Well, mine have been like that for a few years. Maybe I am looking at it the wrong way, but I haven't seen any other axles have those seals and they are just fine. Sure, it's nice to keep the dirt, water, mud, etc out of there, but does it really matter? I do think that it may help lengthen the life of the inner seals though, especially if you do have a bunch of dirt in there and pull the axle shafts in and out a few times.
-Aaron