Hi, All!

Okay, dog halitosis! A smelly subject! :eek:

I know that after a dog eats, that their breath might have an odor to it. But, what about those that seem to have bad breath all of the time?

Teeth needing to be cleaned? Something going on inside of them that might not be quite right? An emotional reason?

I don't really know...

What are some of the possible reasons that might cause the breath of a dog to be unpleasant almost all of the time?

Thanks!

Most times it is teeth. Most people don't regularly clean their dogs teeth. I don't. It happens. It could be internal, food issue. Could be medical as well. Any other strange symptoms?

But most times it is teeth. Obviously their breath will never be minty fresh, but really bad breath could be a sign of gum disease.

Hi, Aurora_Bell!

The dog about which I'm primarily concerned about the breath issue is an English Setter. The owners just had her teeth cleaned. That seemed to solve the problem. They take excellent care of their animals! However, it doesn't take very long at all until her breath really stinks again!

Thanks!

Honestly everything I have ever read and been told suggests you brush your dogs teeth at least once a day. They have special doggy tooth brushed and special doggy tooth paste.

How old is the setter?

You can also use a nylon over your finger to brush their teeth, and you can purchase doggy mouth rinse at a vet.

I'll check into the tooth maintenance things that you mentioned, Aurora_Bell!

I think that she's about six years old. Not really certain about that, though...

Thanks!

Doggy teeth issues can cause a lot of problems.

How well do you trust this dog? Enough for her to let you look at her back teeth?

All you have to do is hold her head and lift the side of her lip, you don't have to open her mouth and just see how white the teeth are.
Some dogs can have their teeth cleaned and be back to brown in just a few months.

I have 2 poodles here, both are on the same diet but have different breeding behind them.
One has sparkling white teeth and good breath, the other has tartar build up and horrid breath.
Because I feed them the same food the only other option is just their genetics. Dogs can have different saliva, and obviously the one with the tartar doesn't have 'tartar fighting goodness' in her saliva.

I don't brush my dogs teeth so I can't really give you much advice on that other than just to have a look and see what they have at the pet store.

If there is thick tartar on the teeth you can get a piece of rough gauze, wrap it around your finger and flick the tartar off with your nail... it takes a bit of strength but the gauze helps get a grip on the tooth.

Another way to help with bad breath is to add some parsley to their food. Parsley natural fights bad breath in people as well, so if you have just had a big pasta dinner covered in garlic, chewing on some parsley can get rid of the smell ;)