When you look at a dog’s paw only the nails contacting the ground are obvious and clear to see. However, dogs have a dewclaw which is an extra nail on the, inner part of a dog’s leg above the paw. Some dogs have dewclaws on their rear leg too.

Dewclaws are not normally worn down by daily exercise. As a result, they need to be regularly checked. They grow and can potentially cause problems for a dog.

During full grooms all nails and dewclaws are trimmed. However, if the dewclaws have grown too long, they can curl around growing into the dog’s paw pad. This is what the above picture, taken in my grooming room recently, is showing. This is very sore for a dog. At this point the dewclaw can no longer be dealt with by a groomer. The dog will need to go to a vet for a corrective procedure. So please remember to regularly check them.