Your Dog expert Vicky Payne advises a reader concerned about her dogs loose tooth.
Q: Our 10-year-old terrier-cross has lost most of his incisor teeth, both top and bottom. He now has just one tooth in his lower jaw, which sticks out at an odd angle. His molar teeth seem fine.
I have spoken to my vet about this when he went for his routine health check and vaccinations a few weeks ago. She said although several of his teeth were missing, the remaining ones looked quite healthy and were clean. Her advice was if he is managing to eat OK, I wouldn’t worry.
However, I have noticed that when he is playing with and chewing on his soft toys, sometimes he will suddenly stop and back off as though something hurts. I suspect it’s the remaining incisor. What would you advise?
Lena Mortimer, Devon.
Vicky says: If your dog will let you handle his mouth, give the tooth a prod; if it moves, then it is probably the source of his discomfort while playing. Unfortunately, unless it is extremely loose, your vet would need to give an anaesthetic to remove it. If it doesn’t fall out on its own in a few weeks, contact your vet for advice.