Are tennis balls damaging my dog's teeth and making them fall out?

Hi, those teeth that are worn down to the gum line probably needs to be pulled out. The pulp of the teeth is exposed and they likely cause a lot of pain and discomfort. Does Eclipse like to chew on tennis balls ? If so, you need to find alternative balls to avoid further damage to her teeth. Hope this helps, thank you for using PrtCoach.

She definitely has some wear on those teeth - often that particular pattern is caused by chewing tennis balls a lot or being really itchy and chewing at the skin a lot. The only way to know if the teeth are healthy is a dental x-ray and exam under anesthesia, so I can't say for sure if it's an issue or not. With a dental x-ray, her vet can look at the tooth roots and also make sure the gingiva is healthy. This is definitely not an emergency, but I would recommend bringing it up at her next appointment.

Hi there, Ingestion tennis ball pieces could certainly cause a problem. This behavior unfortunately isn't likely to change. I would try switching to the KONG balls. They are like tennis balls but she won't be able to destroy them, and that will keep her safe. I hope that helps. Thanks for using Pet Coach!

Hi there and thank you for your post! From the pictures you provided, there is definitely some severe attrition (dental wearing) occurring throughout Judge's mouth. I see many dogs with worn teeth and most of the time, there are no issues with the worn teeth other than the fact that they typically accumulate tartar faster than non-worn teeth (this is because the enamel has been worn off). The only concern I would have would be that I can see the small dot in the center of the tooth. This structure is known as the pulp chamber, which houses the nerve and blood supply to the tooth. If this is exposed, the current recommendation is to either have a root canal performed or have the tooth removed. It does appear that Judge has tartar on his teeth. I would recommend a dental cleaning under anesthesia and have the teeth checked for any signs of pulp exposure. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available by phone or text based consultation if needed. If Judge chews on hard bones or toys, I would stop this so that the wearing does not worsen.

Dental fractures and accidents can occur with some of the very hard chew toys and I generally do not recommend these for use long term or when not directly supervised. Short periods of chewing can be good for dental health but I prefer the softer toys or rope toys to prevent cracked and broken teeth

I'm sorry that you are dealing with this with Kohl. Dental disease is very common in our dogs. If Kohl had 2 teeth fall out and needed 3 teeth extracted at his dental last year, then he likely had fairly significant dental disease. Often, we try to save as many teeth as we can when we perform a dental, but if they are too diseased, then our efforts may be futile. A tooth becomes discolored when its blood supply is interrupted. If Kohl frequently uses his front teeth to pull on things, this could be due to trauma. Once a tooth is discolored, it is considered "dead" and should be removed to prevent infection. Unfortunately, I would recommend that Kohl have another dental performed. If your vet did not do x-rays of his mouth, he should have that done and have any teeth extracted that have abnormal bone on x-rays. If your vet does not have dental x-ray, you can go to a veterinary dentist. I have attached a link to a handout below that has link to website were you can find a veterinary dentist. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2368 Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that Kohl will feel better soon. I had a veterinary dentist take out a number of teeth in my dog and he feels so much better now! Thanks for using PetCoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If they do fall off usually that will not affect eating that much. However, if they are loose that is usually indicative of an underlying dental issue so I would recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck!