254 USEFUL INFORMATION REGARDING DOGS. 



THE TEETH OF THE DOG 



The dog, like all other animals that give suck to their offspring, has two 

 sets of teeth, the first or milk or deciduous teeth, and the second or per- 

 manent teeth, says a writer in Field and Fancy. The first set of teeth are 

 shed about three and a-half to five or six .months in the larger breed of 

 dogs, and from five to seven months in the smaller or Toy breeds. Fre- 

 quently Toy dogs have a good deal of trouble in shedding their teeth, and 

 some, such as the canines or tushes, are often never shed at all, thus 

 leaving the dog with two sets of tushes, the first being placed behind the 



second. 



The number of teeth varies according to the class of dog. The typical 

 number of permanent teeth is forty-two. As a rule, if there should be any 

 variation, they are excess in those clogs having long jaws, and are fewer in 

 the short-faced dogs, such as Bulldogs, Pugs, Griffons, Toy Spaniels, etc. In 

 the longer-faced dogs there may be as many as forty-four, while the short- 

 faced dogs may have as few as twenty-eight, and rarely more than thirty- 

 eight. In the hairless dogs they are usually even fewer still. 



When the young puppy cuts his first teeth it does not cause any trou- 

 ble, but it is the opposite when it sheds the first and cuts the second teeth. 

 It is a critical time with him, and predisposes him to take various diseases, 

 such as fits, skin diseases, distemper, etc. In case the first teeth are not 

 shed, so as to prevent the shooting up of the second teeth, it may be ne- 

 cessary to extract them. When the temporary tushes are not shed and the 

 second or permanent ones are up in front of them, the former should be 

 extracted carefully, so that they are not broken and the roots in consequence 

 left in the jaw. 



Between the ages of four and seven months Toy dogs should have their 

 mouths frequently examined in order to discover if the second teeth are 

 coming up properly and the temporary ones being shed in due order. If 

 this is not watched an ugly mouth may result. To assist the falling of 

 the first teeth and the regulation of the new or second teeth, young puppies 

 should have large, uneven, raw bones given them to gnaw and tear at. 



The earliest disease of the teeth is erosion of the enamel, which causes 

 the teeth to have a worm-eaten or cankered appearance. It is usually 

 considered as a guide that the dog has had distemper either just before 

 or at the time or after the second teeth have appeared. Although it may 

 be taken that the dog has had distemper if this appearance of the teeth is 

 present, it cannot be said that the dog will not have another or future 

 attack of this disease, as cases are encountered with this appearance in 

 second attacks of distemper. When the enamel of the teeth is eaten into, 

 no treatment is of any use to restore the teeth to their proper appearance. 



The commonest disease of the teeth is a collection of tartar just around 

 the neck of the tooth just above the gum, and which may after some time 

 insinuate itself between the gum and most of the tooth, and set up in- 

 flammation of the tooth socket, and in consequence loosen the tooth. Fre- 

 quently the material encases the whole of the tooth, which looks blackish, 

 greenish, yellowish or brownish in color, often giving off a repulsive odor 

 when the animal is suffering from some ailment. It is due to microbes set- 

 tling on the teeth and manufacturing a calcereous material out of the 

 saliva and debris of food collecting on the teeth. It originates in conse- 

 quence of the animal being deprived of tearing food, such as lumps of raw 

 meat on a bone. Dry bones or hard biscuits do not supply the absence of 

 this tearing food. The dog's teeth by nature are intended for biting and 



