Puppy Teething Help
Some Golden Retrievers breeze right through the teething stage while others seem to have a bit more trouble.
©Photo Courtesy of Phil Way The good news is, it will pass! Puppy teeth first start to come in between 3 to 4 weeks of age. These are temporary teeth that are sometimes referred to as “milk teeth”. As your Golden starts to mature, she will lose these puppy teeth, replacing them with her permanent adult teeth. It is rare to find any of her shed baby teeth, as they will generally be swallowed while she is eating. This is not a cause for concern, as the teeth will easily pass through her system! Since dogs love to chew on things all of their lives, excessive chewing is not truly a sign of teething puppies. Puppies and dogs chew to develop their mouth and facial muscles, to learn about their environment, and to help keep their teeth and gums healthy. ©Photo Courtesy of Tina LaFountain With many Golden Retrievers, you will not even notice that your puppy is teething. But for others, you may see some of the following symptoms, generally starting around 4 months of age. She may have a loss of appetite on certain days. This isn’t anything to worry about. Do continue to feed her dry dog food, rather than moist, as dry food is best for her teeth and gums. You may see blood on objects that she has been chewing on. If you were to then look inside of her mouth, you may see she has swollen gums. All of this is normal. Make sure that she has a large assortment of items to chew on. Purchase chew toys with plenty of nubs and ridges on them, and also a variety of hard and soft toys.
©Photo Courtesy of Andrew Gibki and "Monty" I also love rawhide and cow hooves for my puppies and adult Goldens. You can purchase various puppy teethers and some of those can even be frozen. Personally, I take old rags, wet them down, and knot them in several places. Then I throw several of them into the freezer. When she is finished chewing on one, I rinse it out and refreeze it for later use. Make sure you are watching her when she chews on these, as she may eventually be able to shred the rag, in which case you will need to throw it out. ©Photo Courtesy of Ciara Chase For puppy teething pain, some people also like to give ice cubes to their puppies. I prefer small pieces of ice, as larger pieces seem to just go flying across the room! Now is a good time to take the opportunity to teach your puppy how it feels to have the inside of her mouth touched. Rub your fingers over her teeth and gums often. This will help her accept getting her teeth brushed when she gets older. Your Golden’s puppy teething stage will be over in a few short months, and for most of this time, you and she both will hardly seem to know it was there.
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