Changing milk teeth in dogs: age range and possible problems

With the help of its teeth, a dog can get its own food and, by chewing, grind it, sort things out with its fellow tribesmen and defend itself if necessary. With her teeth, the female has the ability to move her puppies from one place to another, and even cleaning the hair from blood-sucking insects is impossible without the participation of the front incisors of the dentition.

Puppies do not have teeth right after their birth, and first, babies develop milk teeth, and then they are replaced by permanent ones, in the amount of 42 pieces. This whole process takes place in the first year of a dog's life. and ends at the age of 9 months. The change of teeth occurs in animals on their own, but at the same time they sometimes need dental care. A person intervenes in the natural course of events only if there is any anomaly in the development of the dentition or to treat the sick teeth of his pet.

The pattern of appearance of the first dental units in dogs of most breeds is the same. Veterinarians note that small breeds of decorative dogs lag behind in the formation of the dentition by about 1-2 months, while medium species or large breed of dogs are ahead of them in development.

Physiologically, nature is laid down so that a dog grows 32 milk dental units. They do not appear all at once, but sequentially, each in its own time.

• Fangs... They appear in puppies first, and this happens by the end of 2 or 3 weeks of life. Fangs appear first on the upper jaw - on the right and left, and then on the lower one. In total, babies grow 4 milk teeth.
• Incisors. In puppies, 6 incisors are cut on the upper and lower jaw. Above, incisors appear by the end of 3 weeks of a puppy's life, and from below they begin to grow at 4 weeks. Incisors are subdivided into toes, middle and edges.
• Premolars. The dog grows 6 such dental units above and below, on each jaw. The growth of the premolars occurs almost simultaneously with the incisors - at 3-4 weeks of the dog's life, and at first these teeth erupt in the upper jaw, and a week later the premolars already appear below.
• Permanent teeth... The function of molars in puppies is performed by premolars, which are not similar in structure to what the permanent molars of an adult dog look like.

By the presence of erupted teeth, you can easily determine the age of the dog in the first year of life in weeks. The puppy's dental formula has a peculiarity - on the upper and lower jaw, the number of teeth is the same:

• 6 incisors;
• 2 canines;
• 8 premolars.

The puppy's milk teeth fall out in the following sequence.

• The first in the dog to change the incisors, and this happens at the age of 3-4 months. First, the toes fall out, after them the middle incisors, and the last to change the edges.
• Permanent molars appear behind the premolar region on the jaw arch at 4-5 months.
• At the age of 6 to 8 months, milk premolars begin to be replaced by permanent forms.
• At the age of 6-7 months, along with the change of premolars, the change of canines also occurs.
• In the period from 7 to 9, and sometimes up to 10 months, permanent root premolars grow in the dog.

Dental formula of the upper jaw:

• 6 incisors;
• 2 canines;
• 8 premolars;
• 4 molars.

Dental formula of the lower jaw:

• 6 incisors;
• 2 canines;
• 8 premolars;
• 6 molars.

The loss of the milk dentition in a dog is due to the fact that, starting their growth, permanent dental forms, increasing in size, push and displace their milk predecessors. The first non-permanent dental units have no roots and are relatively easy to detach from the dog's jaw.

When a puppy's teeth grow, this process occurs in such a way that he feels a certain painful discomfort and his general well-being may deteriorate. The baby often has an elevated body temperature, but this does not last long and most often occurs when he is sleeping. It is not difficult to understand that a small pet has begun a period of changing the dentition - outwardly, the dog can become lethargic or, conversely, irritable and restless.

At such a time, the puppy's behavior also changes - you will notice that your dog will feel an irresistible desire to gnaw something, and this happens due to the fact that his gums are constantly itching. To prevent the puppy from spoiling your things and furniture, you need to provide him with toys. After the milk dental units are replaced by a constant dental formula, the symptoms associated with this process disappear.

A swinging tooth that is about to fall out appears to be halfway apart from the gum and is often at an angle to other teeth. Sometimes the process of loss is delayed and interferes with the growth of a new tooth, then you can see that the old and new, already erupted tooth are together. This neighborhood is abnormal and requires dental care, since In this case, permanent teeth in the dog will grow with an offset, changing the shape of the bite.

