Some dog breeds are predisposed to polydactylism like the Maine Coon

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Polydactyl paw of a dog
Polydactyl paw of a dog. Screenshot.

One aspect of the Maine Coon that helps to make it a famous cat breed is that it is predisposed to polydactylism. This almost totally benign genetic mutation was more common in the past than it is today as the breeders (some or all?) have selectively bred it out of their breeding lines as it disqualifies cats in CFA cat shows but not TICA cat shows where they have a special polydactyly Maine Coon (MC) category. 

Back in the day when the MC was a barn cat say in the early-mid 1800s I bet there were a lot more polydactyl MCs.



I questioned whether certain dog breeds experienced the same genetic mutation and Ben the Vet on TikTok tells me that there are. He does not specify dog breeds but a quick internet search found the following breeds predisposed to the genetic mutation:
  • Norwegian Lundehund
  • The Great Pyrenees
  • The Beauceron
  • Akita
  • Anatolian Shepherd
  • Rottweiler
  • Jindo
  • The Catalan Sheepdog
  • Shiba Inu
  • The Estrela Mountain dog
  • Australian Shepherd
  • Korean tosa
  • The Briard
  • Cao Fila de Sao Miguel
  • Saint Bernard
Source: Healthy Homemade Dog Treats website.

It may be true to say that polydactylism takes a slightly different form in dogs with what appears to be an extra dew claw while in cats we often see a standard extra toe in the middle of the row of toes. I don't know whether this is the general trend.

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