my dog and the aloe vera plant

Question
Hello, my name is Dawn and I have a question about my dog. To start off with I don't know what type of breed she is, a mutt I guess and she's about 6 months old. I have just recently caught her eating my aloe Vera pant. I was wondering if it's ok for her to eat the plant and if not what can I do to keep her from eating it in the future? Also, how many teeth do dogs have, at what age to they start loosing them and how many are they suppose to loose at one time?

Thank you for your time,
Dawn

Answer
Aloe Vera isn't on my list of poisonous plants.  Many other common houseplants are.  It is hard to train a puppy to leave things alone when you aren't around.  You will need to use closed doors, gates, etc. to keep her away from all your plants when you can watch her.  A crate would be best.  

Other dogs may not be as bad as the young Labs I am plagued with. Still your house and dog will be much safer with the dog in a crate when you are away. The dog may be happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. They are harder for dogs to open too. Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

Leave it some toys. Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter. Don't leave anything in the crate the dog might chew up. It will do fine without even any bedding. You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, make take some work. Start out just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going in. If you have been able to trust it with any bedding, put that in the crate. Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at feeding time for more than one dog.

Accidents and damaged possessions are the fault of whoever was watching the puppy. When you are watching it, immediately correct it as soon as it goes for anything except its own toys. In a quiet, but firm voice give it an ''Ah, ah, ah!''. Gently remove what ever and replace it with one of her toys, or if older, hold eye contact until the puppy drops it.

Puppies have 32 teeth.  At 3 to 4 months they are getting their adult teeth, and it seems they spend every waking moment biting or chewing. One thing you can do at that stage is to knot and wet a piece of cloth. Then freeze it. The cooling will soothe the gums. Only let the puppy have it when you are there to watch it.  it may have chewed the Aloe Vera to sooth its gums.  Many of the adult teeth come into spaces that open up between the puppy teeth as the jaw grows.  Thus the puppy only loses a few teeth at a time.  If your puppy is 6 months old, it should have lost most of the puppy teeth except the canines.