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Ask the Veterinarian/american pitt bull terrier dental problems

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Expert: - 11/1/2011


Question
I have a 14wk old American pit bull terrier male.  I have only had him for a few days and he is current on all his shots and has been dewormed and flea dipped.  I have come to notice that one of his lower front teeth is flat and has started to bleed when he chews on his toys.  His toys are not hard and he has not been given anything that would harm his teeth.  I just wanted to make sure that this is either him losing baby teeth of if I need to take him to the vet. Thank you.

Answer
He is most likely losing his baby teeth. They will lose most of these and you will never see them, but now and then you will find one like this.

If the tooth doesn't fall out or stop bleeding then you should take him in to the vet.

You sound like a very responsible pet owner, so I have no doubt that this dog will finish his vaccinations and be put on heartworm prevention.
I am also confident that you will get him neutered as soon as he is old enough.

Have a lot of fun with him.:-)

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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