Boxer Breed Dog Forums banner

Grinding teeth? Anyone else heard of this?

55K views 26 replies 21 participants last post by  bluejudy57 
#1 ·
Max is a rescue. We adopted him two months ago. We took him for a check-up when we first got him home. He's 6 years old, but one thing the vet commented on was that his teeth were extremely worn down for a dog his age. He said you would typically see that kind of wear and tear on a dog that was much, much older or one who had been neglected or was a stray. Max had only one home before us and was surrendered due to financial reasons, so he's had a normal life and has no "issues." He's very well-behaved and has no behavior problems or bad habits.

Since then, we've discovered that he grinds his teeth in his sleep. It's very loud when he does it. You can hear his teeth popping and clicking and he's sound asleep and completely unaware. Has anyone else experienced this with their dog? I'd never even heard of such a thing in a dog until now. Just curious to see if other dogs do it, too.
 
#4 ·
I seem to recollect seeing a post on here about the the same thing - but I can't find it. I wouldn't worry too much if everything else is normal - I grind my teeth in my sleep - some people say it's a sign of stress or anxiety.
 
#5 ·
I remember someone else mentioning this as well, have to see if I can find the post...Samson's front teeth were almost totally gone when I adopted him at 6 yrs, but his had actually receeded into the gums as the gums rose up to become more prominent...In a lot of his pics it looks like his tongue is sticking out, but it's not his tongue it's his gums..I was told it was possibly due to fighting or chewing on something VERY hard...

I believe in humans, this can wear the enamel down, not sure if it works the same with dogs tho
 
#6 ·
Sounds like a stress issue. Try giving him some chamomile tea or in capsule form before bed. He may benenfit from some aromatheraphy for stress relief also ( ie lavender oil nearby where he sleeps). Massage therapy or accupuncture may also help - canine massage you can teach yourself.

Excercise may also offer some relief to burn off stress or just time to adjust to his new environment.

Thanks for adopting him.
 
#7 ·
I also wonder if using Melatonin for him might help? The dosage is like 3 mg given at night before bed. Another option, I wouldn't try Slobermomma's tips and this at the same time. Try one thing at a time and see if it helps.

Nano
 
#8 ·
It was me!!! :lol: My baby girl Leia started grinding her teeth in Sept. when we adopted Han.

We took her to the vet and she checked to see if there was anything stuck in her teeth....nothing. She suggested that some dogs do grind due to acid reflux in their stomach. We have been watching what we feed her and noting it down. Sometimes she grinds and sometimes she doesn't. It made no difference what we fed her or how much or anything. The vet recommended Active Manuka honey. We were putting a teaspoon on her cookie at night time. It seemed to help for a few days and then the grinding started again. So we thought it was behavioural (stress). As she seems to grind more when we tell her she can't do something. For example when we sleep at night time now we try not to start with the dogs on the bed. Trust me when you have 3 and a Queen size it makes it difficult! DH asked her off the bed one night and she jumped off in a huff and laid in her bed and started grinding! :mad: Its LOUD! I'm surprised her teeth are all worn down. The vet checked and said their okay and not too dull either from it. Anyhow we also got a DAP (dog appeasing pheramone) plug in for her. I think it helps. I notice that when it goes empty she grinds alot more. So maybe it is behavioural???? were not sure now. But we are going back to the vet again next week. She said that the next step would be trying some Pepcid AC to see if that helps.

I haven't been able to find any answers anywhere to this and most people have never heard of it. If you find something out can you let me know? I'll keep you updated too.

Thank you so much for rescuing a baby. It truly is one of the most wonderful things you can do for a dog :clap2:
 
#9 ·
Thanks everyone for the comments and tips. It gives me somewhere to start at least.

This is what I found on another dog forum: "Grinding can be a sign of malocclusion. Either the teeth themselves are not properly alined, or there's a problem with the jaw itself. Sometimes it's a problem with the ears, and the grinding is helping to alleviate pain deep in the ear. I'd probably ask my vet to investigate further; dental and jaw x-rays to check for hidden problems, old fractures, that sort of thing. Or it could be a comfort thing; like sucking your thumb."

I haven't talked to our vet about Max yet. We've had so many issues with Lillie's health here lately that I'm trying to stay away for a bit. It seemed, for a while, that I was there every other day or so. I could invite the vet and all his techs to Thanksgiving dinner, we're practically family by now. 8O
 
#10 ·
a vet in the family would be nice!!! :razz:
 
#11 ·
My 4 year old White Boxer starting grinding his teeth a few weeks ago. I am the type of person that if I get a toothache I convince myself going to the dentist can weight. Yet if one of my Boxers passes gas I am off to the Vet. At first I thought his jaw was making the cracking sound. He' a very mellow guy so I don't think it's stress. This goes on throughout the day and I think it's bothering me more than him.

I called my Vet last week and she told me this is common in Boxres. I am wondering if anyone else who has experienced this and came up with a solution that actually worked? Has anyone experienced this where it went away?
 

