by Kay
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:Do all Maltese have to have their baby teeth pulled? Sounds like owning one is maybe, I hope not, too expensive for me. How many things like that can I expect?
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baby teeth pulled always?
by Kay
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
Do all Maltese have to have their baby teeth pulled? Sounds like owning one is maybe, I hope not, too expensive for me. How many things like that can I expect?
DISCUSSION:
Dear Kay, Anytime one owns a pet comes the resposibility of paying for healthcare, and most definitely dental care. Yes, most often than not, baby teeth that don't fall off and crowd adult teeth needs to be extracted. Also, dental cleaning is a must once a year if there are tartar build up, which is very common for any toy breed. Daily teeth brushing absolutely helps to retard the process. Yes, it can be rather costly owning a maltese - they are like babies.
RC
Hi Kay! No not all maltese need to have their baby teeth pulled. I have three girls and only one of the three has to have hers pulled. Annie's adult teeth came in but her baby teeth didn't fall out and she has two sets of teeth on the top and two set on the bottom. But I don't think you can predict which ones will need it done and which ones will not. It really is not expensive to have the procedure done, at least where I go to the vet it is not. Don't let this change your mind from getting a maltese. They can be expensive, but they are worth it. We aren't rich at all, we live comfortably and we have three of them and we always manage financially w/the girls. It all works out. Take care!
Angel
Having baby teth extracted is very common among all small breeds - it doesn't happen with all individual dogs, but many. I didn't find it to be very expensive either, when combining the extraction with the spaying or neutering it's easier on the dog and on the wallet.However, I applaud your research - but caution you that all pets can sometimes shock the pocketbook - as can our children and they can easily break our hearts, but the amount of love and companionship is completely priceless.
Leslie R
Kay, I have only one Maltese, my first, and Angel never had any problem with his teeth. Didn't even know he'd lost his baby teeth until the vet pointed it out to me. So don't worry, having to have their teeth professionally pulled is not a fait accompli.
siobhan
Thank you so much to everyone that responded. I know pets have to be taken care of but I have never owned a toy breed before. I have had 3 cats, a rottie, (who had to have expensive knee surgery among other things), an iguana and a very healthy Border Terrier. I do brush his teeth or my husband does and we have had his teeth cleaned by the vet which was pretty expensive. Borders have a problem with some anaesthesia because they are "slow to induce". I don't know if Maltese have this problem. Again, thanks for taking the time to help me out. I think a big attraction for this Breed is the kind of people you meet here!
Kay
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Please bear in mind when reading topics pertaining to health issues, that most of these questions were answered by helpful Maltese owners with no formal education in veterinary medicine. When in doubt seek a professionals advise.