New Labrador Puppy Overbite

[LuisK]

Hi all,

Not sure if this is the right spot for this, but we got a lovely little 8wk old puppy from a breeder registered on DogzOnline about 3 weeks ago. When we took him to the vet for his 10 week shots, she informed us he has a pretty severe overbite and needed to see a vetinary dentist. When we took him to the dentist we were told that his teeth will not self correct and he will likely need some sort of work done to his teeth when his adult canines come in.

We love our new boy and we're happy to do whatever needs to be done, but I am fairly annoyed that the breeder didn't mention this issue to us and charged us the full rate ($2k!) for a dog that he surely knew had an issue that would require costly attention.

I am wondering if there is anything I can do to perhaps get a partial refund of some of the money to help with our expenses here or if I am left in the lurch. Does anyone have any similar experiences?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Roova]

Have you spoken to the breeder to let them know? Its hard to know whether it was missed or deliberately not passed on? Surely their own vet would have seen the problem when immunising and doing the final health check?

Either way I think you need to ring and give them a chance to think about their options. Hopefully the dentist has written you a report so yu can share it with them. They may say they'll offer a full refund but take the puppy back or they may give you some money back, its hard to know. If a refund is offered and you don't want to give the puppy back you would probably be on your own with future problems though. It may be a hard decision to make and I wish you luck either way.

Edited December 17, 2016 by Roova

[TessnSean]

This is quite a common issue, from my experience, with this breed. My friend picked up a lab puppy, took it to the vet for a check up within 72 hours and the overbite was a good 20mm. Maybe more. I helped her select this girl at 6 weeks and there was no overbite. From that experience, it is possible the breeder didn't notice especially if they don't make it practice to check the mouth to check with the new owner at hand over. I do and photograph the bite at the same time so there is no comeback when a vet says the bite isn't right. It has happened and it is the best protection.

Top jaw grows faster than the bottom jaw and they don't set until 8 to 10 months. It is far too early to predict how much it will correct. It may end up perfect or it may not. I think it is far too early to talk about outcomes yet and I am really surprised you got referred off to a specialist this early. A good vet should have measured and said come back in a month.

Talk to the breeder. They easily may not have known. Be prepared that their solution might be to return the puppy and take another. That isn't wrong. It is being a responsible breeder and it may not suit you as you are attached to the puppy. Don't give up that the bite won't correct. Educate yourself on the growth progress of top and bottom jaw. Lots of articles out there in Google land that will both reassure and frighten you so balance it out. Good luck

Edited December 17, 2016 by TessnSean

[cavNrott]

Different breed here but I'm referring to a large breed. My large breed had a perfect scissor bite when she was around the 18 month old mark. The top jaw had indeed finished growing and her jaw alignment was perfect but the bottom jaw continue to grow and she ended up with an underbite. So the top jaw does indeed grow faster than the bottom jaw. However the bottom jaw takes longer to reach it's final position.

Most people describe all jaw problems as an overbite but often this is not the case. My vet gets overbite and underbite mixed up too, he kept referring to my dog's overbite (in conversation) when she had an obvious underbite.

We just need to clarify whether this dog has an overbite or an underbite. An overbite means the top jaw has grown at a faster rate and is therefore well out and over the bottom jaw/teeth. In an underbite the bottom jaw has grown out past the top jaw/teeth.

If your dog has an overbite LuisK, chances are the bottom jaw will continue to grow and it will more than likely correct to a nice scissor bite. If this is the case there will probably be no need for any dental work. If he has an underbite at this tender age, I'd say your canine dentist was spot on in his assessment and that you should have a seriously talk to the breeder.

This is an 8 week old puppy and his little jaws should be correct at this age. However puppies don't grow uniformly, they grow randomly in bits and pieces.

[LuisK]

It's definitely an overbite. Both bottom canines are behind the top ones, and one of them is slightly angled to the centre of the mouth. It is fairly pronounced, and the dentist seemed to be confident that it was highly unlikely to self correct. Just to clarify the dog is 11 weeks old currently.

For us, swapping for a new puppy is not an option, we are very attached. We will cope with the cost if it comes to it I guess I was hoping to get a small amount of assistance from the breeder is all. If it comes down to it we will deal with it on our own though.

Thanks all for the replies, I will contact the breeder and see what they have to say.

[cavNrott]

Don't despair yet LuisK. The bottom canines should be behind the top ones in a Lab (as opposed to, say, bulldogs who are meant to have an underbite) but it sounds as though he has a significant overbite. The bottom jaw will continue to grow after the top jaw has finished growing. The adult teeth may come in nicely. Don't lose hope yet.

I trust your breeder will be involved in this process and if your pup does need a canine dentist when he matures, it would be nice to think the breeder will kick in some $$$.

Don't play tug with your pup and make sure no one else does. I made that mistake with my dog and I may have been partly responsible for my Rotty's underbite.

[Scrappi&Monty]

Don't play tug with your pup and make sure no one else does. I made that mistake with my dog and I may have been partly responsible for my Rotty's underbite.

To the OP, hoping all goes well with your pup :)

CavNRott, I never thought of that, thanks for bringing that up, that might be one of the factors into Monty developing an underbite. It's not that bad and the vet didn't say anything about it but it's definitely an underbite. He does a lot of tug of war with Scrappi, and also a little bit when he plays with us. (Sometimes as a reward in training, or at practicing drop/let go) I better teach him fetch properly and use that as our game instead! Often though he'll swap the game to "keep away" or chasies silly boy :)