I am in a dilema...

A month ago my fiance and I went and picked out a 4 week old Goldendoodle puppy.  For the past month we have done everything to prepare and made our home suitable for the puppy.  Today (one week before we are going to pick him up) the breeder contacts us.  Our puppy has malocclusion (bottom jaw is a bit smaller).  She basically told me the problem and said she understood if we didn't want him anymore.  Easier said than done.  I feel like I just possibly lost my child I have been carrying for 9 months.  
I phoned the vet and got more information but it was so much to take in over the phone.  The vet is 2 hours away from us.  My fiance and I discussed finances before deciding on getting a puppy.  We understand there will be many vet costs and unknown vet costs.  We are okay with spending some money on the dog if he has teeth problems that need fixing; we just don't want to end up losing our home or something :S  What is the resonable thing to do in this situation?  Will removing his baby teeth right away help with anything?  

[Ghilly]

I wouldn't worry about it.  Seriously.   A golden doodle is not a purebred dog, so it cannot be shown, therefore it's not like the overbite is going to affect it adversely in the show ring.  I wouldn't breed the dog, but then, I wouldn't breed a mixed breed anyway, therefore it shouldn't be a consideration genetically speaking as it relates to passing it along to offspring.

Unless this puppy is shark-jawed (where the bottom jaw is a half inch or more shorter than the top jaw), it shouldn't affect it all that much at all.  Being shark-jawed can cause the puppy to develop sores on the roof of its mouth because the lower fang teeth don't fit where they should, and they can end up irritating the roof of the mouth.  But again, unless it's serious, this shouldn't be a problem either.

The bottom line is NO dog is perfect.  Unless this dog is so deformed as to suffer from health problems because of the overbite, it will be able to be a perfectly healthy, lovable pet.  Unless the dog has trouble eating because of it, I wouldn't bother starting any extensive, expensive dental work.  Just be careful, because there are people out there who, if they think they can convince you that this MUST be done, will go above and beyond to fix the dental problems on this puppy, and it could get to be  almost as expensive as  getting orthodontic braces for a child..  If a small imperfection doesn't bother you, and it doesn't bother the dog, I would ignore it and just love the puppy for who he is.  

Can you get a photo (side view) of the puppy and post it?  I'd be interested to see just how bad this overbite is.

Ghilly

[Colz_83]

We don't actually have the puppy yet.  We get it in a week.    I guess the lower jaw is slightly smaller than the upper and the vet said in general the lower jaw grows slower and it might fix itself.  I will try keep people posted.

[Ghilly]

If it's only a slight difference, I wouldn't worry about it at all, I would bring the puppy home and love him endlessly.  I can understand the breeder wanting to warn you about it, this way if and when a vet pointed it out to you, you wouldn't be able to say that you had been unaware of it, but like I said, unless it is severe, it shouldn't ever be an issue anywhere but the conformation show ring, which, again, is not a worry with a dog that's not a purebred.  Just enjoy him!  Puppies are such a blast!  

Thanks for keeping us posted.  I look forward to hearing more about him, and hopefully seeing a picture soon!

Ghilly

[Jim Humphries, B.S., D.V.M.]

Generally I agree with Ghilly here, BUT it can be a problem and depends entirely on the severity.  99% chance it is very manageable but see your answer in the Ask A Veterinarian forums:  http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Dentistry/I-am-in-a-dilema/show/1022637