# judging age by the growth of puppy teeth



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Funnygirl, that is very interesting, as I have been wondering from other things you have said whether your pup is really 11 weeks - she does sound as if she could be younger. Some breeders do sell very young puppies as "teacups", as people seem to be prepared to pay more for very tiny dogs. If you have not been given proof in the form of copies of the pedigrees, and appropriate registration papers, then you are relying on the word of someone who was possibly more interested in your money than the well-being of the puppies!

It does sound as if you have a helpful vet, and I am sure the parvo vaccination (and the repeat ones she will need) are a very good idea - it is a devastating disease in young puppies. 

Frankly, I would work on the assumption that she is younger than 11 weeks, and treat her accordingly. Six weeks is very young for a small breed puppy to leave her Mum, but it used to be the norm, and puppies still thrived. She is fortunate to have found an owner who is determined to do the very best for her!


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## funnygirl (Mar 31, 2011)

Thank you for your reply, I'm feeling desperate to find out. Her central incisors on the bottom have barely broken through. This is a cause of concern unless it's normal for these small breeds to have their teeth come in a little later being they're so small.

What makes me think she may be 11 weeks is how well she's done as far a separation from her original pack. She's already settled in with me and I'm definitely her leader. She only cried the first night and has done better every day since. Not crying at all last night.

The other question I asked the vet was her poo. If she was still younger, wouldn't the change in diet given her diarrhea? Being if she's older, it would explain the healthy poo, no? He agreed. 

It's the teeth that are a mystery. Are there any breeders on the site or other experienced owners that could tell me what the dental growth should look like between the 6-11 weeks??? That's what I'm googling w/out good results. Keep trying to rephrase it to get an answer.


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## funnygirl (Mar 31, 2011)

also, the vet asked if I'd bought her from a street vendor, which I said no, it was a private home that I called from the paper. He said that if it was a private home it's more likely the puppy is 11 weeks. Actually, when I called they told me the puppy was 3 months. When I arrived they said 10 weeks and I only paid $125 for the sweetheart. The person on the phone wasn't the person who showed & sold me the puppy. They told me if I wanted pedigree papers that I could return in a couple of hours but it would cost me another $100. I declined as I don't need papers. I just wanted a sweet pet, which she is. I just need to know how old she is so I can take care of her. Either way, the difference will only be a half a pound in the end. It wouldn't bother me if she weighed more. I just love her 

I guess if what i'm feeding her isn't any different from a 6 week puppy to an 11 week puppy, she should be alright. I just don't know if I should be waking her up to eat, force feeding her or ??? I'm sure she has hypoglycemia. She perked up after forcing her to eat. I wish I knew how much water to give her. She's real good about peeing on the pad or in the grass.


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## PaddleAddict (Feb 9, 2010)

Actually, you shoudld hope she grows as big as possible. Very tiny dogs usually don't live very long. Since you've been told a variety of things, I would treat her as if she's very young--6 to 8 weeks--and go from there. 

I think it's troubling that you have to force her to eat food. This is not really normal in a young puppy. Perhaps she wasn't properly weaned?


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## funnygirl (Mar 31, 2011)

does she need puppy milk then or is yogurt a great replacement, since she has no diarrahea? 

I may have just found the answer to my question,
"From one dentition to another

In certain MINI puppies, such as the Yorkshire Terrier,* deciduous teeth are very small. They just show on the surface of the gums. *Although the deciduous teeth are gradually replaced by permanent teeth between the fourth and sixth month of age, it is important for the kibble to be an appropriate size and texture for this dentition, which, though permanent, will be small in size and therefore should be very closely monitored. The MINIS are actually at greater risk of dental problems. Closure defects between the upper and lower dental arches promote poor occlusion, food debris buildup between the dental crowns and, as a result, bacterial colonization."

This would be her!!! :doctor: explains why they aren't very big! what a relief! 

Yes, i've read mixed reports about how long they live. 1-3 years or up to 15+ That's why I'm trying so hard to understand what I'm taking care of. 

I got the idea to force feed her w/the dropper from other sites. She's interested but doesn't want it. She did eat some popcorn this morning after I read she could have it as a snack. Right now her puppy food is chicken, rice & carrot mixed w/yogurt or the milk/yolk mixture. She loved it the first 2 days. How could a dog be so finicky? Kinda funny, like she doesn't want left overs. What else could I give her? My other dogs never asked for different food.


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## PaddleAddict (Feb 9, 2010)

Have you tried feeding her dog food? You can't keep feeding her what you are currently feeding because it doesn't have the proper amount of calcium and phosphorous. 

