Adult yorkie just lost a baby tooth

[jessuf]

I have a 5 year old yorkie who is definitely on the smaller side (about 3 lbs or so). I adopted her when she was about 11 months old, so I am not sure how the teething process went for her when she was younger. Her teeth look very healthy - no gum issues, no tartar build up, etc. However, when I took her to a new vet recently, he told me that she still had a baby tooth in her mouth despite being 5 years old (canine tooth on top row). I had always called it her "snarl tooth" because it was long and skinny and almost curled, catching on her lip and creating this disgruntled look on her face. The vet said it was common in dogs the size of mine, and he said that she'd probably have it for the rest of her life.

This morning, I could hear her stomach growling like crazy. I checked her food bowl and saw she hadn't really eaten any dinner the night before. I fed her breakfast, and she wouldn't even look at it. I grabbed her favorite treats - mini BilJacs - and she seemed super excited about them but kept spitting them out. She finally ate one but ignored the rest. I was worried she had hurt her mouth, so I looked inside and saw the baby tooth was gone.

(1) Is there any chance of an adult tooth growing in or has this ship long since sailed?
(2) Should I trek out to the pet store to get wet food? How long should she be on wet food before I switch her back to dry?
(3) Is there anything else I should be doing for her?

[dottiesyrky]

I am sorry your your baby girl is not feeling well and not eating. I don't know why losing a tooth should make her go off her food unless it has left her in pain, perhaps due to infection. Could you call your vet who knows her history and ask him what it could be? Or perhaps take her in to a vet in case her mouth is infected? Hope she feels better soon.

[megansmomma]

Losing a baby tooth should not cause her to lose her appetite so I would think something else is going on. My concern is more with your vet and his lack of knowledge regarding the treatment of a dog with double teeth. While it is common for smaller breeds to retain teeth it is not acceptable for them to be left in the mouth for 5 years. Retained teeth can cause periodontal disease and that can lead to many other health issues. Is your little one spayed? Normally retained teeth are removed during the spay/neuter.

[windwalker]

Especially lower Canines, if the new teeth come up inside without popping the babies, it could case the permanent canines to grow inward. If baby's are not pulled soon could lead to permanent problems as permanent ones will grow inward and stay that way, blocking the pup from closing their jaws properly.

[megansmomma]

Originally Posted by windwalker

Especially lower Canines, if the new teeth come up inside without popping the babies, it could case the permanent canines to grow inward. If baby's are not pulled soon could lead to permanent problems as permanent ones will grow inward and stay that way, blocking the pup from closing their jaws properly.

She's 5 years old already so any issues with the retained teeth causing misalignment have long since happened.

[windwalker]

I think that's obvious, my point was to new puppy owners that are reading this thread, if the lower canines come in on the inside with out pushing out the baby teeth. If this happens in about a 3-4 week period from start, you should at least call Vet to check as this could lead to a major long term problem with jaw/mouth function.

[kreuer]

Originally Posted by windwalker

Especially lower Canines, if the new teeth come up inside without popping the babies, it could case the permanent canines to grow inward. If baby's are not pulled soon could lead to permanent problems as permanent ones will grow inward and stay that way, blocking the pup from closing their jaws properly.

I have a question about this. My baby, 7 months old, had her remaining baby teeth pulled when spayed at 6 months old. I noticed recently that one of her lower canines is growing inward pushing her top tooth out. She also has an underbite, not sure if this is what caused the problem. I started a thread asking about this recently and everyone said she would be fine, but I see here you said this could cause problems. Should I talk to the vet about this? Here is a picture of it that I had on my previous thread.

[windwalker]

Of coarse talk to a Vet if you have a question, but it might be too late as there is a window between the new tooth coming in and removal of the baby tooth so the new tooth just grows out into the new empty spot. As time passes the new tooth solidifies into position so a Vet would have to answer if anything can be done now.

[windwalker]

I better explain the potential problem, other then just looks. If the lower canines grow inward, instead of resting outside upper jaw they could go into upper mouth/palette. This sometimes creates a situation where the pup can't completely close their mouth.


This is something to consider when timing Spaying as the canines usually pop about 5 months, so checking canines is something that should be looked at then. Spaying can be done generally between 5 and 7 months too beat first heat depending on pups size/condition.

[kreuer]

Originally Posted by windwalker

I better explain the potential problem, other then just looks. If the lower canines grow inward, instead of resting outside upper jaw they could go into upper mouth/palette. This sometimes creates a situation where the pup can't completely close their mouth.


This is something to consider when timing Spaying as the canines usually pop about 5 months, so checking canines is something that should be looked at then. Spaying can be done generally between 5 and 7 months too beat first heat depending on pups size/condition.

Thank you for the info. I spoke with Britster on here who's pup had the same problem. Jackson had to have surgery to shave down the tooth because it was poking into the top of his mouth. I made am appt with my vet tomorrow to have it looked at.