Why Does My Dog Have Such Bad Breath?
Posted by: Alan in Dog Health Problem, tags: Breath, Does, Have, Such
My 2lb 1yr old chihuahua has the WORST breath ever! It’s worse than any big dog I’ve ever been around…I mean, she even has morning breath! The worst part is that she is so licky licky, so you smell it all the time, and it gets on your hands and stuff. My family thinks it’s her “natural defense mechanism” because she’s so small. hahaha, maybe but it’s nasty! What can I do?? I’ve tried no people food, dental chews, and brushing her teeth.
She does have double “K-9″ teeth on the top and bottom, which she will have removed soon, and the vet says she has an unusually high build up of tartar, but he thought it was just the people food I’ve been giving her…but I stopped that and the breath didn’t change.
Could this be a sign of a more serious health problem? She does so a little “wheezing” type thing, but I think it’s only for sympathy when she gets too excited and we won’t give her people food. Other than that and the teeth, she is perfectly healthy.
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November 5th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
The odor is likely due to tartar build up on the teeth. It’s basically a wall of bacteria and smalls bad. A dental cleaning will freshen her breath right up! Removing the extra baby teeth will prevent some excess taatar build up but most small breed dogs need a dental cleaning every 1-2 years. That small mouth holds the same number of teeth that a great danes does in a small space. They are more prone to dental disease. If left untreated the bacteria on the teeth can lead to ginigvitis, pain abcesses, heart and kidney disease, Ask your vet about ways to prolong her clean teeth(and fresh breath)after her cleaning.
November 5th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
If her teeth were cleaned, quite likely her bad breath would be gone. It could also be the food you’re feeding her contributing to bad breath.
November 5th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
brush it’s teeth
November 5th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
it could be a number of things. plaque is one reason. you need to brush her teeth at least twice a week with a doggie tooth brush and doggie toothpaste. a greenie or dental bone a day will also help with it. it takes time and will not clear itself up right away. another thing is to change her food. never buy food from the supermarkets. always buy from a pet store. grocery and petsmart types food are really bad for them as they are made of mystery meat, fillers, sweeteners etc. try getting her fromms, wellness, solid gold, royal canine or metacal from the vet. it could be a reqaction to her food that is making her breath smell. another thing you will need to do is get her teeth cleaned on a regular basis. periodontal problems in dogs will lead to greater health problems. this really is an ounce of prevention of larger health issues in the future.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
try giving her some dog mints worked for me!:)
November 6th, 2009 at 12:27 am
If you feed your dog human food then thats half the problem. But if thats not it a vet about brushing your dog’s teeth.
Good Luck,
Dennis McGovern
November 6th, 2009 at 5:37 am
Try giving her greenies for snack, and also is she on heartworm prevention?