Basenji losing teeth

[Zola]

Everything I read about Basenji teeth indicates they are very strong. My 5 1/2 year old female basenji has started chipping, splintering and losing her teeth. At first it was just one impacted rear tooth that needed extraction, then she splintered an incisor, and now there are 2 front teeth almost missing (broken off). She does NOT chew any hard bones, not even bully sticks, per her vet. On occasion she will chew and rip up bedding and softer materials. Once she chewed through an extension cord, but we do not consider her a 'chewer'. Any insight into what could be causing this would be appreciated!!!!!!!

[Janneke]

Maybe she 'chews' on her crate?

I saw that one of Lycia's canines has enamel damage. Tillo has it on the back of both is upper canines, he did that at doggy day care.. We took him to the dentist, who fixed it

[Basenjimamma]

I wish I knew what to tell you. I don't know if it is common or uncommon in B's to have stronger then normal dog teeth. Otis, has a small splinter in one of his smaller teeth, I believe he got that from chewing on bones, but don't know, I just noticed it the other day. You would think as common it is for B's to be chewers, even if their teeth are stronger they would also have more damage to them..no? I simply do not know, but this raises an interesting question no doubt.

[Kananga]

@Janneke:

Maybe she 'chews' on her crate?

I saw that one of Lycia's canines has enamel damage. Tillo has it on the back of both is upper canines, he did that at doggy day care.. We took him to the dentist, who fixed it

Kananga has the same thing, exactly why I won't crate him unless he's supervised. I do my best to keep his teeth pearly white.

[tanza]

Have you talked with the breeder? Is this common for his/her bloodline? There are some lines that really do not have great teeth…. and it just happens to be genetic, IMO. I had one of those... his teeth were terrible... regardless what I did for them... and there were/are relatives of his that have exactly the same problems with teeth. If this is a rescue then it is possible that her early condition could and can have something to do with her poor teeth.

I don't agree that Basenjis are known for strong teeth, they are no different IMO then other breeds of dogs

[nobarkus]

Dogs are probably like people in that some people genetically have strong and tough teeth and others don't. Same with just the general physical genes in that one Basenji is so different from another. My first Basenji was physically tough as nails and never itched or had 1 hot spot it's whole life but my second, right as a puppy had allergies and other problems no matter how well I took care of her or fed her high quality food.

[sharronhurlbut]

My b's also lost teeth by chewing on the crate.
So, they are free now.

[MacPack]

We had 3 brothers once, one of them had awful teeth. I brushed his teeth twice every day and he still needed cleaning and extractions every year. His other brothers had normal teeth, cleaned them about every 5 years, brushed once a day or less.

[nobarkus]

@MacPack:

We had 3 brothers once, one of them had awful teeth. I brushed his teeth twice every day and he still needed cleaning and extractions every year. His other brothers had normal teeth, cleaned them about every 5 years, brushed once a day or less.

Wow! Were they Basenjis? Did you have them since they were pups? Twice a day and teeth still went bad! Like Forest Gump says "A Basenji is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get".

[ibi_n_sane]

my oldest basenji ( almost 9 ) had lost 2 teeth this year, 1 uppertooth and 1 premolar ( one of the "false" ones, I dont know how it is called in english ) otherwise she has pretty good teeth for her age, healthy gums and not very much dental plaque, the vet cant find any cause for her loosing teeth…..

[Rita Jean]

Is there anything we can watch for on losing the teeth like color change in gums? anything at all?

Rita Jean

[snorky998]

Renewing a teeth thread….
Have an appointment for yet again another tooth extraction and cleaning on Friday for my older boy, Ty. Have been using the Maxi Guard Oral cleansing gel for a year and it obviously didn't work for Ty.

Ty had a base line panel done about 8 months ago, but I'm still concerned about reactions to anesthetic at his age.

That said, I'd also like to know if there is anything else you all would recommend I have done when he's "under". Kind of a two-birds-with-one-stone scenario.

[tanza]

You need to have blood work done again before the extraction….

[snorky998]

Already talked to the vet about this. It was her intention all along.

Thank you Pat. Any other suggestions?