pulling teeth?

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Archived Message

pulling teeth?
by Kimberly
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
pulling teeth? I took Chelsea to the Vet for a small bump on her back, and was informed that her baby teeth haven't fallen out, as they should have. My vet wants to put her to sleep and pull them??? I trust my Vet, but don't want to put her through that. I am hoping if I wait they will fall out on there own. Has anyone had this problem?

DISCUSSION:

Hi Kimberly, have you had her spayed yet? If not, when you do you could have the teeth pulled at the same time as when she gets spayed. Than you won't have to have her put under twice. If she's already been spayed, you can probably wait a little while but not too long. They really need to be pulled to prevent problems with the other teeth. Good luck!
Angel

It's a common problem (retained baby teeth) in small breeds. If you do an archive search you should find lots of info on this. Generally, if they haven't fallen out by the time you get them spayed/neutered, they should be removed at that time (only one anesthesia = safer and cheaper). If you aren't going to spay, it's a good idea to have them removed (check with your vet for time frame). They can cause problems with the bite alignment and with adult teeth comming in properly.
Aimee

Kimberly this is a pretty usual occurrence from what I can tell. It is a question often discussed here and Lucy, too, retained her baby teeth. Yes, they probably need to be pulled if they aren't coming out on their own. Many of us (myself included) had these teeth pulled during spaying/neutering since the children are already under anesthesia anyhow. When Luce had hers pulled, she had no problem following it. Ate soft food for a day or so and that was that.
cathy brown

You didn't say how old your dog is... Phoebe is six months old & we had to have four teeth pulled at fourteen weeks and just Monday whe went in to be spayed and thy pulled four more teeth. Many of her teeth fell out on their own, but there are some that have not and I will have to take her back in three weeks for another checkup. However we are also concerned about her bite. Anyway, my vet uses Isoflourane gas instead of a stronger anestehetic and we have had no problem thus far. The removal of baby teeth is quite common in small dogs and you should listen to your vet.
Leslie R

I have two maltese and both still have baby teeth. The decision to pull them should be left up to you and your vet. My vet advises not to pull them out unless they are in for surgery for something else such as spaying or neutering. Because of the dogs small size, my vet says putting them under anesthesia for just pulling teeth is ill advised unles the teeth are interfering with the dogs health or eating.
michelle, angel, charly

I had the same problem with my Gracie her two what I call eye teeth hadnt come out and my Vet suggested taking them out when I had her fixed one of the teeth came out before her Surgery but the other had to be removed and she came through beautifully she still has a little spacing problems due to the fact that I waited but it is taken care of with her tooth brush I would recomend having it done if it doesnt seem that your babies teeth arent loose it can cause her or him later dental problems according to my Vet. Hope this helps!! ps If you are planning on having your baby fixed I would recomend having the teeth done at the same time this way you avoid having to put your baby under more than once which is scary to me !!
Donna

Chelsea is just under 8 months old, and yes I was thinking of having her fixed. I am really scared of the anesthesia and her being so small (5lbs. 3oz.). I have heard so many horror stories. I thought I would put it off as long as I could.
Kimberly

Our little male maltese had his four baby teeth (the two large ones at the top and the two large ones on the bottom) and his adult teeth were in right along side them. When we had him neutered at 6 mo. which was just a few weeks ago, we had them removed. He did fine with no problems whatsoever. I think though, if your dog is not going to be spayed or neutered, you need to have them pulled, I'm sure we would not of hesitated to do so if he wasn't already scheduled for surgery.
Nancy

Hi kim, my 3.5 ib madison had the same problem, he was 6 months old and had difficulty chewing. as much as i hated the thought, i knew it would be the best thing for him. it was worth it to see him eat vigorously without struggling. fyi...i haven't had him spayed because i hate the thought of him having surgery, so i know how you feel. be strong!!!! joyce
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