A healthy, well-bred toy or mini poodle can live 15 years or more. But a very tiny dog might have health problems. I remember a neighbor's puppy--she was very tiny, about 2 pounds (not a poodle). The poor thing died of a heart attack at 1 year old. She was just too small. I'm hoping your puppy gets to be at least 4 pounds.


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## funnygirl (Mar 31, 2011)

My husband just told me that the seller said they were hoping she'd be apricot like her grandfather but all of the pups came out white like her. Perhaps why they were on sale?...i didn't think there was a preferred color or is there a color more expensive than the other? I just love her color. She's definitely cream w/apricot ears. Anyway, hubby doesn't think it was a puppy mill but private party. Seller said he didn't have the mother but the father was 30 min away if I wanted to see him.


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

I would be Very Very concerned with hypoglycemia because of her small size! I agree that she needs a more balanced puppy food to grow properly. She Must eat every few hours though to keep her sugar high enough. She could die very quickly from it if not. Her not wanting to eat makes me worried.


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## funnygirl (Mar 31, 2011)

i decided to go and buy her a dry puppy food tomorrow. She wanted our adult dog food when I went out to feed them and i let her have 1 piece. I felt sorry for her and offered her some grilled chicken breast and she gobbled it down. Very active right now. I've also given her honey in between. I'll look for the Nurtical at the pet store or a similar product as well. I just can't stand her not eating. 

Now, hopefully she'll drink on her own. I put a little apple cider vinegar in the water but i've also offered her purified water and she still hasn't shown interest. I put 1000 cc a little bit ago and a full eye dropper earlier today...she's going potty regularly, still peeing and pooping.

So please forgive me for buying this precious tiny toy but I have her now. Am gathering that you basically treat them as a regular toy, is that correct? Regular toys have the same health issues, she's just a little smaller right now. Thanks for your concern.


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## Sapphire-Light (Jun 9, 2010)

funnygirl said:


> i decided to go and buy her a dry puppy food tomorrow. She wanted our adult dog food when I went out to feed them and i let her have 1 piece. I felt sorry for her and offered her some grilled chicken breast and she gobbled it down. Very active right now. I've also given her honey in between. I'll look for the Nurtical at the pet store or a similar product as well. I just can't stand her not eating.
> 
> Now, hopefully she'll drink on her own. I put a little apple cider vinegar in the water but i've also offered her purified water and she still hasn't shown interest. I put 1000 cc a little bit ago and a full eye dropper earlier today...she's going potty regularly, still peeing and pooping.
> 
> So please forgive me for buying this precious tiny toy but I have her now. Am gathering that you basically treat them as a regular toy, is that correct? Regular toys have the same health issues, she's just a little smaller right now. Thanks for your concern.


What is done is done everyone makes mistakes, as long as you learn from your experience and be more prepared to make a deeper research for the future. :wink:

Now the most important thing is to care for your pet :nod: , I suggest you to get some canned dog food also as this attracts many dogs that don't want to eat kibble.

I have a toy and his normal weight is 7 pounds and its difficult for me to find a small quality kibble for his tiny mouth so I soak the kibble that is the best brans I can find with water and he can eat it well.

Also is a bit hard for me to find treats, toys ans other things for his size too, but wit patience you can do it.

For good info on food brands see this page Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Ratings


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## funnygirl (Mar 31, 2011)

personally, i think the best dry adult food is kirkland's lamb & rice. Do you have Diamond or Costco's Kirkland brand in Honduras? I looked on Monday and didn't see any puppy food but I think our local pet store carries it. 

Looking into the raw diet. 

Porque esta usando ese foro y puede escribir bien en ingles? no hay mucho informacion en espanol, verdad?


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## Sapphire-Light (Jun 9, 2010)

funnygirl said:


> personally, i think the best dry adult food is kirkland's lamb & rice. Do you have Diamond or Costco's Kirkland brand in Honduras? I looked on Monday and didn't see any puppy food but I think our local pet store carries it.
> 
> Looking into the raw diet.
> 
> Porque esta usando ese foro y puede escribir bien en ingles? no hay mucho informacion en espanol, verdad?


We don't have a costo but in a similar hole sell store they have kirkland , but we don't have the small breed formula so even the puppy one is too hard for him to chew so I let it sit wit warm water for 10 minutes and then drain the water and give the kibble and he can it it better.

As for your other question yes there's not too many info of dog food in spanish, que mal .

But that page has very good articles.


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