ORIGINAL MESSAGE:

Sara
How common is it for Maltese to retain their baby teeth? What are the signs to look for and how costly is the Vet's visit to take care of it?

DISCUSSION:

Sylvia
Its quite a common occurance but a lot depends on the placement of the teeth and the bite alignment as the teeth start changing. The most common with my little guys has been the canines. It seems there is always at least one left behind. Extractions are not costly but if the puppy needs to be put under that's more expensive.

PAT
HI SARA,I HAVE TWO MALTESES. BOTH RETAINED ALL THEIR BABY TEETH AND EACH HAD TO HAVE THEM PULLED. I UNDERSTAND IT IS QUITE COMMON WITH SMALL BREEDS. THE COST VARIES. THEY DID THE EXTRACTIONS WHEN I HAD EACH SPAYED SO IT WAS ONLY ONE ANESTHETIC..GOOD LUCK

cathy brown
Sara, Lucy had two baby teeth that didn't come out too. I never knew that this could happen, so was quite surprised. The vet took hers out when she was spayed. If you plan to have your baby "fixed" that is probably a good time, as the dog will already be under anesthetic anyhow. My vet didn't charge me any extra for extracting the teeth. I don't know if that is usual or not.

Sara
Thanks for all the advice! When I get my little girl Maltese this Christmas I'll know when to look for the symptoms. I can have my Vet take care of any problems when I take her in to get spayed. Thank you! Sara

Patti
Our dog had two teeth that were pulled when he was neutered. The Vet charged us $6.00 to pull them. The dog was under anesthesia anyway.