I've heard a lot of icky stories about rear dewclaws in particular. My sister's yorkie used to have problems with it getting snagged on blankets and stuff...it ended up getting snagged and ripping (lots of bleeding!) and had to be removed. A papillon in our puppy training class had the same issue where the rear dewclaws weren't removed and one of them ended up getting torn...it just sounds painful and like a problem waiting to happen. And my friend's chihuahua had her rear ones removed during her spay...I just remember them sticking out at such a weird angle that seemed potentially problematic.
I haven't heard too much about front dewclaws being an issue. Toki and Teddy both have their front ones...you just have to be sure to keep them trimmed! |