Raising a Puppy: When it's Time to Pull Puppy Teeth

One of the "joys" of having a new puppy is going through the teething stage.

Rocco, who's generally pretty good about not chewing stuff, destroyed a whole list of items between the ages of about three and five months simply because his sharp baby teeth, especially the canines, seemed to get caught on everything.

So once Rocco's adult teeth started coming in I was looking forward to those needle, sharp teeth falling out.

Only they didn't.

You can see one of Rocco's extra canine's on the bottom right, outside the adult canine

It turns out it's pretty common for some pups, especially small breed dogs, to wind up with double sets of teeth. And if the baby teeth haven't fallen out by the time the pup is six months old,  many vets will recommend pulling the baby teeth when the pup is in for spay or neuter. Otherwise tartar can build up between the adult and baby teeth, causing all sorts of nasty problems, like decay and gum disease.

Rocco's extra canine on his left, your right. 

We watched Rocco's teeth for the past month, and by the time he turned seven months old last week, it was clear he had two baby canines -- the upper and lower on his left side -- that were there to stay for the long haul.

So last Friday Rocco went in for oral surgery, both baby teeth were removed and he was microchipped too.  He's got dissolving stitches and strict orders to stay away from chews, tug toys and hard food for a week!

I've been keeping him busy with walks and teaching him tricks that don't involve his mouth! This morning, he finally perfected the jumping up in my arms trick!

The surgery was a piece of cake for Rocco -- he was in by 8 a.m. and out by 2 p.m. -- and by the next day he was back to zooming around the backyard.

I'm happy to get rid of those baby teeth, but our tailor will certainly miss seeing me every week.

The list of clothing Rocco hung a tooth on, requiring repair:

• Two pairs of jeans
• One cashmere sweater
• Three t-shirts
• One pair pajamas
• One pair sweat pants
• One down jacket

After a while, I just wore the same thing everyday to minimize the number of damaged goods! 

Rocco's perfect, new smile!

Speaking of hanging teeth and other mischievous deeds, let's see what everyone else is up to at the Monday Mischief Blog Hop, hosted by our pals at Snoopy's Dog Blog, My Brown Newfies and Alfie's Blog.