Puppies usually have adult teeth at 6 months
QMy husband and I took our puppy to our vet and were told that he was still too young for a rabies vaccine. I’m really concerned about when his adult teeth will come in. Our vet said that starting at around 3 months, the puppy will start to lose his baby teeth, beginning in the front. How long will the teething process last and how many teeth will he lose? I have heard that vets can tell how old an animal is by their teeth. Is that true?
AI wish it were that easy. Unlike counting the rings on a tree, it is not so with dogs and cats. Veterinarians can usually assess the approximate age of a dog or cat when they are young and their teeth are erupting. Once the adult teeth are in, it comes down to a guessing game, experience and nothing more. The answer might be based on wear and tear of the teeth, tartar and plaque, and other factors. Dogs have 28 puppy or deciduous teeth that start to come in at about three weeks of age and are usually all in by six weeks of age. The deciduous teeth start to fall out at about three months and all 42 permanent adult teeth are usually in by about six months. This can vary among dogs and breeds.
Cats also have a total of 26 baby teeth starting at two to six weeks of age, and adult teeth start coming in a little earlier than dogs. Cats end up with 30 adult teeth.
With horses, veterinarians are able to age them more precisely based on multiple dental changes throughout their lives.
As for the rabies requirement, which varies by state, in Massachusetts dogs and cats must be vaccinated by six months of age or within 30 days of ownership if older than that and still not vaccinated. In my practice, I wait until the animal is at least 14 weeks of age. Many vaccine manufacturers have recommended minimum age requirements for vaccine administration.