At a time when the puppy's milk dentition erupts or is replaced, it is important for the owner not only to carefully observe his pet, but also to contribute in every possible way to these processes. Veterinarians recommend slightly swinging the swinging tooth with your finger, but under no circumstances apply great effort or pull it out.

During such a period of life, the baby should be given to gnaw not only toys, but also solid granules of dry food, bones and cartilages, hard vegetablessuch as slices of fresh carrots, for example, will help loosen a baby tooth and make it easier to fall out.

In dogs of large and medium-sized breeds, the change in dentition occurs relatively quickly and without pathologies, since the anatomical structure of their oral cavity provides enough space for the growth of dental units of various sizes. Decorative miniature dog breeds are most often faced with a delay in the loss of the milk row, as well as with abnormal growth and development of permanent teeth.

This is explained by the fact that the oral cavity in such animals is not only small, but due to the peculiarities of the breed, it can be anatomically deformedsuch as the French Bulldog or Pekingese. There is very little room for the growth of teeth on the jaw arch, and if the tooth grows large in size, this inevitably leads to deformation of the bite. It can be very difficult to examine the oral cavity for prophylactic purposes in such dogs, therefore often the process of changing the dentition is left to chance.

During the eruption of milk and permanent dental units, the puppy needs regular observation and examination of his oral cavity. There are times when an erupting tooth leads to gum inflammation. Then the festering wound must be cured, since the purulent process can go to a healthy tooth. If any tooth is missing in the dentition, this will lead to the displacement of all dental units located on the jaw. That's why all wounds and inflammations on the gums must first be washed with hydrogen peroxide, and then irrigated with a warm infusion made from medicinal chamomile.

If the deadline has come, but the baby tooth has not fallen out, it must be pulled out, and this can be done by a doctor in a veterinary clinic. Sometimes it happens that in dogs both teeth grow side by side - milk and permanent. Due to the weak and soft dentin, the milk tooth decays very quickly. And since a permanent tooth grows next to it, it is also involved in the decay process, as a result of which the dog can lose a permanent dental unit.

Another common problem with tooth growth is the so-called a hood that is obtained from gum tissue... A tooth covered with such a hood cannot break through on its own, and it either begins to rot inside the gum, or grows in the wrong position, interfering with the neighboring teeth.

Only a veterinarian can help the dog in this case, which, with a surgical instrument, will open a passage in the gum for tooth growth. It is necessary to do this procedure on time, without waiting for the onset of inflammation in the gums and decay of dental tissues.

The owner of the puppy needs to carry out regular examination of the oral cavity of his pet and this should be done once a day. Some dog breeders mistakenly believe that it is unnecessary to pay attention to the growth of the milk teeth, as it will change anyway. Veterinarians have a different opinion and believe that on how favorably the period of growth of the milk dentition has passed and its timely replacement depends on what kind of permanent teeth the dog will have.

After the appearance of permanent teeth, they need to be carefully looked after - the dog's oral cavity is treated with a special toothpaste and a brush with a soft short bristle. It is advisable for a pet to carry out this hygienic procedure every day on a regular basis.

In order for the dog's dentition and bite to be formed correctly, she needs to give a sufficient load on the chewing muscles... The dog should have a large number of toys of varying degrees of hardness, and he should also be given such food where he could use teeth - pieces of meat, cartilage, granules of dry food, bones.

Dogs that eat soft types of food, such as pate, porridge, meat soufflé, are much more likely to suffer from caries and malocclusion. Moderately hard food helps mechanical cleaning of the surface of the teeth and strengthens the dog's gums.

During the period of growth of the dentition, the dog needs to provide a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals - only in this case the tooth enamel will be formed strong and healthy. Preparations with calcium, fluorine and magnesium are introduced into the dog's diet in volumes that correspond to its body weight. In order to choose the correct dosage of the vitamin and mineral complex, it is best to consult a veterinarian.

Pet's permanent teeth need to be protected - for this do not play games with him that can ruin or break the dog's teeth. For example, it is not recommended to twist the stick that the dog is holding in its mouth, do not pull forcefully on the rope or rag, in the fibers of which the tooth can easily get tangled, and you accidentally pull it out. The health and longevity of a dog largely depends on the good condition of its teeth, therefore the owner is required to help his four-legged friend to cope with this task.

For tips on changing teeth in dogs, see the video below.