July 15, 2018
Do you know your pet’s age? If you adopted your furry friend, his or her age may be a mystery. Fortunately, a quick look in your pet’s mouth can help you narrow down a general age range.
Puppies and Kittens
Incisors, the pointed teeth used to tear food into bite-size pieces, usually appear at two to four weeks of age for cats and four to six weeks for dogs. These teeth are only temporary and will be replaced with permanent incisors very soon. At three to four weeks, baby canine teeth appear in both dogs and cats. Canines are the fang-like teeth that appear in the top of the mouth. At four to six weeks, baby incisors and premolars will appear in dogs, and baby premolars will appear in cats. Premolars are located at the back of the upper and lower mouth and are used to grind food.
By the time your puppy or kitten is just two months old, all of his or her baby teeth will have erupted. During the next 10 months, the baby teeth will gradually be replaced with permanent incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. Don’t be surprised if you find some of these baby teeth around your home. At age one, most puppies and kittens have white teeth with no signs of wear.
Adult Dogs and Cats
From age one to two, your cat or dog may begin to look a little yellow, and tartar may appear. Plaque turns into tartar, a hard brown deposit, when it remains on the teeth too long. Daily tooth brushing reduces plaque and prevents it from becoming tartar. Regular dental cleanings at the veterinarian’s office will rid your pet’s mouth of both plaque and tartar and reduce the risk of developing gum disease and tooth decay.
Tartar may continue to build up during the next several years, and you may notice that your pet’s teeth have begun to show a little wear. Wear and gum disease are more common when your dog or cat is between the ages of five and 10. Elderly pets may eventually lose teeth due to tooth decay or gum disease, and their teeth may show considerable wear.
Determining age by the condition of the teeth isn’t an exact science. Some breeds – like pugs, Yorkshire terriers, greyhounds, poodles and Maltese dogs – are more likely to experience dental disease or may lose baby teeth later than normal.
Other Ways to Estimate Your Pet’s Age
If you’re not quite sure of your pet’s age, paying attention to a few other signs may improve your estimate, such as:
- Coat Color.Just like people, some pets turn gray as they age. Some dogs or cats may become gray as young as five years old, depending on the breed, while others will only have a few gray hairs at age 10 or older.
- Physical Condition.Older dogs and cats are more likely to develop arthritis in their hips and legs as they get older. Although arthritis can also occur in younger pets, your cat or dog may be more likely to be a senior citizen if he or she walks stiffly (particularly first thing in the morning), limps, has difficulty jumping or managing stairs, no longer likes being touched or becomes tired easily.
- Mental Function.Your pet’s behavior may change if he or she develops dementia as a part of aging. Common symptoms include disorientation, a change in normal sleep/wake times, housetraining accidents, personality changes and increased fatigue.
- Eye Changes.When your pet is middle-aged or older, you may notice that his or pupils are covered by a blue haze. The condition, called lenticular sclerosis, doesn’t require treatment and doesn’t interfere with your pet’s vision. Age may also be a factor in cataracts, which occur when the lens in the center of the eye becomes clouded. Cataracts do interfere with vision and can be removed if they cause significant problems.
No matter what your pet’s age, regular veterinary examinations are the key to ensuring your furry friend’s good health. If it’s time for pet’s annual visit, or you’re concerned about a health issue, contact us to schedule an appointment.
Sources:
PetMD: How Old Is My Dog? 5 Tips for Determining Your Dog’s Age
https://www.petmd.com/dog/slideshows/how-old-my-dog-5-tips-determining-your-dogs-age
Animal Sheltering Magazine: How to Determine a Cat’s or Dog’s Age
https://www.animalsheltering.org/magazine/articles/determine-age
VetStreet: How Vets Determine a Puppy or Kitten’s Age, 9/14,16
http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/how-vets-determine-a-puppy-or-kittens-age
Categories: Uncategorized
FAQs
At age one, most puppies and kittens have white teeth with no signs of wear. From age one to two, your cat or dog may begin to look a little yellow, and tartar may appear. Plaque turns into tartar, a hard brown deposit, when it remains on the teeth too long.
How do you tell the age of a dog by their teeth? ›
Check Their Teeth
Your puppy will start to grow their permanent teeth when they're around three or four months old, and their permanent teeth will remain clean and bright white until they're about one year old. After the first year of life, your dog's teeth might start to show a bit of wear.
How old are dogs when all their teeth are in? ›
At around 12 weeks, the deciduous teeth begin to fall out, and the permanent teeth begin to erupt. Normally, by six months of age, all permanent teeth have erupted, and all deciduous teeth have fallen out.
