dew claws and paw issues

Question
I have a miniature 1 year old red poodle.  He seems to be frequently having problems with his feet.  He can't tolerate the cold of snow or ice.  His toes bleed.

We have had him see a vet.  We have found out that he only really uses one front leg and one back leg for walking, running and playing.   The other two legs seem to be only used for balance.  He wears out his toe nails very unevenly.

MY QUESTION IS:  Do poodles only have four toes and nails on their hind feet?  Do they only have four on their front feet.  The dew claw which is on one leg and never worn down, is quite long.  The other front leg seems like at one time their may have been a dew claw but you can't see anything now.  I can feel where one might have formed, but it is completely invisible.   He has had many teeth problems where his adult and baby teeth came in at the same time and one tooth had a whole in it.   He came to us at about 6 months old and sick.  We nursed him to health and are just now noticing all these other areas.  Is he ok?   Thanks a lot for any insights.  He is very happy but we want him to grow up as best he can.

Answer
Hello Cecilia,
Dogs normally have 4 toes and nails on each foot, with the exception of breeds that have dewclaws.  Most breeders will remove the dewclaws on breeds that don't need them when the puppies are 3 days old.  Sometimes the dewclaws will grow back, but not usually.  In your dogs case, it sounds like someone removed the dewclaws, but that one of them grew back.  
You have to make sure that you keep an eye on the dewclaw because since it doesn't reach the ground, it doesn't get filed down as the dog runs around and can get very sharp.  Either trim it or file it as needed.  

As for him not liking to go outside in the snow or ice, there are dog boots that you can buy for your dog to wear.  Some dogs don't like to wear the boots but if you can get your dog to wear them, they will help keep his feet from bleeding when he goes outside.  Here is a website that sells dog footwear.  You don't have to get the cutsie ones, just something that will keep his feet off the ice and snow.  
http://www.doggonegoodstuff.com/footwear.html
You can also type in Dog Footwear into your search engine or some of your local Pet Stores (such as PetCo or PetSmart) may carry them.  

I hope this helps you some.  If you have other questions for me, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim