B-Naturals Newsletter – October 2008

Teething Time!
Lew Olson, PhD Natural Health

Generally, puppies start losing their teeth between three and four months or age. Often, we will ‘forget’ that, and suddenly see a series of strange symptoms! This can include feet splaying or going flat, going ‘down in the pasterns’, sour breath, anxious behavior, sudden destruction of shoes and furniture, fussiness about eating, ears suddenly going ‘fly away’, or rose (creased) and good toplines going topsy turvy.

The most common reason for these symptoms is a concentration of nutrients going to the newly erupting teeth, and also pain from new teeth coming in. It can be an uncomfortable time for your puppy, especially when the large canines and back molars start to present.
There are several helpful things that can be done at this time. I try to remain aware of when this is occurring, and I start offering more soft recreational bones. These can include pork neck bones and pork ribs. These will help the new erupting teeth. I will also give puppies cold, large carrots at this time (cooling on the gums) as well as keeping plenty of soft, plush toys around. Bully sticks and other natural dried animal products can also be helpful.

I keep nails short and use daily walks and simple training for distraction. Puppies can get cranky during teething time, so I am also alert to know when I just need to put them up and not press long training sessions during this time.

Sometimes in certain breeds, ears may need to be taped. How to do this can vary from breed to breed, so be sure to check with your breeder, or on the internet on the correct procedure for your breed.

Make sure there is some form of vitamin D in the puppy’s diet during teething. Vitamin D can be found in the Bertes Daily Blend, and also in Cod Liver Oil capsules. Vitamin D helps with the intake of calcium, which is important for puppies at this time. If the diet is a commercial diet, or a raw diet that is at least 40% raw meaty bones, do not add more calcium, only vitamin D may be needed.

Sometimes smaller, more frequent meals are helpful during this time, as eating may be painful due to sore gums. Some puppies may prefer raw meaty bones at this time, while other may prefer softer foods. Understand this may due to mouth pain.

Around five to six months, all the adult teeth should be present. Always check your puppy’s mouth to make sure that any puppy teeth haven’t become wedged between the adult teeth and that the gums look healthy. Once you and your puppy have left this stage, everything will start to go back to normal.

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