Boxer Front Teeth Shortened

by Lori Morris
(Auburn, maine)

My boxer's front teeth have shortened quite a bit. Could it be because he chews marrow bone? I give him marrow bone once or twice a week.

Vets tells me its not good to give him marrow bones. Vets says if he ends up with no front teeth, he may need to start eating canned dog food because he will not be able to chew.

My dog is 8 yrs old. I thought it could just be an age thing. He's not in any pain or discomfort. Marrow bone is great and entertaining for any dogs. They love to lick the fats inside the bone.

A Reply from our Vet Regarding Boxer Front teeth Shortened

Hi Lori,

The shortening of your dog’s front teeth could certainly be from wear and tear, and chewing on bones (or anything else that is hard for that matter) would be an obvious culprit.

Another possibility is that your dog may have a misaligned bite (pretty common in boxers) so that his normal chewing activity is causing his front teeth to wear down.

I wouldn’t worry too much that worn front teeth will mean that he needs to eat canned food. Dogs actually chew their food mostly with their back teeth. If these are becoming severely worn too, you might have a problem.

My biggest concerns with feeding bones to dogs are not really worn teeth but broken teeth and gastrointestinal problems. These can be expensive to treat.

Regards,

Jennifer Coates, DVM