[Yoshismom]

Chibi has been doing this weird licking thing, I had been a little worried that it might be neurological as he had that seizure way back when but tonight I decided to see if maybe something was stuck in his teeth. I didnt see anything abnormal but when I moved my finger out of his mouth I noticed he had a loose tooth in the front bottom of his mouth. On closer examination (not easy as his mouth is so tiny and his teeth are tiny as well) but he has 3 teeth inbetween his bottom k9's and all 3 are loose?? No wonder the poor baby has been licking, this must be driving him crazy :-( I am calling the vets first thing in the morning but does anyone know what might have caused this or had any experience with this type of issue? His gums seem fine and pink but a little darker under those teeth. All of his other teeth are fine??

 

[KittyD]

They are not retained teeth right? his actual adult teeth are loose?
Poor guy!

 

[LostLakeLua]

That's seems odd! How old is he?? Are the loose teeth adult ones?
My puff boy Julian is just about 5 months and is teething horribly... never had a dog react so badly I actually took him to the vet for yelping. =P Just turned out he was really sore.. =( ..He licks, a LOT. Just sits and licks. We were told to give him various "cold" things to help numb him a little; so he gets most of his meals only partially-thawed and we've been feeding frozen cubes of TOTW just to help stimulate his gums. But, this is all for a dog who's "supposed" to be teething... if Chibi is an adult I can't imagine why 3 of his teeth would be loose suddenly! Are his teeth healthy/plaque free otherwise? If his teeth are fine I would not expect their to be any kind of gum infection... sometimes softening of the gums can make teeth feel loose. Is it possible (I know not likely..) that he could've had some injury or something that hit his teeth..? Maybe even jumping off a couch and landing on his snout? K I'm grasping at straws here.. =( I'll be interested to see what Doc says tomorrow morning! Good luck!!

 

[Yoshismom]

He is an adult and yes it is adult teeth. His teeth have always been tiny and almost nonexistent barely protruding out of his gums except for the front teeth as they are out farther but still tiny. Vet says this is normal, he has always had difficulty chewing due to this. I dont know if there has been any injury if so it was while I was not here? I am baffled. He has good teeth compared to Yoshis, not a lot of plaque at all.

 

[LostLakeLua]

So very weird! Maybe it's more of a gum issue than anything. If he was chewing on something that caused a cut or puncture; and that got infected; the swelling could cause the tissue around it to temporarily inflame and soften which would make them loose.

For tonight anyway you could try giving him something cold to chew on, I would think that might make him feel better until the vet has a chance to take a look. Good luck!

 

[Yoshismom]

He isnt a chewer, he doesnt chew on his chew toys, ropes, treats or anything :-( The only thing I have given him different is a little dental chew the other day, it may be that he was trying to chew it with those front teeth because his other teeth are so tiny? I will let you know what the vet says. He has me worried :-(

 

[~LS~]

Michelle, just how old is Chibi?
It can be premature tooth loss due to his mouth being too small for his teeth,
which causes overcrowding. Chihuahuas are famous for bad oral health. Could be
bone loss in the jaw or dental disease. Does his breath smell bad? That is sign of
a gum infection. Either way if they are loose they'll most probably need to be
extracted. Poor Chibi, I hope it's something that requires a very simple solution.
Good luck on your appointment and please update us asap!

 

[flippedstars]

Unfortunately that's 100% normal in purebred chis. The rooting system is just atrocious. I would say well over half of purebred chis (within the standard size wise) by the age of 3 or 4 have lost two or more incisors.

Oakley has one or two "loose" teeth that have just kind of hung out indefinitely. She's about 2 1/2 and has quite small teeth too. I brush her teeth and take great care of them, but there isn't much you can do if the dog doesn't have good roots to begin with.

Obviously having your vet check him out will alleviate any worries you have, but it is sadly very normal.

 

[KittyD]

He is an adult and yes it is adult teeth. His teeth have always been tiny and almost nonexistent barely protruding out of his gums except for the front teeth as they are out farther but still tiny. Vet says this is normal, he has always had difficulty chewing due to this. I dont know if there has been any injury if so it was while I was not here? I am baffled. He has good teeth compared to Yoshis, not a lot of plaque at all.

My boy is like this as well, he's often had issues with chewing and kibble.