Attachments

#12 ·
Actually Leia has stopped grinding now (sorry I should have updated this). We thought it was so many different things (stomach, behavioural, gums). Someone told me about Epulus (where the gum grows over the teeth). She said that they always surgically have it cut back. My vet said not necessary unless they can't eat properly. With Leia it was strictly behavioural. She only does it now if we tell her she can't do things.

Good luck.
 
#13 ·
Max's grinding and clicking has lessened as time has passed, but it still happens occasionally. The vet has looked him over thoroughly and there doesn't seem to be any health issue that would cause it. We've also since received papers with his complete health history, and there's nothing in his past to explain it. We're guessing it's just been a habit over the years. Otherwise, he seems to be a healthy, happy (and boisterous!) 8O boxer.
 
#14 ·
I have a 5 year old white boxer Named Boo.....She's always been really sensitive ie: separation anxiety etc but lately she's been grinding her teeth badly. It seem to be a stress release. It started when winter started so less exercise could be part of it....her teeth are really worn down. We used to give her a nylar bone and she'd go at it so much we'd have to take it away. Then we noticed how worn her teeth were so we took it away permanently. That right there could be the stressor.Any safe herbs anyone know of to help her at night especially, she'e been waking me up! Poor baby...but I thought I was alone about this...thank you Boxer lovers of the world!
 
#16 ·
You could try Bach's Rescue Remedy Flower Essences. It's a calming remedy that could be put in water, rubbed on ear, etc. There are also other flower essences out there with different ingredients for different problems. Here's a link just to give you an idea: Flower Essences for Animals at Only Natural Pet Store

P.S. When I rescued Duke, my vet recommended it because he was so traumatized. It really did help.
 
#15 ·
My last dog Dante (Rotti/Pit mix) used to grind his teeth all the time when he slept. I never thought anything about it and it never seemed to affect him. Vet never even pointed it out, I just remember watching him sleep and listening to the noise. After reading some of the other posts maybe he did have acid issues with his stomach. He had a very finicky stomach his whole life. He also suffered from separation anxiety.
 
#17 ·
SC 3 dog mom

My Katie is 5yrs old and will be 6 in July. We got her when she was 4 months old. We moved to SC last September and everything seemed ok.
Then just a few months ago, Katie started to grind her teeth. She is doing in not only at night but on and off during the day. I have had her to the Vet who triple checked her teeth and jaw structure. He felt no abnormalties nor did Katie complain at any time. He did discover a raise in temp for which he gave me some antibiotics. She has now been on them for a week and although I have seen a decrease in temp and an improvement of appitite, the grinding is still happening. I would be grateful for any suggestions that might help her. Thank you.
 
#18 ·
Hmmm... same here.

We have 2 - a male, 6 years old, and a female, 6.5 years old. Our male recently started grind his teeth. He may do it occasionally during the day, but not often. He mostly does it for a minute or two as he settles down to go to sleep. He does not seem to do it in his sleep at all.

Our female does it occasionally, but no particular pattern.

We haven't discussed it with the vet, but at their last checkups their teeth and gums were reported to be in great shape. We've had boxers for many years, and this is the first we've ever experienced this. Also, our two are not at all related by bloodline, so I doubt it's hereditary.
 
#19 ·
Kosmo does that sometimes when he is getting settled into bed. His teeth & gums are fine and he is a very laid back boy so I don't believe it is stress related. I grind my teeth so bad I have a cracked tooth from it, I am not as laid back as Kosy so mine is probably from stress, maybe from worrying about my dogs too much! lol
 
#20 ·
this is too wild. i got back on here today to ask if anyone had any ideas of Moxie's jaw cracking. when I open her mouth, I can't seethe back of her throat. Well I did today as she was burping the same time I opened her mouth. Her jaw is clicking and she grinds her teeth at night ALL NIGHT every time she wakes up and gets resettled etc!!! Anyway thanks for the good advice i've read on here. I'm gonna run her up to the vet i just hate doing it before Christmas!!! I know that I won't walk out of there with out owing over 300-
 
#22 ·
ziva grinds her teeth now and then too. No idea why.
 
#24 ·
rusty also grinds his teeth mostly before he is about to fall asleep. i too have asked the vet and she said probably stress and lack of exercise which stress is possible just not sure how to make that stop but the lack of exercise is a bit off that boy is always on the move.
 
#25 ·
boxer grinding teeth

I have a 6 yr old girl named, Jen, that grinds her teeth. We only notice it when she is sleeping. We haven't taken her to the vet yet, but we are concerned that she will grind her teeth down. I know what kind of damage it does because I have to wear a mouth guard at night to stop me from grinding. I haven't figured out how to get her to wear a mouth guard, LOL. She just started doing it a couple weeks ago, so I'm not sure if there is something environmental going on.
 
#26 ·
Welcome to the group! Funny to see my old thread resurrected. Sam doesn't grind anymore. It only lasted a few months and then it stopped. Now he just snores. LOL :)
 
#27 ·
Grinding Teeth

Our 6 year old male boxer started grinding his teeth at night. I read that it could be ear related, so I called the vet and he ended up having a yeast infection in both ears. I had no clue. Other than the teeth grinding he seemed fine, was playful and eating just fine. Thanks for the info, I expect to see a lot of great info on this website, so glad I found it! We love our boxers!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top