To find out how many teeth a dog has is important not only out of idle curiosity. This knowledge is necessary to control how they grow and change in a dog from puppyhood. If the number of teeth is not normal, developmental abnormalities may be present. We will study the question of the normal number of teeth in dogs.
Why do I need to count the teeth of a pet
To determine how many teeth a dog should have, can not only an experienced specialist, but also the owner of the animal. If the dog is already an adult, the normal state of the jaws is an indicator that the digestive organs are working normally, the animal receives a balanced diet, it is healthy and full of energy. Checking the number and condition of the teeth will help with determining the age if the animal is not from puppyhood. Such situations are possible when the dog was taken in a shelter or she appeared at you for other reasons as an adult.
What indicators are the norm
How many permanent teeth are normal in a dog? It's not a secret. If an adult animal does not have health problems, 42 teeth should be located in its mouth. Place of attachment - jaw bones.
To successfully study the teeth of pets, it is customary to use their classification. There are three groups of animal teeth in the form:
- Cutters - there should be twelve of them in a healthy animal with a norm of six pieces on the jaws below and above. The attachment point of the first pair of incisors is the middle of the jaw, called hooks. The next in a row are the mid-cutters. At the end are the incisors of the last pair, called margins. Thanks to the study of incisors, there is no problem for an experienced dog breeder or veterinarian to determine the age of a dog of one to five years. The change of temporary incisors to permanent occurs during the process of growing up a pet.
- Fangs - there are four of them, with an arrangement of two on the left and right sides. For canines characteristic characteristic of the most developed teeth. For a dog, they are very important to defend, attack, grind solid food in the form of bones. Fangs can be milky when the dog is a puppy and permanent in adult animals.
- Molars. Such teeth in the amount of twenty-six are arranged in the following sequence: twelve molars are allocated a place on the upper jaw (six pieces on one side and the other). Bottom - 14 teeth: seven pieces on each side. Such teeth have a wide surface. Their mission is to tear pieces of food - hard meat, for example. Among the twenty-six teeth, only sixteen have temporary predecessors. For the rest, it is common to grow immediately in the form of constants.
Tooth structure study
How many permanent teeth a dog has is now known. They are also called "truly indigenous." The development period for a temporary variety of teeth called milk teeth in a puppy starts from three weeks of life. In three to four months, the process of gradual change of primary teeth should begin.
Consider the structure of dog teeth. They consist of such parts:
- The root is the part of the tooth hidden inside the jaw hole. The neck of a tooth is a small area located at the junction where the root connects to the crown.
- Crowns - the visible part of the tooth located at the top of the gums.
Given the characteristics of the shape of the teeth, their structure is similar to human. They also need to be treated. Proper and timely care guarantees the health of the pet. It is important to provide the animal with good nutrition, without fail to offer solid foods.
The timing of the appearance of teeth in dogs
How many teeth does a small dog have? No less than a large breed animal. It is interesting to know what are the norms for the appearance of teeth in a fully developing puppy.
The sequence of tooth growth is as follows:
- The fourth or sixth week is the time of appearance of the incisors.
- The third to fifth week is reserved for the growth of fangs.
- In the period of five to six weeks, the appearance of pseudo-rooted teeth (premolars) occurs. They appear in the amount of three pieces on the left and right, top and bottom on the jaws.
A puppy is born without teeth. How many milk teeth does a dog have? At the age of two months, the puppy should normally have 28 pieces, respectively, 14 each above and below.
The appearance of indigenous molars occurs immediately in a constant form, they cannot be dairy, which is also characteristic of premolars located directly behind the rows of canines.
When a dog’s teeth begin to change
When a puppy successfully develops and reaches four months of age, an important event takes place in his life - milk teeth begin to change. Where do the first teeth go? They are replaced by constants, and they fall out over time.
The sequence of teeth changes consists in the change of incisors, after which the fangs also change. For false-rooted teeth, it is common to change simultaneously with a change in fangs or with a slight delay.
Some puppies need to wait even three months for all their teeth to change safely and become an adult. At the age of seven months, the completion of this process is marked, and the animal becomes the happy owner of 42 teeth. That's how many teeth a dog should have if it grows and develops normally.
Many dog owners who have raised more than one pet may think that they have never noticed a tooth change. This is normal, as the process goes unnoticed by the owners. The tooth falls out when the puppy begins to gnaw a bone or other solid food.
Sometimes tooth loss occurs during the game, which may also not attract the attention of the owners. But the owners of a four-legged friend should follow, check during a visual examination the condition of the jaws, taking into account the age of the pet. It may happen that the teething sequence is disturbed. This situation requires the consultation of a veterinarian. After all, this may mean that the animal has signs of rickets - a serious pathology that can result in disability of the pet.
Features of the condition of the dog during the change of teeth
In order for a puppy to have as many teeth as an adult dog, milk should successfully change to permanent. When the shift process occurs, for a young dog it is fraught with a decrease in immunity. It is important to take care of maintaining the health of the animal:
- avoid overcooling the body;
- Do not feed the dog food that has not previously been introduced into the diet;
- Do not walk among a large number of animals so that the pet does not become infected from other dogs;
- visit your veterinarian and discuss with him the need to vaccinate a dog.
As a rule, it is necessary to repeat the vaccinations that were made before the change of teeth, at the end of this difficult period for the puppy.
How the teeth determine how old the dog is
By finding out how many teeth a dog has, one can also calculate its age. If a pet has appeared in your adulthood, the determination procedure proposed below will help you figure out how old the dog is, provided that it has good living conditions, good nutrition, and no illnesses.
If the above conditions are not met, the animal’s body could be exhausted, and the results will be unreliable.
So, we determine how old the dog is. To do this, consider the sharpness of the incisors:
- lower front - the dog is 1.5 years old;
- middle bottom - 2.5 years;
- front above - 3.5;
- the middle ones at the top - 4.5;
- extreme bottom - 5.5;
- extreme above - 6 years.
At an older age, there are problems with a dog’s teeth:
- Fangs hurt, become dull - at 8 years old.
- Grinding of the front incisors occurs, they become oval in shape - at 9-10 years.
- Loss of front incisors - from 10 to 12 years.
- The loss of all teeth, only fangs remain - from 12 to 16 years.
- At the age of twenty, fangs will fall out. Until this time, not many dogs survive.
If plaque is present on the teeth of the beast, this signals a problem with nutrition or the digestive system.
To summarize
This article provides information on how many teeth a dog has. Normally, their number is 42 pieces for an animal in normal condition, developing correctly. To study the teeth of dogs proposed their classification. According to the condition of the teeth, you can determine how old the dog is.
Take care of your pets and their teeth will be in order.