Puppy’s adult teeth should come in soon

QOur new 18-week-old Chihuahua is absolutely adorable and we have a few questions. She has lost no baby teeth but she is starting to chew as if she’s teething. Should we be concerned?

She also seems to itch a fair amount since we got her a harness to wear. Why is this? She weighs all of 4 pounds. Should we still spay her when she is 6 months old? A Congratulations on your new puppy! Small or toy breed dogs often seem to have slower dental development than larger dogs. There are 28 deciduous or baby teeth that should have erupted or be visible at around 8 weeks.

At 3 or 4 months, they should start to fall and adult permanent teeth, 42 in total, should be present by 7 months of age. The fact that your dog is showing signs of teething suggests that her adult teeth should start to come in and hopefully will all be in by the time you spay her.

You will still want to spay her at around 6 months of age, before her first heat. Smaller breed dogs generally go into heat younger than larger dogs. In most cases, if deciduous teeth are still present at the time of spay, one elects to remove them then to avoid a second anesthetic procedure later. However, if her dental eruption is still delayed at the time of spay, I would proceed with her spay and address the teeth later. As for her itching, I would not be surprised if she is simply adjusting to her harness. It is not uncommon for puppies to itch a lot at the first use of a collar or harness. If your veterinarian has not seen any specific medical reason for her itchiness and you have not seen any parasites, she may not have any issue to be alarmed about. Should you see signs of hair loss and the itching persists, have her evaluated again. There is always the possibility of mange mites.

My bet is still on the harness though. Good luck.