He isnt a chewer, he doesnt chew on his chew toys, ropes, treats or anything :-( The only thing I have given him different is a little dental chew the other day, it may be that he was trying to chew it with those front teeth because his other teeth are so tiny? I will let you know what the vet says. He has me worried :-(

B is the same way, he does not like to chew on bones or chew toys, ropes or anything, he does like the tiny green dental chews, Chihuahuas are infamous for dental issues it seems to be part of the breed.
Keep us posted as to the outcome!

 

[MChis]

Maxie has lost one tooth & has another loose. But his smaller premolars & not incisors (he has all of those still). He has great canines & incisors... But he is only 3 so I assume he'll be an unlucky one & end up loosing a lot of teeth relatively early.

 

[Yoshismom]

I took him to the vet first thing this morning and they did a dental and pulled the 3 teeth I was talking about being loose. They said it was typical for Chi's to have this happen. I knew Chi's had problems with teeth as Yoshi is plaqued with teeth issues but I never have know them to just get loose. You live you learn

Before I took him to the vet I went to brush like I always do before taking him out and I found flea dirt on him. I have killed 4 fleas and that is all I have seen. I was mortified as we have never had a flea issue here? I checked Yoshi and our ferret as well as all the big dogs that go in and out and there is no signs of fleas on them? I came straight home and treated the big dogs with Vectra just in case and gave Yoshi a Comfortis (first time I have ever treated the Chi's :-( ) (also first time I have every used the Vectra) I am supposed to give Chibi a Comfortis here shortly but waited awhile since he has anesthesia in his system. I came in like a mad woman and started vacuuming all the floors and washing the bedding. Hopefully I have caught it in enough time to where there will be no infestation.

 

[cherper]

Hope things calm down your way

 

[MChis]

ACK about the fleas! We have a few pop up on 1 or 2 dogs here & there through out the summer...mostly fall. (we live in a terrible area & I'm always hearing about bad infestations...ick!) We've never had an "infestation" thank goodness but it's so nerve wracking I know! I hate to use Frontline but when I spot one they all get a dose & I go on a cleaning spree! Vectra sounds interesting...I've heard it used before. May have to look into it as the Frontline doesn't seem to work as well as it used to. Blah...

I'm glad you got his teeth sorted out for now. Teeth are such a pain. Good luck with things!

 

[Mandy]

awww michele poor chilbi hope hes ok but as you say its a chi thing zac has lost his 3 front small teeth hes a chewer and likes playing rough and i blamed myself as i always playing tugging games with him and he always grips with his front teeth the vet said to me its common with small breed dogs but i need to brush their teeth more regularly zac doent seem to miss the teeth though dosent hold him back in any way x

 

[DKT113]

Read an article about the teeth & they actually called it "sharkmouth" when the baby teeth don't come out and the adult teeth come in ~ and they did say it was very common.

Sorry about the fleas. I just had a full on battle with them myself as Rescue Kitty came with hundreds of them. Fortunately we didn't get an infestation as the animals are all treated and she began treatment as she came in the door. BE SURE TO EMPTY VAC OUTSIDE ~ otherwise they live in the cylinder vac bag or inside garbage and they continue doing all kinds of nasty flea things. A Christmas light light beside a container of water with a few drops of dawn will attract them through the night (make sure room is dark but for the attracting light) and let you know if you have a problem. I used a bleach jug to make sure they weren't partying in my carpets.

Good Luck with the choppers and the pesky hoppers!

 

[Yoshismom]

Heather our Vet stopped selling Frontline and started using Vectra 3D, it supposedly kill all stages of fleas and repels fleas and also does the same for ticks and lice, mites, mosquitos etc... My big guys had no reaction from it and that was what I worried the most about. The comfortis seems to be a natural flea killer, have had no bad reactions with it either.

Mandy Chibi doesnt seem bothered by his being gone either.

DKT113 - I have tried the dawn, dish and light trick before relocating here years ago, it didnt work for me :-(

 

[bayoumah]

hi maybe hell need and antibotic if he has a gum infection good luck at the vet

 

[flippedstars]

Has he stopped the licking?

 

[Yoshismom]

Yes he is on an antibiotic and he hates it, I have never had a dog that shakes and makes such a face once I give him medicine, I feel bad for him :-(

Yes he has stopped licking and he is being more social again. I had wondered why he was going off and laying in his bed by himself and I thought he may be having tummy issues. I am glad we figure it out and got him back to normal

 

[flippedstars]

Did they give him that Clavamox (banana flavored stuff)?