Understanding Puppy & Kitten Teething · Vet Tips

teething can be rough. it's potentially painful and as a pet parent you just want to find some way to ease your pet's discomfort. today we're going to talk about how to handle puppy and kitten teething and some ways to help them out teething is a natural and normal process that happens when your pet's baby teeth fall out and are replaced by their adult teeth this can start as early as a few months of age and last until six or seven months of age now young pets can experience soreness with their deciduous or baby teeth coming in as well as when their adult teeth come in to replace the this process can cause discomfort and changes in your pet's Behavior but don't worry there are some things that you can do to help get them through this stage in this video we're going to go over some of the signs causes and solutions of puppy and kitten teething so let's get started how do you know if your puppy or your kitten is teething here are some of the common signs to look out for the first is excessive chewing so they may want to chew on anything and everything no matter what like toys furniture shoes or even your fingers but also this is because chewing can help relieve some of the pressure and discomfort in their gums and loosens those baby teeth the next is drooling so hyper salivation your pet May drol more than usual because of increased saliva production you might notice wet spots on their bedding or on your clothes next up is bleeding gum so your pet may have some bleeding from their gums when their baby teeth are falling out and their new adult teeth are coming in you can see this blood on their toys or in their food bowl a little bit is normal and usually not cause for concern but if you see excessive or persistent bleeding you should contact your reduced appetite so your pet may eat less than normal because of the soreness in their mouth or they might prefer things like soft food over hard food sometimes avoiding chewing altogether so offering these things can be helpful next up is behavior changes so your pet may be a little bit more irritable or Restless than normal because of these feelings of discomfort they might also be a little bit more clingy or needy for your attention so why does teething happen teething is a part of your pet's development and growth and your pet has two sets of teeth again just like people so they have deciduous or baby teeth and then permanent or adult teeth your pets start to get their baby teeth at around 3 weeks of age before they are fully weaned from Mom cats will have 26 baby teeth in total and dogs should have 28 these baby teeth help them chew their food and explore their surroundings your pet will start to lose their baby teeth at around 3 months of age when their adult teeth begin to erupt from the gumline now cats should end up having 30 adult teeth in total and dogs 42 these teeth are larger and stronger than their baby teeth the process of losing baby teeth and getting adult teeth can take several months the inzer usually the first to go followed by the pre molers then the canines and the MERS are usually the last to completely fill in so how can you help your dog with teething there's some simple steps you can take to make sure your pet is more comfortable and happy during this period providing safe and appropriate shw toys is a must these can help massage their gums providing them with a variety of chew toys that are suitable for their age and size so some examples could be rubber toys plush toys or shoes some of these you can actually freeze too to make them more soothing for their gums I would avoid giving anything too hard because those baby teeth are still not super strong so giving things like hard plastic is a no no giving full ice cubes directly is definitely too hard for puppy teeth and honestly even too hard for adult teeth as well so some more examples of these are going to be things like bones sticks they like to chew on rocks or metal objects let's avoid those hard plastic as well but also stay away from other dangerous items like electrical cords even human foods so these items can Splinter break choke your pet and cause some serious problems so let's also talk about redirecting unwanted chewing so if you catch your pet chewing on something they shouldn't be we can gently redirect them to a chew toy or something that we do want them to chew on instead we should praise and reward them for chewing on their toys or what we do want them to use so they can learn what's acceptable and what is not removing or hiding objects that might be tempting like beding or power cores is also a good idea next up starting a good dental hygiene routine so you should start brushing your pets teeth regularly with a soft bristle toothbrush and pet saave toothpaste as soon as possible this can help slow the buildup of plaque and decrease gingivitis you should also take your pet to the vet for regular Dental checkups and cleanings and well yes your pet's baby teeth will fall out anyways it's a nice time to train them to be familiar with and allow toothbrushing so that when their adult teeth do come in it's much easier for you to brush consult your vet if needed so if you have any questions or concerns about your pets teething you can always consult your vet for advice and guidance your vet can examine your pet's mouth and teeth and make sure everything appears normal we can also recommend any treatments or medications that might help your pet with teething if they're really struggling