What should 1 year old dog teeth look like? ›
Ridges and Unevenness on the Front Teeth: At about 1 year of age, a dog will have ridges or bumps along the tops of their 4 front incisors, top and bottom jaw. Front incisors are the teeth that your dog uses for that nibbling type of grooming. As he ages, the bumps will wear down.
How do you calculate the teeth of a dog? ›
The dental formula of Dog
Dogs are omnivores, which means they consume both plants and animals. The dental formula for Dog is: 2 x (3142 / 3143) = 42 teeth (6 incisors 2 canine 8 premolars and 4 molar) / (6 incisors 2 canine 8 premolars and 6 molar) = 42 teeth.
How are teeth numbered in dogs? ›
The modified Triadan system provides a consistent method of numbering teeth across different animal species. The system is based on the permanent dentition of the pig, which has 11 teeth in each quadrant - three incisors, one canine, four premolars and three molars.
What should a 2 year old dog's teeth look like? ›
Evaluate the condition of your adult dog's teeth to estimate its age. In the first two years of adult life, the teeth are generally white with very little wear. By the end of the second year the white will have dulled and tartar will begin building up. This will cause yellowing on the back teeth.
How old is the oldest pet? ›
Bobi, 'oldest dog ever,' stripped of title by Guinness World Records : NPR. Bobi, 'oldest dog ever,' stripped of title by Guinness World Records Bobi's owner said the dog had lived a record-breaking 31 years and 165 days old when he died in October 2023.
How old is 7 in dog years? ›
Dog Years to Human Years by Size
| Human Years | Dog Years <20 Pounds | Dog Years 51-90 Pounds |
|---|
| 6 | 40 | 45 |
| 7 | 44 | 50 |
| 8 | 48 | 55 |
| 9 | 52 | 61 |
16 more rowsSep 27, 2023
Unlike humans, dogs don't tend to suffer from serious tooth decay, but the majority over the age of three do have dental disease. This comes in four stages, typically beginning with a build-up of plaque and tartar in the mouth which leads to mildly inflamed gums. This condition is commonly known as gingivitis in dogs.
Dogs develop two sets of teeth in their lifetime. The first set is the milk or deciduous set which act as placeholders or guides for the permanent teeth. The second set is the permanent teeth which may take up to 2 years to set in the jaw. Therefore teething behaviours are normal up to 2 years of age.
What age are canines fully grown? ›
When Do Dogs Stop Growing?
| Dog Group Size | Final Size | Age |
|---|
| Small | 6-10kg (13.2-22 lbs) | 6-8 months |
| Medium | 10-25kg (22-55.1 lbs) | 9-10 months |
| Large | 25-45kg (55.1-99 lbs) | 11-15 months |
| Giant | 45+kg (99+ lbs) | 15-24 months |
1 more rowJun 12, 2023
With the Age Test, 90% of dogs have a true birthday within 18 months of their estimated birthday. Here's an example Age Test result: In this example, Oliver's estimated age based on his DNA methylation is 8 years, 3 months.
What are the stages of bad dog teeth? ›
The Four Stages of Periodontal Disease in Dogs
- Stage 1: Gingivitis.
- Stage 2: Early Periodontitis.
- Stage 3: Moderate Periodontitis.
- Stage 4: Advanced Periodontitis.
Top 10 Dog Breeds with the Best Teeth
- #1 Labrador Retriever. ...
- #2 German Shepherd. ...
- #4 Rottweiler. ...
- #5 German Shorthaired Pointer. ...
- #6 Siberian Husky. ...
- #7 Doberman Pinscher. ...
- #8 Bernese Mountain Dog. ...
- #9 Vizsla.
Puppies will start to lose their first baby teeth around four months old. Between six and eight months of age, they should have lost all of their baby teeth. If you find loose teeth on the ground, it's perfectly normal. If you never find any, that's normal, too – many are swallowed!
At what age do dogs teeth start hurting? ›
Puppies get their baby (also called “milk”) teeth pretty early on, usually around five to six weeks of age. By 12-16 weeks, which is right about when you should be welcoming your puppy into your home and family, these little temporary teeth start falling out and adult teeth begin to replace them.
At what age do dogs teeth stop growing? ›
When Your Puppy Will Stop Teething. Teething technically ends when all 42 of your dog's adult teeth have finished coming in, which is usually around 5-8 months of age. By the time your dog is one year old, all of their adult teeth should have come in.
