How To Tell A Dog S Age Based On Teeth

It is easier to tell how old a puppy is than an older dog based on their baby teeth.

How to tell a dog s age based on teeth. Just like humans petmd says most dogs will start to get a little gray when they get older. Missing premolars are more common but dogs can fail to develop canines incisors and molars. Large breed dogs stay puppylike for 24 months or more compared to the usual 12 to 15 months for medium and small dogs. All told it can be difficult to determine a dog s age by merely looking at it s teeth.

By looking at the teeth. After a dog s adult teeth have erupted there isn t an accurate way of aging a dog based on their dentition says dr. In fact studying your dog s teeth may be the most accurate resource when investigating how to tell the age of a puppy. Giant breeds such as great danes and irish wolfhounds age quickly and might not live past the age of 7 to 10 while toy dogs such as chihuahuas age much more slowly.

Teeth are a particularly reliable way to determine a puppy s age because your dog will lose all baby teeth before he she is about 6 months old. However fur color is not the best means of determining age. Fur color often changes as a dog ages. For many breeds full dentition is an issue and they may develop fewer adult teeth.

Heather loenser veterinary advisor for the american animal hospital association aaha. While you won t be able to determine your dog s birthday from their teeth checking out their pearly whites is a great way to narrow it down. Most dogs have some graying fur past the age of five. Consult your vet if you would like a more accurate estimation of your dog s age.

Food habits dental care or lack of it can all play a role in hastening or slowing teeth wear in all dogs. E xamining teeth is one of the best ways to determine the approximate age of a cat or dog look at the degree of growth to determine the ages of kit tens and puppies and look at the degree of wear to determine the ages of adult cats and dogs the diagram and chart below can help. Permanent canine teeth come in around 5 months of age. At one month of age milk teeth start pushing through the gums.

And dogs older than ten will often have loose cracked or missing teeth. It is common for young tiny dogs to have bad teeth because they are so often fed only soft foods and tartar can quickly become a problem. 12 incisors 4 canines 16 premolars and 10 molars 2 on each side of the upper jaw and 3 on each side of the lower jaw. Graying hair is typically found around the muzzle.

However when taken into account with other factors like teeth fur may help determine a dog s age. Teeth are a reliable measure of age whether your pup is a rescue or not.