TY - JOUR AU - Roccaro, Mariana AU - Peli, Angelo PY - 2020/07/14 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Age determination in dog puppies by teeth examination: legal, health and welfare implications, review of the literature and practical considerations JF - Veterinaria Italiana JA - VetIt VL - 56 IS - 3 SE - Review DO - 10.12834/VetIt.1876.9968.2 UR - https://www.veterinariaitaliana.izs.it/index.php/VetIt/article/view/1876 SP - 149-162 AB - <p><span style="left: 326.102px; top: 439.806px; font-size: 15px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.985217);">Age determination of puppies represents a significant issue of animal welfare and forensic </span><span style="left: 326.102px; top: 457.806px; font-size: 15px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.979418);">medicine, particularly for what concerns trade and imports of dogs. Despite the movement </span><span style="left: 326.102px; top: 475.806px; font-size: 15px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.910545);">of puppy dogs before the age of 15 weeks is forbidden by Regulation (EU) No 576/2013, </span><span style="left: 326.102px; top: 493.806px; font-size: 15px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(1.00268);">the occurrence of illegal transport of younger puppies is not uncommon. The illegal trade </span><span style="left: 326.102px; top: 511.806px; font-size: 15px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.983328);">of puppies increases instances of falsified documentation, the counterfeit of vaccine </span><span style="left: 326.102px; top: 529.806px; font-size: 15px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.911675);">certificates and discrepancies between the declared age and the real age of the puppies. </span><span style="left: 326.102px; top: 547.806px; font-size: 15px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(1.00135);">Consequently, determining the exact age of animals and evaluating their welfare become </span><span style="left: 326.102px; top: 565.806px; font-size: 15px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.954593);">legally crucial. Dental examination currently represents the most common approach to </span><span style="left: 326.102px; top: 583.806px; font-size: 15px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(1.00311);">estimate the age of a puppy in clinical practice and in forensic investigations. In this work </span><span style="left: 326.102px; top: 601.806px; font-size: 15px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.904234);">we addressed the legal, health and welfare issues associated with dogs’ trade and import </span><span style="left: 326.102px; top: 619.806px; font-size: 15px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.973958);">and we reviewed the existing literature referring to the assessment of age in dogs by dental </span><span style="left: 326.102px; top: 637.806px; font-size: 15px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(1.00117);">examination. The imprecision and inaccuracy of this method make it poorly convincing in </span><span style="left: 326.102px; top: 655.806px; font-size: 15px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.896244);">legal proceedings. The reasons for such vagueness are to be ascribed both to the lack of </span><span style="left: 326.102px; top: 673.806px; font-size: 15px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.987607);">standardization and to many variability factors (size, breed, sex, diet, etc.) which influence </span><span style="left: 326.102px; top: 691.806px; font-size: 15px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(1.01572);">dental eruption and development.</span></p> ER -