Teething is a big part of a puppy's life, but it can also be very stressful for young dogs. However, do puppies stop eating while they are teething?
Teething can give puppies sore mouths and upset stomachs, so they may not eat as much as they usually do while teething. However, they will not stop eating completely. Dry puppy food can be mixed with wet food to make meals easier for teething puppies. Teething toys can help the process as well.
Teething doesn't have to be such a nightmare! Below we have included more information about teething puppies and why they may not eat as much as they normally do.
Why Teething Can Kill an Appetite
Puppies get their puppy teeth when they’re only a couple of weeks old. At around six months, those puppy teeth will fall out and be replaced with adult dog teeth. Dogs are animals that use their mouths for almost everything, so this can be a very uncomfortable time in a puppy’s life!
The teething process can hurt a puppy’s mouth and make their gums a lot more sensitive, which makes eating incredibly uncomfortable. If the teething isn't going smoothly, the puppy may be feeling a lot of pain from teeth growing in. They may also experience nausea and stomach pain that will kill their appetite.
Eating when their mouth feels so raw can be an uncomfortable experience, so puppies will eat less or stop eating altogether. This is especially true if the food they’re eating is hard, like dry dog food.
Dogs also use their mouths for a lot of everyday activities and exploration, so that may wear them out. Dogs will pick up toys with their mouths and chew on toys, both of which can be painful during a teething phase and make them less likely to eat later on. Your puppy might just be tired and sore from a day of exploring and playing!
Puppies usually swallow their baby teeth, but you may also see a couple of teeth lying around during the teething process. This is normal, as the teeth have to go somewhere. Don't worry if you find a bit of blood on your dog's mouth, as they will bleed a little when the teeth come out.
Your puppy's baby teeth should fall out naturally, but if they don’t, a vet will need to extract them from the puppy’s mouth so that the new teeth can grow in without being too crowded.
Be nice to your puppy during this phase! They’re not having a very good day, so they will be more irritating than normal. If you notice your puppy still doesn’t eat after they finish teething, you should consider going to a vet to see if their food issues are being caused by something else. Puppies should be fed food meant specifically for puppies, as food for older dogs may upset their sensitive tummies.
Things to Know About Teething Puppies
Puppies will teethe for a few weeks when they are about six months old. During this stage, puppies will want to chew on anything they can to relieve that pain in their mouths! You should keep anything you don’t want to have teeth marks, like shoes or stuffed animals, out of reach.
Puppies may also start to nip at this stage. Dogs love to play fight, and it’s a good way for your dog to get some exercise, but you want to make sure you curb that behavior while they’re still young!
Dogs will signal that they’ve been bitten a bit too hard by yelping, so try making a loud, sharp noise when your puppy bites too hard. If that doesn’t work, put your puppy in time out and ignore them until they calm down so they understand that that’s not okay and biting will lead to boredom.
You can also put something else in their mouth that’s okay to chew on, like a toy or a treat. It’s not unusual to find small spots of blood on toys from teething dogs, but if there’s a lot of blood, or your puppy stops eating and playing altogether, contact a vet. Your puppy might also be a little bit irritable at this stage because they’re feeling sore and not eating as much, so give them lots of love!
This is a great training stage for puppies, and it’s when you want to make sure they learn discipline and good habits. Try to keep routines with your puppy so they know what to expect from day to day and how to behave. And make sure they get lots of cuddles!
Making Teething Easier on Puppies
Teething can be stressful for puppies, but there are things you can do to make it easier on everybody! Hard, dry food can hurt your puppy’s mouth, so try switching to wet food. You can also mix wet food with the dry food to make it last a bit longer, or soak the dry food in some water to make it mushy and easier for teething puppies to eat.
Wet food will make the dry food smell better and stronger, prompting your puppy to eat it.
You should also provide lots of toys for your puppy to chew on to relieve some of the pressure in their gums! Toys shouldn't be too hard because hard toys can hurt your puppy's mouth and gums. You want softer toys meant for puppies. You can pick out softer toys or get dog toys specifically built for teething purposes.
Some dog owners recommend freezing their puppy’s toys so the cold can numb their mouths slightly and relieve pain. I’ve gotten recommendations as well for freezing things like damp washcloths for dogs to chew on, but this isn’t a good idea because you don’t want your puppy to think chewing on washcloths is okay. Only let your dog chew on their toys!
You can also give them cold water to drink to relieve some of that soreness. Teething can make your puppy more irritable, so balance teaching them good chewing habits with lots of love.
Cindy is a prolific writer and online researcher who can't imagine life without dogs. There is scarcely a dog topic she has not researched or written about. Her love for dogs and helping dog parents is evident by the thousands of dogtemperament.com visitors who read her articles monthly. Most of all, each topic Cindy writes on helps forge a stronger bond and understanding between her and her happy Catahoula Leopard Dog Jossie.