Why does my dog have extra lower canine teeth? Are they baby teeth?

At six months of age, there is a chance that the baby canine teeth might still fall out on their own. I usually tell my clients that if they're still there by the time the dog is a year old, they definitely need to be removed.

This can be a common issue in young dogs, especially of small breeds. If the canine tooth doesn't fall out by the time the adult tooth has grown in, we normally recommend removal of this tooth at the pet's spay or neuter. The tooth can be a site that easily gets infected or is easily broken, and this is the reason we recommend removal,though we do see dogs who live with the baby tooth and don't have problems with them. They are also an area where tartar quickly accumulates as they age.

From your description, it sounds like Sophie has retained her baby canine teeth on both sides - this isn't "normal", but it is a problem that occurs frequently in toy breed dogs. The baby canine teeth will need to be removed by her veterinarian to prevent them from causing problems with the adult teeth, so I would recommend discussing this with your vet when you are able to - it's normally a quick and simple procedure :)

What you are describing is actually retained baby teeth in the front and adult teeth that erupted behind these that did not succesffuly push out the baby teeth. Retained deciduous teeth aren't necessarily a serious matter initially, but over time they cause debris and foodstuffs to trap in between the overcrowded area and this causes advanced dental disease and bacteria problems later on for your pet. It is always advised and recommended to remove the retained baby teeth in the near future to avoid these complications, and this is often best done during another surgical procedure such as during a spay or neuter, because the retained baby teeth will require the pet to be under general anesthesia in order to be done safely and efficiently. In the meantime I would encourage you to brush your puppy's teeth daily to help remove foodstuffs from becoming entrapped.

HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! A lot of smaller breed dogs don't lose their baby teeth. Retained baby teeth can affect the adult teeth coming in behind. Also tartar build up between the baby tooth and the adult tooth leading to periodontal disease. The most common retained baby teeth are the canines. If a decent amount of the adult canine tooth has erupted and the baby tooth is still there then the baby tooth is unlikely to come out on it's own. I usually recommend extracting the retained baby teeth when the dog is spayed or neutered. It appears Luca hasn't been neutered yet. If you are planning to neuter him ask the Vet to extract the baby teeth. If you are not planning to neuter him you can schedule anesthesia to just have the teeth removed. I hope this helps!

If the deciduous (baby) teeth are still in after the adult teeth have fully erupted, then they will need to be extracted by your veterinarian. Left in, they can push the adult teeth out of alignment, catch food and debris and promote infection. The teeth can be extracted while Turbo is anesthetized if he is to be neutered soon. This is common in smaller breeds but eaisly remedied and should cause no further issues once the baby teeth are out.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Labs very rarely have retained by teeth so give it another few weeks and they are likely to fall right out. If there are still baby teeth at about a year of age, they can be removed. Best wishes to you and Shiner!