When do baby teeth change in dogs? Dog Dental Care

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The he alth and well-being of a dog depends largely on the condition of its teeth. Many pet owners do not pay attention to this, believing that the main thing is to properly feed and walk the pet. Some don't even know when a dog's baby teeth change. Usually, only breeders who exhibit their animals are interested in the state of the dental apparatus. The rest of the change of milk teeth is noticed only by the fact that the puppy began to gnaw everything. But this is wrong: inattention to the condition of the teeth can lead not only to the inability to show the dog, but also to problems in the digestive system.

Dog teeth

Beautiful and strong teeth in dogs are not only a gift of nature. A lot depends on proper care of them. But not all pet owners know how to do it right. A he althy adult dog should have 42 teeth. They are divided into incisors, molars, pseudo-roots and premolars. Some breeds are missing a pair of teeth, and large dogs may grow extra incisors. This condition can lead to malocclusion.

Each tooth is made up of dentine, cementum and enamel. Dog teeth are constantly exposed to aggressive influences and mechanical damage. Therefore, they are also susceptible to various diseases.

When do milk teeth change in dogs

In order for a pet to have he althy teeth, it is also important to know everything about caring for them in puppies. Babies are born without teeth. Milk teeth appear in puppies only in the second week of life. At first they are small, bluish in color. All of them grow by the end of the first month. There should be 28 of them in total - 14 each on the lower and upper jaws. When closing the mouth, they should not touch - the dogs have a scissor bite. Many pet owners know what baby teeth look like in dogs, but not everyone can answer how they should change.

It is very important that the puppy's baby teeth grow properly. Their condition of the dental apparatus in an adult dog depends on this. Therefore, the owners need to know what time the teeth change in dogs. After all, what they will be later depends on the correct course of this process. This usually happens at 3-6 months. Large breeds go through it earlier, small breed dogs go through it later. In decorative dogs, the change of teeth can take up to 9 months.

If you know when milk teeth change in dogs, you can roughly determine the age of the puppy. Specialists often do this.

• A 1 month old puppy has all milk teeth - 28 pieces. They are in a row. The teeth are all sharp, very small.
• Then the jaw grows, so by 2 months the incisors are widerarranged.
• At 3 months, the incisors are very low, some of them are gone.
• By 4 months, many dogs have 2-3 new incisors.
• By 5-6 months, the puppy has all permanent incisors, there are first premolars, sometimes some canines are missing.
• At 6-7 months, most dogs have all their permanent teeth.

How teeth change

Change the teeth of the puppies in turn: some fall out, others are already starting to grow. First, the milk incisors fall out, then the premolars. The canines are the last to change and the permanent molars begin to grow. Often pet owners do not even notice the change of teeth in a puppy. They are small and many dogs simply swallow them. The change of teeth can proceed imperceptibly, but not always. The correctness of this process depends on the breed, the nutrition of the puppy, its individual characteristics.

During the change of teeth in dogs, their behavior often changes. The puppy becomes restless, starts to gnaw everything. After all, like in small children, during this process, the baby feels itching in the gums. Many puppies start biting to reduce this discomfort.

Problems with changing teeth

During the change of teeth, they fall out because the root dissolves, but all the material remains in the gum and is used to grow molars. Sometimes a tooth cannot break through the gum. At the same time, you can feel it. To help him, you need to contact a veterinarian who will resect the gums. Sometimes milk teeth do not have time to fall out, and molars alreadyare starting to grow. It turns out two rows, especially often this happens on the incisors. This happens if the owner does not know when the milk teeth in dogs change. In this case, the puppy needs help. It is recommended to loosen the milk tooth that has not fallen out for several minutes. If you do this regularly, it will soon fall out painlessly during the game.

Change of teeth may be delayed due to puppy illness, ear cropping, or vaccination complications. Therefore, all interventions should be tried to be done up to 3 months. Otherwise, permanent teeth may grow incorrectly, in the wrong place. This will break the dog's bite and become an obstacle to its participation in breeding. Especially often the process of changing teeth is disturbed in dogs of dwarf or decorative breeds, as well as in long-faced animals. This is due to weak chewing muscles. In addition, feeding the animal only soft food can also lead to problems when milk teeth cannot fall out.

How to help a puppy

Teeth especially itch in puppies at 3-4 months. The owner must help the pet. you need to wean him from chewing on anything, as this not only leads to damage to things, but can be unsafe for the pet. You need to give him special dog toys, balls, carrots, crackers. Large breeds are encouraged to give large raw beef bones. Some owners are frightened when they notice blood on toys or other items that the puppy gnawed. It's not scary, so the tooth fell out.

Worse, if the milk teeth do not have time to fall out, and the molars are already growing. It's oftenhappens in small dogs. In this case, the bite of the animal is disturbed, so he needs help. You can contact a veterinarian who will tell you what to do or perform the removal of milk teeth in dogs that interfere with the growth of molars. You can also help the tooth fall out by loosening it often. In order not to form an incorrect bite, you should not allow the puppy to pull toys, you should not pull something out of his mouth by force.

Dog dental care

It is recommended to clean the dog's permanent teeth every week with a special toothpaste. This will protect your pet from plaque, tartar and gum disease. If you do not take care of your teeth, you may get an unpleasant smell from the mouth.

Veterinarians do not recommend giving bones to an adult dog after all teeth have been replaced. It is believed that this grinds them down, can damage the enamel. For a pet to chew on something, you can give him an apple or a carrot. It is recommended to regularly inspect the dog's mouth in order to start treating emerging diseases in time.

Dog teeth problems

With improper care or a lack of minerals in the pet's diet, various problems can occur. This may be a fracture or loss of a permanent tooth, caries, tartar, inflammation. Sometimes dogs even develop periodontal disease. To avoid this, you need to remove plaque from the dog's teeth in time. It often forms on canines and molars due to malnutrition. It is also recommended to regularly visit a veterinarian who will examinethe dentition of the animal and give recommendations for caring for it.