Puppies, just like human babies, go through a teething process that can be very painful at times.
For about the first 9 months of your puppy’s life, he/she will be in the process of teething. Puppies will chew anything in sight to dull the pain they are experiencing. Responsible pet-parents need to address teething issues before furniture and shoes become your furry little friend’s favorite chew toys.
Starting at around two weeks of age, puppies begin to get their baby teeth; by the time your puppy is 12 weeks old, he/she will have all of them. Not long after the last baby teeth are in, the puppy will begin to lose them and new, permanent teeth will take their place. As the new teeth come in, the puppy might experience redness, swelling and irritation. You should take measures to alleviate your puppy’s pain and reduce the risk of him/her chewing up valuable items while teething.
Provide your puppy with acceptable items to chew on.
While the new teeth are putting pressure on the puppy’s gums, chewing is a natural reaction. If you don’t provide a chew toy, your puppy will look for something else to chew, including furniture, shoes and other things you value. The use of natural chewing deterrents like Bitter Lime or Bitter Apple can be applied to furniture and objects you don’t want Fido sinking his teeth into. Offer your puppy only one or two chew toys. If you supply too many chew toys, your puppy may not distinguish them from other things that seem chewable.
Place any tempting items out of reach. Remove the remote, socks, shoes and books. Keep electrical wires away from your puppy. Chewing on the wires could be fatal. However, do not punish your puppy for chewing on items in your home. If you catch your puppy chewing on something inappropriate say “No†or “Leave it†in a firm voice. Remove the item and immediately hand them something acceptable for chewing. When they take the new item, praise them.
Enhance your puppy’s desire to chew on his designated toy by rubbing a small amount of Foxy Treats’ Skin&Coat Supplement on it once or twice a day.
Puppies enjoy the taste, and the Omega-3 content in the oil will help with inflammation in the mouth. You can switch up the flavor occasionally by rubbing a tiny amount of organic plain peanut butter onto the chew toy to keep your puppy interested. Do not use too much peanut butter, it will upset your puppy’s digestion.
Natural Teething Aids:
Frozen Foxy Treats! Puppies love the crunchy goodness, and the icy chill will help soothe swollen gums. The Lavender Mint treats make for an excellent teething aid. Lavender is very calming and soothing.
Ice cubes: drop one or two ice cubes into your puppy’s food bowl. (Crushed ice for toy breeds.) The ice will melt and slip back into the bowl as he/she works on it, but it will provide soothing relief for irritated gums while it lasts.
Frozen chamomile tea and aloe vera juice is an excellent teething aid: it’s tasty and soothing. Both chamomile and aloe vera are natural anti-inflammatory agents and will ease the irritation your puppy is experiencing.
Freeze a clean dishrag after dipping it in water-or chamomile tea–and wringing it out. Twist the damp dishrag into a tight, rope-like shape and let it freeze that way. When your puppy shows signs of needing to chew, offer the frozen rag to chill and temporarily numb his/her gum pain. When the rag warms and softens, you can rinse it out and refreeze it.
While sitting with your puppy, use one hand to support his/her chin while gently rubbing the upper and lower gums for a few minutes.
Gently massaging the gums will give your puppy some much needed comfort. You can rub ice cubes onto the gums as well