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Monday 11 May 2009

Don't see the point anymore!

I have a four-year-old German Shepherd bitch, recently while checking her teeth I noticed the tips of all four of her canine teeth are flat, like they have been chopped off. Her teeth are very clean and she has no problem eating. A friend was in the vets and asked the vet about this, he said it could be hereditary, I was wondering do you have any ideas on what this may be or if it may just be hereditary?
Thank you
Mr Charles Moy

Does she chew? Does she play with stones? It is possible to wear down teeth with excessive chewing. It's also quite possible to break them if you've got a dog that likes to play with stones.
Beverley Cuddy, Editor

Sheila Wills, Head of Internal Medicine at the Animal Health Trust, says...
Does your dog chew stones? Or is she kept in a wire cage at any time and chews on the bars? The most common cause of flattening of the incisors in dogs is stone chewing. I’d recommend a visit to your vets to get them checked out.

4 comments:

  1. Echo Beverley - my collie X picks up stones, and giant logs and she recently chipped a canine, but her other one is slightly flat ended because of the stone grabbing.

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  2. I have GSD he will not go out unless he has something to hold like the black thing (sounds like song not to mention the name)his teeth have worn down big time. I won't let him have buster ball for same reason.

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  3. I have GSD he loves his **** sounds like song and is black (not to mention the name) his teeth have worn down lots he squashes it in his mouth. I am convinced it's not hereditary.

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  4. I have an 8-year old GSD bitch with this problem. It has been caused by her favourite toy - her boomer ball (a hard ball which is too large for them to pick up). Her canine teeth are now quite short and it all started about 3 years ago. However, it does not cause her any problems and she is not in any pain. The vet checked her out and said don't worry about it. So my advice would be live with it and don't worry about it too much - providing the dog is not in any pain.

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