Worn teeth :(

[Lauren]

It has been a while since I posted and believe it or not, now Xena is 1 1/2 and Thor has turned a year old!

I will post pics, but for the moment I am worried about Thor's teeth. the canines seem squared at the top. Worn down, maybe? Xena's are quite sharp. The only thing that I can think might have done that is an old leather soccer ball that he loves to play with. These two are very stereotypical: my girl loves dolls and stuffed things and he loves every kind of ball known to man. The rest of his teeth look great.

So for now the balls have been taken away The only other thing he adores is the cloth frisbee, but they both play that every night for 45 mins or so...

Can you cap a dogs teeth? when do I need to worry that they are too eroded? He is quite happy.... (except that mom keeps taking his favorite toys away). Is it normal for larger Dutchies to have flattened tips to their canines? He is a LOT bigger than Xena...

[feraloup]

I've heard of caps or the like for some working dogs that have had teeth damaged, or to prevent damage... but if not doing serious bitework and the teeth seem otherwise okay aside from the flattened tips probably not a huge deal. You can always consult with your vet. My old GSD, Cory, who I adopted as a 3 year old had realllly flat canines. All 4 evenly worn down to a little flat plateau with a teeny brown divot in the center. It looked like they'd been intentionally filed down it was SO perfectly even and obvious. When I, shocked, asked her prior owners about it the response was, "No, she did that herself." Apparently she was an obsessive rock-chewer. I never saw the behavior, myself, so it was probably just an extreme boredom problem in her old home, (They'd been a childless working couple, both gone all day every day and the young shep left in the yard, alone and bored to tears... the way I ended up with her was because I found her running loose, no collar or tags, she'd gotten bored and figured out how to unlatch the gate and started wandering off on adventures, I eventually reunited her with her owners and they ended up asking me if I wanted to keep her.) but she was healthy otherwise and they never got worse. My vet didn't seem too concerned, either. Hope that brings some comfort... I'm curious what others may have to say on the topic... anyone?

[leih merigian]

Lauren, that's a bummer, but I wouldn't worry about it. Pics would be good.

When my GSD was a puppy, we played with a deflated basketball for a few weeks. She only played with it with me, the usual fetching kind of thing.

One day, I noticed that her upper and lower canines had been worn flat at the edges. It took me a while, but I finally figured out it was from the textured surface of the deflated basketball, and how she would grab it and sort of rake her teeth over it as she handled it with her mouth. No more basketball.

I don't use tennis balls for anything. The grit that can accumulate on the surface of those does the same thing, over time.

It's good you noticed it sooner rather than later. Unless the pulp is exposed, it's probably nothing to worry about, since you've figured out the source and are managing it now.

I'll tell you what; those accidental targeting errors hurt a hell of a lot more when you're punctured by flat canines .

(The only capping I've heard about has been done on protection dogs that have broken off canines, and isn't all that successful over time. If it's not necessary, again, I wouldn't worry about it.)

[Dutchringgirl]

Thalie has flat teeth too, I think it was from all of the years biting the decoy jacket and playing with the tugs. Never seemed to bother her though so it probably never go too bad. But yep, feels better getting the nubby teeth on the hand then the young quick sharp teeth.

[Lauren]

Thanks you all. I feel a bit better. He is never really alone anywhere so I am sure it is not rocks, but I was alarmed that it had happened when he was so young.

He did also have a basket ball, 2 soccer balls, 2 footballs, and assorted other balls (but neither are big on tennis balls). Lord knows where they all came from since I have not ever bought even one of these, as my son is more of an extreme sport kind of guy... But everytime I threw one out, he would proudly go to the fence WAY at the bottom of the property and show up with yet another one. It has been 4 days since any new arrival so maybe we are all clear!

Next up: flea allergies, but I will save that for another post!

[Dutchringgirl]

use Tea Tree oil if you have fleas, it gets rid of everything.

[Lauren]

shampoo or straight up?

[Alaskan Dave]

Tennis balls are very abrasive to dogs' teeth as are the debris that they tend to collect as someone else mentioned. I would suspect that some of the dog training devices made of nylon and other synthetics are abrasive too.
If you can, choose rubber balls/devices to play/train. Those pink rubber balls are great if you can find them. Some of the larger pet stores have their own hollow rubber balls too.

[Dutchringgirl]

shampoo or straight up?

I cut the tee tree oil with water and put it in a spray bottle. Or you could add it to a shampoo. Cedar oil also works at getting rid of bugs.

[johninny]

and the cedar is not toxic

[Marko_1]

I've read tea tree should not be used on dogs.

[Dutchringgirl]

I've read tea tree should not be used on dogs.

really? Why?

Just did a quick search. Tea tree is okay if diluted, but for small dogs and small animals, if they lick it thats when it will be toxic.

[johninny]

yes, toxic if ingested.
so if you use as shampoo, there is no problem if not ingested during the bath and if well-rinsed.
but if used as a spray to stay on to repel insects, that is more problematic, so should be used sparingly or targeted only at where dog cannot get at it - like shoulders and neck.

[Christie M]

Check out Varsity Balls. The mal rescue folks swear by them. https://www.facebook.com/VarsityPets?fref=ts

As others mentioned, the flattened canines are nothing to worry about. Even if he continued to ware them down over time - even if down tot he gum - the pulp would recede as well and it would only be a cosmetic problem. The bigger problem is the need to remove his favorite toy I would be stressing over finding an adequate substitute.