not very common at all. But when I palpate the carpal joints of older dogs without dewclaws, I frequently can elicit pain with relatively minimal manipulation.Īs to the possibility of injuries to dew claws. Most of our dogs, especially if they deal with pain that is of gradual onset, just deal with it and don't complain unless it is excruciating. If a dog was to be asked by anĮmergency room nurse to give the level of his pain on a scale from 0 o 10, with 10 being the worst, their scale That dogs, by their very nature, do not tell us about mild to moderate pain. Perhaps you are thinking, "None of my dogs have ever had carpal pain or arthritis." Well, we need to remember Remember: the dog is doing the activity regardless, and the pressures on the leg have to go somewhere. A lifetime of that and the result can be carpal arthritis, or perhaps injuries to other joints, such as the elbow, shoulder and toes. If the dog doesn't have a dewclaw, the leg twists. ![]() If the dog then needs to turn, the dewclaw digs into the ground to support the lower leg and prevent torque. Each time the foot lands on the ground, particularly when the dog is cantering or galloping (see Figure 2), the dewclaw is in touch with the ground. That function is to prevent torque on the leg. Those muscles indicate that the dewclaws have a function. Of course, at the other end of a tendon is a muscle, and that means that if you cut off the dew claws, there are 5 muscle bundles that will become atrophied from disuse. You will see that there are 5 tendons attached to the dewclaw. If you look at an anatomy book (Miller's Guide to the Anatomy of Dogs is an excellent one – see Figure 1 below) Of the over 30 dogs I have seen with carpal arthritis, only one has had dewclaws. I have seen many dogs now, especially field trial/hunt test and agility dogs, that have had chronic carpal arthritis, frequently so severe that they have to be retired or at least carefully managed for the rest of their careers. I work exclusively with canine athletes, developing rehabilitation programs for injured dogs or dogs that required surgery as a result of performance-related injuries. 2) You can find anything on the internet to support a point of view.
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