Hind Dewclaws
Hind Dewclaws (Discovered in Western breeds)
The Hind Dewclaws (Discovered in Western breeds) variant may result in the presence of hind dewclaws, which actually have no function! The variant is also known as DC-2, and is located in the LMBR1 gene.
Breeds
Hind Dewclaws (Discovered in Western breeds) is common in:
Bernese Mountain Dog
Greater Swiss Mountain Dog
Shetland Sheepdog
Miniature Schnauzer
Shih Tzu
Miniature Pinscher
Lhasa Apso
Saint Bernard
Rottweiler
Great Pyrenees
English Springer Spaniel
Giant Schnauzer
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
2 in 10 dogs
have one or more copy of this genetic variant in our testing.
Technical Details
| Gene | LMBR1 |
|---|---|
| Variant | A>G |
| Chromosome | 16 |
| Coordinate | 19,380,592 |
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