Many of the clinical choices veterinarians make are so deeply ingrained thatwe often practice medicine without stopping to wonder why we do things the way we do, who decided it should be done that way and whether we are potentially causing our patients harm. Consider dewclaw removal in dogs. Many veterinarians perform this procedure on puppies based on the desire of either the breeder to improve aesthetics or the owner to guardthat might injure the dewclaw. Yet those in the agility/sporting world not only understand the importance of this digit during athletic events, but they also know that osteoarthritis in the carpal joint develops in many dogs that have this digit removedas a puppy. The dewclaw is attached to and helps stabilize many of the carpal tendons and ligaments. Without this stabilization, carpal osteoarthritis might ensue, especially in canine athletes.
展开▼
