Correct age of puppy? - Page 1

I purchased a puppy born 9/11/2007. That would make him 15 1/2 weeks old. I took him to the vet today. He has ALL of his adult teeth. 3 vets came in and looked at him and said birth date is wrong, he has to be at least 19 weeks old. Breeder claims that his correct birthdate is 9/11/2007. Has anybody ever heard of a puppy having adult teeth at 15 weeks old? Was I duped? Thanks

all his adult teeth, canines and molars? That seems young to me, but you might want to google canine dentistry and see if there are any stats on this.

Your veterinarian may be wrong. Typically at the age you speak there are often "double" teeth in some areas as the primary teeth are being replaced by adult teeth. Where this is most evident is with the canines. Puppy canines appear very slender and weak just before they are lost, and it is most common for the new canines to emerge beside the primary canines. And, just as in humans several of the final molars appear only as adult teeth. If those are present then the puppy "may" be older than you think. Foloow the advice offered in the above post and count the teeth. A full canine mouth contains fourty-two (42) teeth. Regards, Bob-O

Thanks for your help! He has 30 total teeth. He has 12 incisors, 4 canine {the baby tooth is hanging along side the one upper}, 3 on the bottom on each side behind the canine and 4 on the top on each side behind the canine. He is large boned, not heavy at all and wighs 41 lbs. He has 1 ear up and 1 ear down. This was not my regular vet that I normally use.I am trying to figure out how to post a picture of him! I sincerely appreciate your help. Jen

Jen, Relax... and YES....some puppies can "change" teeth "faster" than normal.....I know...because it has happened to me!

I've offered to post a photo of Jen's cute pup. This is what I wrote in a private email: "OK, Jen, your pup looks fine and of his stated age. I'll post it for you in a few minutes. I've owned/bred/trained/titled GSD's since 1964. I've been responsible for the educations of a lot of vet students, as well. I've also come across my share of vets with a prejudice towards the breed and their breeders. I've heard of plenty of these "sat funny" scenarios and vets with "xray vision". Relax."

He Looks a lot like and similar size of mine at that age. I just compared your picture to a few of mine and that age. I think the Vet is wrong for what it matters.

Thank you so much!

Sorry, I become truly livid when I repeatedly hear of vets of questionable competency. Jen told me: "I did not care for the vet he had to see today. He also told me that he "sat funny" and needed to have hip x-rays because he heard a pop while examining his hips. Imagine my despair, I walked in so proud with my new puppy and left with that info! We have spent all night worrying about this. I really appreciate your help. Thanks again, Jen" How many of you have experienced this sort of needless stress? Let me see--first, we'll xray his hips and, then, suggest surgery for a total hip replacement. Aargh!! Jen, I hope you find another vet. Ask around for references for GSD-friendly vets in your area. Don't bother xraying your boy now. He is a baby--way too young for prelims.

Average weight for a male pup at 16 weeks is 41.8 lbs., so he's exactly right in that respect for his stated age. See this site here, it's very useful for tracking growth: http://www.mygermanshepherdpuppy.com/index.htm