Loose Teeth in Cavaliers

Hi

I am visiting a 5 year old bitch tomorrow in view to rehoming her with me and my family. The owner has reported that she has a few loose teeth and that they will fall out on their own accord. I work with an ex police RAF dog handler and he is owned and worked with dogs for 30+ years and he has warned me that the bitch has a calcium deficiency and this is a sign that this can lead to further problems. Is this common for Cavaliers to loose teeth as they get older? Can anyone offer advice about the sort of questions I should pose about the bitches health?

Kind regards

Rachel

It's my understanding (from my vet) that loose teeth should be removed. I don't know anything about calcium deficiencies though.

My cavaliers are 5 and 6 years old and have their teeth brushed. None of them has had any loose teeth.

It could be that the owner has neglected her teeth. The teeth could be loose due to periodontal (gum) disease. She should be seen by a vet for a dental appointment as soon as possible, in my opinion.

Cathy Moon said:

It's my understanding (from my vet) that loose teeth should be removed. I don't know anything about calcium deficiencies though.

My cavaliers are 5 and 6 years old and have their teeth brushed. None of them has had any loose teeth.

It could be that the owner has neglected her teeth. The teeth could be loose due to periodontal (gum) disease. She should be seen by a vet for a dental appointment as soon as possible, in my opinion.

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I totally agree. We got our cavalier earlier this year and we were told at her first exam that she needed her teeth checked. When we had it done, she had early stages of gum disease and one tooth loose, which they removed. She is absolutely fabulous now and we will brushing her teeth regularly.

Echoing this.

The owner needs to give her dogs better vet care! Teeth shouldn;t be just left to fell out in dogs any more than thy should in people and finding out why they are loose would be important. I don't think this has anything to do with a calcium deficiency though it possibly could be a cause. I know some here have had adults with loose teeth before. The breed seems to have a few problems with bad teeth/gums so good dental care is important.

One of the last puppy mill confiscations had at least 2 breeding bitches that were toothless. Part of their general statement was that these dogs were toothless because of large calcium being withdrawn from their bodies for their litters and that the calcium withdrawal affected the jaw and caused the teeth to loosen.It would be interesting to see if male dogs also had this problem( tooth loss) or if it is truly the breeding females.