Puppy has an underbite. Do I need to get her bottom canines pulled?

[Fluttershy]

I just took my 11 week old Italian Mastiff puppy to the vet for her first visit since we got her and the vet told me that she has an underbite. Her bottom teeth sit about a quarter inch behind her front teeth and her bottom canines are growing up to the inside of her top canines.
The vet said that I will need to get her bottom canines pulled as soon as I can to give her adult teeth the chance to come grow in properly, but even getting her baby teeth pulled will not completely ensure that her adult teeth won't need to be pulled aswell, she said it was likely that her adult ones will need to be pulled anyway.

The breeder told us that this was par for the breed and nothing to worry about and my husband thinks that the vet just wants us to defang her.. but I'm not so sure.
I would rather get her teeth pulled if its going to be something that causes my little girl pain when her canines get big.

Does anybody have any experience with this?
Is an underbite really such a big issue that it requires surgery or is the vet overreacting?
And is an underbite a common feature in Italian Mastiffs?
The vet told me that she can not be bred because it is a genetic defect so I have to get her spayed. Is this also a bit of an overreaction?

Any insight would be helpful because if it is a big issue I want to get the surgery done as soon as I can because I don't want my puppy to have sore teeth :/

 

[Confused68]

I have had this experience with a Rottweiler puppy, happens to have been my very first Rott that my husband purchased from a breeder MANY years ago. The breeder was going to put her down due to her having this "defect" as she put it- My husband now ex who went for a male paid the lady and signed papers we'd have her spayed. First of all the answer is NO just because they have this bite does not mean that there teeth HAVE to be pulled there our options. I would first recommend that you do research in your area for a vet that focus's on canine dental issues, we lived in North Carolina when we got her and we drove 3 hours to the specialist. We actually monitored her growth, we ended up not having to have anything done to her teeth as the way they grew left impressions but were not bad enough that they would cause her harm or impact the way she would eat. It was a close call, one in which we were thankful for. Another option presented to us was filing the canine teeth down to eliminate the sharp points- I think it really depends on the extent of the bit but my advice would be to eliminate all options prior to allowing them to just pull them out.

 

[allformyk9s]

What your describing is an overbite ... my Cane Corso (Italian Mastiff) has a under bite ie: her bottom teeth sit out further than her top teeth by about 2'', love it. She has all her teeth, never pulled any & her teeth are a ok, she eats fine etc...

Personally Id leave her teeth alone & see what happens as her adult teeth come in especially if the vet cant guarantee it'll help, why put her through that.......so Id wait & see.

"The lips of this breed are pendulous, forming jowls of wrinkly skin than hang down below the jaw. This characteristic is less exaggerated on the Cane Corso than most similar breeds and the breed almost looks smooth faced compared to some family members. At one point, most Cane Corsos had a scissors bite and some are occasionally still born with this feature. However, most modern breed members have a slight underbite."

From this site: http://www.easypetmd.com/doginfo/cane-corso

 

[CowboyBebop]

I'd also wait and see. There are dog braces if that is a possible option for you.

 

[Cody]

Allformyk9's Did you say that your Corso is undershot by 2 inches?
In the FCI standard a Corso may not be undershot by more then 1/4 " (personally that is pushing it to me, as most CC that are that undershot are also retracted, hypertype) and overshot is a DIsqualifying fault.
In AKC reverse scissor is preferred, scissor and level are also accepted, again overshot is a DQ.
Her bite will change as she grows so personally I would leave it and see how it progresses.
However if she is overshot, which happens, then yes she should not be bred. That said at 11 weeks breeding should be the last thing on your mind as you have no idea how she will turnout.
Did you buy her as a show quality dog?

 

[allformyk9s]

Ive never officially measured it but its a pretty significant under bite, at least the most significant that Ive ever seen, lol! Just looked again - prob. an inch is more accurate w/out getting a measuring tape out ...

 

[Cody]

Lol, sorry I did a double take when I read that, 2 " would be huge

 

[allformyk9s]

It seems like its that big, :lol: Ive never seen an under bite w/ such a gap like hers, ha. I tried getting a pic of it but w/ the flash its not working, just a big white yuck & w/out the flash its too dark - ugh!