The dew claw is actually a digit rather than just a claw, and the removal of dew claws is thus far more complex and painful than simply trimming the dog’s nails, which does not cause the dog any pain at all.
A dew claw is like the dogs thumb (only useless!) on the front paws and sometimes on the hind legs as well (bad bred dogs!) It is the claw that sits half way between the paw and the dogs elbow. The claw is useless to the animal and can get caught and damaged very easily. Report Abuse. Dew claws are the first of five digits and represents the thumb. In the dog they are not really needed and generally become an annoyance. It is recommended that they are removed when the puppies are a few days old or at the time of desexing. Dewclaws. The dewcaw served a purpose in ancient dogs, but it's not relevant for modern canines. In the wild and today, the extra digit helped canines climbing or holding objects such as the dead animals they were snacking on, according to the VetInfo website. Dewclaws on dogs are sort of like thumbs on people, only without the purpose. If your dog has not had his dewclaws removed, you'll see them on the insides of his front legs, above the wrist.. Some breeds have dewclaws on the rear legs; some dogs are born with extras The answer is yes, but first, one needs to differentiate between removing dew claws, and trimming dog nails. The dew claw is actually a digit rather than just a claw, and the removal of dew claws is thus far more complex and painful than simply trimming the dog’s nails, which does not cause the dog any pain at all. Removing dew claws is considered cruel and barbaric by some, and a necessary evil by others. Dog dew claws are often removed for cosmetic reasons, but very often it is to avoid painful injury in the long run. Lets take a look at the pros and cons of dew claw removal, and what dew claw surgery involves Dogs always have dewclaws on the inside of the front legs and occasionally also on the hind legs. Unlike front dewclaws, rear dewclaws tend to have little bone or muscle structure in most breeds. It is normal, although not biologically mandatory, that certain breeds will have more than one dewclaw on the same paw. Dewclaw removal is most easily performed when the dog is young, around 2–5 days of age, though it can also be performed on older dogs if necessary (though the surgery may be more difficult then). The surgery is fairly straightforward and may be done with local anesthetics if the digit is not well connected to the leg. If the dew claw is not damaged, I would not advise removing it. In 30 years of dog ownership and 11 personally-owned dogs, I've only ever seen one injury to a dew claw that required its removal. The surgery is invasive-it's removing an actual toe-and the healing can be quite painful.  Rating Newest Oldest. Best Answer: Dew claws on a dog are equivalent to a thumb, or a big toe on a human, except on a dog they are 2 - 3 inches up on the side of it's paw / leg. They do no damage, but some people like to remove themwhen they are small so they don't get snagged and torn, but it's OK to leave them. Report Abuse. Dew claws are the first of five digits and represents the thumb. In the dog they are not really needed and generally become an annoyance. It is recommended that they are removed when the puppies are a few days old or at the time of desexing. Dewclaws, also known as a dog’s thumb, refers to a vestigial digit found on the foot of most mammals, reptiles, and birds. It normally grows high on the animal’s leg in digitigrade species (digitigrade refers to an animal that walks on its toes, not touching the ground with its heels, like a dog, cat, or rodent). 
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081106000923AA5lT9o http://dogcare.dailypuppy.com/purpose-dewclaw-dogs-2110.html http://stuff4petz.com/removing-dew-claws/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewclaw http://www.bordercollie.org/boards/index.php?showtopic=36824 https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081106000923AA5lT9o http://www.dogingtonpost.com/all-about-your-dogs-dewclaws/
what are dew claws