Hi All, I haven't been on in a while as I have been having too much fun with my Border Pup. Anyway, we are currently looking at getting another Border Terrier as a companion for my current little girl (I know I should have gotten 2 first off!) I have been contacted by the breeder I bought my first little girl from and she has put me in touch with a very well known breeder in Victoria Australia who has a little 7 week old girl which is awesome, however, the breeder has mentioned that when she took the pups to the vet for their last check up before being released the vet noticed she had a very slight overbite. I am very keen to get this little girl and the breeder is not known to have these issues in her dogs as my current border's father is from this breeder and she is 100% perfect! Does anyone know if having a slight overbite is going to cause her any issues in later life? The vet that checked her out couldn't see any issues. I am awaiting photos but the breeder assures me that you can't tell from looking at her (which is why she didn't pick it up earlier). Can anyone help? Cheers, Liv
I guess if you just want it for a pet then maybe it won't be a problem. But will it get worse as she grows bigger? I am sure someone with knowledge will be along to answer.
If the pup is overshot then Id take it as the bottom jaw continues to grow and the mouth is usually fine by the time the pup reached 7mths or so, but thats a "slightly" overshot jaw. If the dog is undershot it will get worse, as I say the bottom jaw continues to grow. You need to find out whether she is over or undershot, I am thinking she is undershot not overshot, whereby the bottom jaw is longer than the top one. It usually doesnt cause any issues at all whatsoever for the dog, but severe cases can lead to feeding problems in some cases, never seen a Border like this though. Of course she should never be bred from.
Thanks for the feedback lotsforus and Borderdawn. The breeder has said overshot not undershot and we will have her spayed as we do not want to breed dogs at all. We have decided to get her after a very good conversation with the breeder. She has also discussed the little girl with a number of other breeders and also the vet that saw her and they wondered why she had even mentioned it to us (she said she had to because she didn't see it right to keep it from a prospective owner) as they had had pups mouths that were in a similar state and they always corrected themselves as they grew. The vet assured her that the only reason he mentioned it was because he had to as she does show her dogs and our little girl wouldn't be good enough in puppy shows but I have also had overreactions from vets (they made us panic that our little girl had bad knees and when we took her to get spayed the vet that sighted her then wondered why we have even been told as they were perfect for her age). At the end of the day I guess we will just play it by ear. She was originally meant to go to someone else and they shunned her when the breeder mentioned her mouth. She is a pet and whatever happens we will love her. We have decided to call her Lucy.
No, no, no! You did absolutely right! Two puppies are HARD work, and it's very difficult to give them both the individual attention they need. Far better to have one, get her into a good routine and started on training before you add a second puppy. Enjoy Lucy! - I'm sure you will
I know the original question has sort of been answered, but I just wanted to say that I doubt very much that an slightly overshot jaw will cause problems. My old terrier cross had this, except hers was quie severe. She never had any problems with this, apart from she was quite a messy eater and drinker!
Thanks for all the wonderful replies everyone. We are very excited. Dawn, you were right. I reconfirmed about her teeth after your reply (got a bit nervous) and the breeder must have misunderstood (not sure) but her bottom teeth are just slightly in front of her top teeth. I hope this doesn't cause any issues but its not really a problem as the bottom jaw grows slower than the top from what I have read. Have you seen any borders like this?
After much debate and tears we have decided to step away from Lucy and not get her. Due to the breeders confusion and the fact that she is still selling her for quite a high price ($50 less than our perfect little Border Terrier) we feel that we are not confident to take on a dog with possible mouth issues. Thank you for all the replies and best wishes, unfortunately this was not meant to be.
Okay I must be the most emotional person ever. We found we could not give up Lucy and have just gone for it and got her. My husband didn't want anyone else to have her despite any issues she might have and he said he will spend anything to help her if she needs it. I doubt she ever will but its great to know he will do anything for her (especially as he was a cat person before we got Ellie!).
I think the breeder and the vet over reacted if it is slightly over shot. It has to be one of the least serious mouth faults a dog can have. Even if you had paid full price at 7 weeks you could still have ended up with a less than perfect bite. Over shot mouths can come good and even if it does not I doubt it would a big issue unless you want to show
Hi leadstaffs Yeah I agree, I think they did over-react a little bit, which of course in turn made me over-react. We did not pay full price, although the pup is still pretty pricey but that does not worry us at all. We are just going to help her teeth when we get her by massaging her gums everyday to help push them in the right direction. Thanks for your comment!
