Hi all,

I took Baachus to the vet yesterday for his first exam and booster shots. I was told to my shock that he has a significant overbite that may require some extensive dental work such as pulling permanent teeth and root canals. This obviously came as a shock as I was under the impression that he was show quality. Of course, I do not care about the cosmetic issue; it is the quality of life issue and the fact that he may have to endure painful dental procedures and constant dental checkups throughout his life.

I spent a lot of yesterday doing research on overbite issues in dogs in general, but I have not found much on huskies. I know that some breeds such as German Shepards have a slower growing bottom muzzle and their overbite usually self-corrects later.

Baachus is now 11 weeks old. Anyone have any experiences with huskies with an overbite that self-corrected later? Are huskies a breed where it is common for the lower jaw to grow slower than the upper? Any tips on supplements, dog foods, or chew toys that may help grow the lower jaw to catch up to the upper if possible?

Other than that issue, he is a beautiful dog and has a great personality. I really would rather not have to return him, but  I cannot afford expensive dental surgeries at this moment and would not want to put him through painful procedures throughout his life. I did not sign up for this as I was expecting a top quality (healthy) pup.

I am going to assume this puppy came from a backyard breeder. Does he have any health guarantees? I would contact the breeder and let them know this pup has some severe defects. I personally don't know the growth rate of huskies jaws but if your vet already is expecting major costs I am assuming even a slower jaw rate won't clear the distance this little guy has to make up. That said, how much do you trust your vet? A second opinion in this case would probably be advisable. As for your breeder. Good breeders will want to know about what is going on with their pups, though if this pup was vetted by the breeder before you got him then they should have spotted this issue. (goes back to how well do you trust your vet vs. how good of a breeder you got him from) If you got him from a bad breeder and you send him back there's a good chance that breeder will put him down to save themselves from the costs. If you got him from a better breeder they will take responsibility for the dog's defects and raise him theirselves or at least cost share with you. I would get a second opinion on how much overbite he has and if the consensus is the same from another good vet then I would feel out the breeder.

In your picture he doesn't look bad but that angle can be misleading.

Hi TwisterII.

Thanks for your thoughts.

The breeder was definitely not a backyard breeder. I thoroughly vetted the breeder and repeatedly asked them if there were any genetic problems in their stock and if they had any issues in the past. His lineage are all show dogs. This is what made it so shocking and heartbreaking. It would be one thing if the breeder had pointed out the overbite issue and I was made aware of what I was getting into, but the fact that I made such an effort to find a husky pup from a breeder that had genetically healthy pups and to find out a week later that Bacchus had a severe overbite requiring extensive dental work is something no new puppy parent should go through.

I am giving them the benefit of the doubt at this moment that this was not intentional, but just an unlucky screwup. The issue is that several other pups in this litter have had overbites as well as one in the previous litter. I just found out about the other pups having this issue yesterday.

The vet on the other hand is a new vet I have not used before, and I will definitely get a second opinion.

You n really need to contact the breeder. If other pups have the same issue than I doubt your vet is over reacting though he might be. If the breeder is a breeder of show dogs. (Does she have any winners? Champions?) ache should really have known their was a problem AND should have informed you of such.

I'm sorry b you have to go throughb this...a new puppy should be a joyful experience.

Get a second opinion, however if all the other littermates have this issue it may be a null point to get a second opinion.

You say you asked the breeder all these questions but did they actually provide proof of health testing and not just verbal assurance? Overbites aren't something you can test for but it would be something that genetically could be passed down and dogs with severe overbites or underbites shouldn't be bred. Moderate is fine but severe definitely not.

Do they actively show? Are they showing the bitch and dog that were bred to produce this litter? I ask all these questions because while the pedigree may have dogs with conformation titles that doesn't mean their dogs are show quality.

I'm sorry you're having to go through this. No one deserves to get a new puppy only to find out it has health issues.