Missing Lower Canines

[jessica mclain]

My little maine coon Loki, was rescued from a hoarders house when I worked at the humane society. He had all of his baby teeth when I nursed him back to health, but when his bottom canine baby teeth fell out, the adult ones never grew in. I have had x-rays and the doctors look him over saying he is perfectly fine.

He has trouble grooming mats out of his fur, due to the missing teeth, and I help him get them out. Does anyone think this may become a major issue as he gets older? He eats fine now, but can only eat one kibble at a time. No weight issues, or health issues.

Has anyone seen this before? I think it may be because of the situation he was born in? I think it is due to the malnutrition he had as a newborn. Also, his head is a lot smaller than his body. He is a hefty 13 lbs, being a maine coon, this is not a surprise to me. Just wanting to know your opinions!  

 

[feralvr]

Welcome to the site!! I have not heard of this before BUT assume it could be totally possible for some kittens. I do know that cats can live long, healthy and happy lives without their canine teeth. They can still groom and eat very well. They don't crunch with their canines - so eating dry food would not be an issue at all. Have all of his other adult teeth come in without an issue? Since the vets did an xray of his mouth then I would assume all other adult teeth are normal. I would help keep him groomed since Maine Coons have that beautiful and full coat. Lots of brushing to keep mats from developing will certainly help. The canine teeth are really there for killing and capturing prey and pulling meat off bones - I think. :lol3: So many of our house cats do fine if they are missing. I had a cat that needed to have one upper and lower canine pulled due to awful gingivitis. She did just fine other than her snaggle look. Some cats during their lifetime end up having some teeth pulled, including canines, during a dental procedure. They all do just fine. :nod:

 

[juliegreenx]

Hi, I just signed up for the site specifically because I saw your post.

I have a big tonkinese boy, and adopted him at 8 weeks from a girl who didn't take care of him.

He was full of tape worms and was star ed for attention which inevitably made him a grumpy cat for the rest of his life. But I nursed him back to health, had two rounds of dewormer, and he lived in my arms for 6 months lol. He did lose his baby teeth as planned but never grew in his adult bottom canines.

The rest of his teeth show that there was empty space and he has some overlapping gums but he's never had an issue eating, he just hates grooming himself lol.

But as far as I know, he's a healthy fat boy who is about to turn 6.

I never found out why this happened but my vet did accuse me of pulling his teeth out which makes no sense

 

[furmummy]

One of mine had 9 teeth taken out a year ago. 7 of the teeth were the 2 lower canines and all the small teeth in between.

She is a Ragdoll, so has an ample amount of fur to clean   She has not had any difficulties after her extractions. None at all.

But what made a difference to the other furbabes was that I discontinued the krill oil for several months. And for the FIRST time for about 10 years, we have a problem with mats!  The discontinued Krill oil was the ONLY factor that was different and this was for 2 cats who NEVER got mats before.

I highly recommend Krill oil. It is good for so many things. Not only will you have less mats, or none, the coat will be soft and silky. It also has a host of other beneficial effects.

I highly recommend the Now brand of krill. Many companies add all sorts of things not good for cats, or unpalatable.

Also, do get the 500mg capsule as the larger capsule has vanillin in it..... Guarantee your cats wont touch it...  BLECH!!

Soak one capsule in a wee bit of water until it melts and add to the wet/raw food. For one cat, 2 capsules per week is about right.  The Krill does not have an overly fishy taste/odor so is easy to add the the food.

The best place/price for Now Krill is either at

Swanson Vitamins, http://swansonvitamins.com/ or Iherb, http://www.iherb.com/

You'll save a TON compared to your local HFS!!   (And don't forget to look for coupons too!)