Hind Dewclaws

Hind Dewclaws (Discovered in Asian breeds)

Hind Dewclaws (Discovered in Asian breeds) Photo

The Hind Dewclaws (Discovered in Asian breeds) variant may result in the presence of hind dewclaws, which actually have no function! The variant is also known as DC-1, and is located in the LMBR1 gene.

More Info

Did you know?

Hind dewclaws are thought to be a genetic throwback, called an atavism, to the digits lost during dog evolution.

How it works

One or two copies of this Hind Dewclaws variant may result in your dog having hind dewclaws. Around half of the dogs with one copy of this variant will have hind dewclaws, and it is possible for the dewclaws to be just on one leg. With two copies the trait is more likely to be expressed and could be more pronounced.

Health implications

Because hind dewclaws are not worn down by contact with the ground, they require trimming to prevent ingrown nails.

Prevalence

1 in 380 dogs

has one or more copy of this genetic variant in our testing.

Technical Details

Gene LMBR1
Variant G>A
Chromosome 16
Coordinate 19,380,829

All coordinates reference CanFam3.1

References & Credit

Credit to our scientific colleagues:

Park, K., Kang, J., Subedi, K. P., Ha, J. H., & Park, C. (2008). Canine polydactyl mutations with heterogeneous origin in the conserved intronic sequence of LMBR1. Genetics, 179(4), 2163–2172. View the article