Sad Teething Pup - should I be concerned?

[Ling]

Hi all - as a first time doggy owner I'm sometimes unsure if I should be concerned or not. So please don't yell at me if this is something that I should take her to see the vet for - that's why I'm asking. All the people that I've talked to say that it'll be ok but of course I just need some reasurance from the experts here.
Our 5 month pup is teething and just in the last couple of days has been kind of quieter and she doesn't seem to want to take treats as much. She's always been a sucker for food - her tummy rules her, but lately she'll do the trick or command - put the food in her mouth then drop it. She's still very excited when I ask her if she wants to play ball or go outside for a walk. She's still eating her meals and will lick peanut butter, wet food - soft stuff out of her kong or bone but not the harder stuff. Is it just sore gums? I give her ice cubes.(& frozen carrots but she doesn't like them right now) Is there something else that I can do to make it easier for her?
And she has bad, bad puppy breath - I used to brush her teeth - but right now there are no teeth - well ok - a couple, and I don't really want to upset her sore gums by trying to do it now. Is this normal? Or should I still be brushing her teeth / gums?
And one more thing - she's not having the best poops. Kind of runny. Should I be concerned about this too? I haven't changed her food or anything.

Thanks for any and all advice or comments.

[GsdDiamond]

I was very concerned when my dog did the same thing your pup is going through. It's very normal for them to be totally off treats or dry food while teething. Their gums are very sore, and even though they love to chew to help dull the pain, they just can't do it.

The runny poop is probably caused by a slight fever brought on by the teething. Are her ears warmer than usual? How about the pads of her feet? These are always the telltale places to look for signs of fever, unless you want to really take her temperature!!!

Try using some low sodium beef broth, or chicken, and filling her kong. Plug one end with peanut butter, freeze the kong so the peanut butter gets really hard, and pour in some cold soup broth. Put the kong back in the freezer and top off with more peanut butter once frozen through. She'll not only enjoy eating the treats, but the ice cold kong will be good on her gums!

I would hold off brushing her teeth, or in this case gums, until she has teeth. Then I would only do so gently with a finger brush, not a real toothbrush. Best case: wait until she has all her teeth.

Let us know how it goes! And post a pic if you get the chance!!

[Ling]

Thanks so much for your reply! I feel much better now. Really this site is awesome!
I'll make her a frozen soup kong as soon as I get home from work today! She's sleeping behind me now :-)
Sometimes the pads of her paws have been kind of warm - so yes she might have bit of a fever. And I'm scared to take her temperature!
I've always used the finger brush on her - she's still got a small puppy mouth so I haven't graduated her to the doggy toothbrush that came in the kit.

Here are some pics of my little baby - hope they work. And of course I think that she's just the cutest thing.

Again - thank you for calming my worries.

[GsdDiamond]

I don't blame you for not wanting to take her temperature! I don't think I'd like to do it either. Most likely, if you call the Vet and ask, they'll just tell you to bring her in for a quite temp check. Usually a Vet technician can do it and save you the Vet's charges.

I'm glad I could help calm some of your worries. It always makes me feel better to help out, as the others here have done for me!!

She's a real cutie!!! She looks like a GSD cross.

[goldenblaze]

She is really cute, it does worry us when they are feeling ill I know how you feel. Blaze is 9 moths old and still teething it really odes seem to take awhile. I have 3 of his teeth, I know people find that weird but they are my kids. Good Luck, keep doing as you are you sound like a great loving Mommy.

[Ling]

GSD - she's a hound, border collie X. And good tip about having her temp taken by a vet tech to save some $$. Every penny saved just means more toy and treats for her!

And Goldenblaze - too funny. I'm keeping all her teeth too! I've got a photo album that I'm keeping with weekly pics and her teeth. I've only found / collected two so far. My BF thinks that I'm nuts!

[GsdDiamond]

LOL
I have 4 of Diamond's teeth!

[shihtzulover]

I have 3 of Sophies so far. She brings them right to me, its really cute. Plus everytime before I clean the carpets I check for teeth

[goldenblaze]

Too funny, and I thought I was the only nutso that did that.
To be honest I don't tell people that I have their teeth. Jordie I have hair from his very first grooming and 4 teeth, Blaze I have his baby hair and his teeth. I remember not having any of his teeth yet and telling my husband keep watch he is losing his teeth. Marty thought I was nuts, we were outside playing the Blaze came to me with blood coming from him gums, he had lost a tooth I looked aorund this yard and it is big let me tell you, Marty helped cause he knew I was be mad if he didn't help We never found it after atleast one hour of looking yes I wanted that tooth.
Later that day we were watching the news and in front of me 3 feet away was a tooth I was so excitied and Marty reminded me about him looking for one hour for a tooth . Oh well I had his tooth Mommy was happy, after that he lost them in house and I found them no problem