Baby teeth - how to avoid dental surgery

As I wrote yesterday, my dog had some minor health problems and we had to visit her vet. I had no idea about this, but it turned out that Pippi has got some problems also with her teeth. She still has some of her baby teeth and if they do not fall out dental surgery will be necessary. This would be really unpleasant so I have started to read about how to avoid a situation in which my dog would have to be under anesthesia. As I read on E-How
Yorkshire terrier puppies are born without teeth and at 3 to 4 weeks of age, their baby teeth start to emerge.When you bring your puppy home, they will have sharp little puppy teeth. These teeth stay with your dog until it is 4 months old, at which time the baby teeth naturally fall out and adult teeth grow in their place. Toy breeds such as the Yorkie are known to sometimes retain baby teeth longer than appropriate, and can even have an adult tooth grow in right next to a baby tooth.
What to do if this problem occurs? As we can read in the article
Give your Yorkie puppy teething toys to chew (...) Feed your Yorkie crunchy, large pieces of kibble or treats. Larger pieces of food require your dog to put extra effort into chewing (...) Brush your Yorkie's teeth daily with a dog toothbrush and toothpaste.Take your dog to the veterinarian, who will take x-rays and determine how likely the baby teeth are to fall out on their own. If the vet feels they are too firmly attached to the jaw, he will refer you to a dental specialist who will put your dog under anesthesia and surgically remove the teeth.
My dog has many chew toys but I give her home-cooked food, which is quite soft. She has got also dry dog food available all the time, but maybe she should receive more of it, instead of cooked meals until all the baby teeth fall out? Below some photos of my dog chewing on a bone.
Yorkie puppy teeth yorkie showing teetha Yorkie showing teeth Next time I will write abou how to clean Yorkie's teeth! See you soon!

Comments