Dog Ear Cropping, Tail Docking and Other Cosmetic Canine Surgeries to Avoid

It can be tricky to know which surgeries for dogs actually serve a medical purpose and which are purely cosmetic. You might wonder, for example, whether dewclaw removal is necessary or if there's ever a good reason to crop a dog's ears. Here are some of the most common cosmetic surgeries for dogs and veterinary viewpoints on the procedures.

Dog Ear Cropping and Tail Docking

If you've seen a Doberman pinscher, Great Dane or boxer with pointy ears that stand straight up, then that dog has had their ears cropped. Dog ear cropping involves cutting the ears when the dog is a puppy, then splinting and bandaging them for several weeks. The procedure is painful and has been banned in several countries, including Australia, parts of Canada and nine states in the U.S.

Tail docking is when part of a dog's tail is removed. The procedure has historically been done on dogs who pulled carts or sleds, such as rottweilers, and hunting dogs. The intention was to prevent injury to the tail when the dogs were pulling carts or hunting. The procedure is often performed when puppies are about 5 days old.

There are instances where a tail might need to be amputated as the result of injury or risk of further injury, depending on the severity of the injury, in which proper surgery using general anesthesia and analgesia will be used.

The American Veterinary Medical Association does not support dog ear cropping or tail docking for cosmetic purposes. If your dog has floppy ears or a long tail, let them flop or wag naturally as they were meant to be.

Dewclaw Removal

If you look at one of your dog's back paws, you'll see four clawed toes. Where is the fifth toe? If present, their dewclaw will be located a couple of inches up from the paw on the inside of the leg. Dewclaws are either attached by bone or float in the skin without a bony attachment. Dogs use dewclaws for traction when turning at high speeds and to hold on to things, like a toy that they're chewing on.

Many breeders will remove the dewclaw when puppies are just a few days old. If a dog has floating dewclaws that aren't attached or if they have an extra dewclaw, some pet parents will choose to have them removed when their dog is spayed or neutered. While the intention of dewclaw removal is to prevent future injury, the fact is that dewclaw injuries are quite rare, which means that most dewclaws are removed for no reason other than for human preference. In general, there's no need to remove your dog's dewclaws, however, there may be instances where the dewclaw has been injured and needs to be removed for that purpose. In this case, general anesthesia, analgesia and recovery including bandaging will likely be required. In these case, the removal of the dewclaw will only be made on the affected paw.