Dog Bad Breath
Perhaps even worse than a friends bad breath is when your your dog has bad breath is there anything worse than dog bad breath after a run and your favorite pet is panting after a run in the park?
Dogs don’t normally have bad breath but when they do it is usually a dental problem that is out of control, your fist action should be to consult a vet. There are things you can do beforehand howver to ensure your dogs breath remains fresh and it’s mouth healthy.
Dogs in the wild don’t brush their teeth but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t, it will certainly help but before starting a programme of brushing your dogs teeth make a preliminary check for any dental problems and have them resolved if you find them. Another factor to consider right from the start and ensure your pets diet is correct and feed them both dry and soft food.
Let’s consider the most likely cause of dog bad breath
Periodontal Disease
Dogs suffer just like us from periodontal disease, more commonly called gingivitis. In a healthy mouth the gums are a nice coral pink color and whilst a dogs breath isn’t the most pleasant it is bearable and certainly not gross. When gingivitis is in it’s early stages you will find brown deposits on their teeth. Another sign you may notice is a thin red line running along the gums along with bad smelling breath, these signs are usually visible in young dogs, 3 and under and is indicative of a dog that ahs had little or no dental care.
Pets that regularly eat soft food only are particularly susceptible and the lack of any chewing action makes the problem worse as the gums recede and the teeth loosen within the jaw.
Treatment at this stage is similar to that you would receive with same condition and starts with a thorough cleaning and the use of antibiotics in gel format that is applied to the teeth under teh gum line. This dental gel is slow release and helps to both kill bacteria and asist the gums to reconnect with the teeth. depending on teh extent of the damage it may take more than one application to address the issue.
Failure to notice you dog ahs a dental problem will allow the condition to become more serious and evelop into an advanced peridontal stage. At this point your dogs breath will be seriously bad, it’s teeth will have become loose and eventually fall andyour pet will be suffering great pain when eating or using it’s mouth at anytime. Oh and did I mention it’s breath will be disgusting at this point?
How to stop a dogs bad breath
Encourage your dog to do what come naturally and let it chew, giving your dog rawhide chews, hard dog biscuits (not digestives) and make sure the biscuits are big one as samll bisuits might be swallowed whole and probably never touch the teeth on teh way down, chewable dog toys and of course bones with marrow. Chewing is a natural thing for dogs and the action aids in keeping their teeth clean.
If you have concerns about your dogs weight it is advisable to limit rawhide chews and dog bisuits, there is no point in treating one problem while creating an new one.
Dogs chew toys are a good alternative because they are made for chewing and can keep your dog busy for long time without running any chance of adverse effects. One clever trick you can use is to coat it’s favorite chew toy with meat flavored tootpaste so your dog can not only strenthen and scrape it’s teeth clean but also brush them at the sametime.
If you start cleaning your dogs teeth when it is still young and continue to do so on a regular basis you can ensure your dog has sweet breath for many years to come.
