Do we do dew?

We do not remove dew claws on our puppies for several reasons.

First, dew claw removal needs to be performed the day after the puppies are born. This poses a tremendous risk for the puppies. At a day old, puppies have not yet developed their immune systems and have not yet had any vaccines, and therefore have no protection from disease. Dew claw removal is performed in the veterinarian's office, so bringing the puppies there for removal exposes them to a great deal of pathogens and potential disease. We do not feel this risk is worth the benefit.

Dew claws have a specific function for dogs: to support the lower leg when running and prevent torque to their legs.

Additionally, it has been shown that dew claws are attached to several tendons, each of which attached to muscle or muscle bundle. Removal of the dew claws causes atrophy of each of those muscle bundles. This causes carpal pain, arthritis, as well as other potential injuries as the dog ages. You can read more here about the problems associated with dew claw removal in an article written by veterinarian M. Christine Zink.