We know that you are absolutely head over heels for your precious fur baby. Your pooch is absolutely adorable, loving, smart, your partner in crime, a cuddle buddy, and guard dog all in one.
Another awesome thing about your loving pup is that he or she may love to express their love for you through lots of giant kisses!
Kisses are great unless your pup happens to have stinky breath. We completely understand that you want to enjoy everything about your pup and everything includes their precious kisses.
We will take a look at the concerns of bad breath in dogs and give you some recommendations for the best products to eliminate that funky doggy breath.
Why Bad Dog Breath is a Problem?
What’s the deal with the funky dog breath you ask? Well, besides the unpleasant odor, the concerning thing about a dog with bad breath is the fact that this could be happening due to an actual health condition.
Because of this concern whenever your precious fur baby starts getting bad breath we highly recommend that you consult with your veterinarian as soon as possible!
Most of the time bad breath simply means that your dog’s teeth need to be brushed on a regular basis. In this case, the source of the smelly breath is due to an excessive amount of oral bacteria and plaque.
However, sometimes bad breath is a sign of oral disease, so we always recommend that you see the vet first because they will quickly rule out conditions or they will diagnose and treat your precious pooch.
Taking your dog to see the vet first will completely eliminate the chance of you mistakenly treating bad breath with just weekly teeth brushing when they may actually need more comprehensive treatment.
We understand that this news can be surprising. However, there’s no need to worry because the key to conquering the issue and the source of bad breath is by taking action as soon as possible.
What Causes Bad Dog Breath?
Bad dog breath is usually caused by a build-up of bacteria on your dog’s teeth called plaque.
Plaque promotes the growth of bad bacteria that can generate pungent odors. If not treated right away, it can cause irritation and inflammation of the gums.
Here are some other possible causes of bad dog breath.
Underlying Health Conditions
Some diseases are associated with bad dog breath.
- diabetes
- liver disease
- kidney disease
Imbalanced Oral or Gut Microbiome
A balanced gut or oral microbiome is important for your dog’s overall health. Otherwise bad bacteria will outweigh the good bacteria and cause situations like an overgrowth of bacteria in the belly that comes out of the mouth through gas.
An imbalanced oral microbiome can also disrupt the balance of bacteria in the gut microbiome. Dogs swallow a lot of saliva, which contains bacteria from the mouth, so most of them end up in the gut.
Best Products for Bad Dog Breath
Okay, so now that you know why bad breath is not only annoying for you to smell but also a health concern for your dog, find out the best products to use for the prevention or elimination of that funky breath!
Here you will find the top tooth brushing equipment for dogs, as well as water additives and the best toothpaste products.
We hope that this will help you make a confident choice in what product to use to put an end to your pup’s funky doggy breath.
VTurboWay 360-Degree Pet Toothbrush
Product Description
This product is aimed at smaller dog breeds and puppies. The VturboWay toothbrush has a brush head that consists of soft bristles that go 360 degrees around. The diameter is 0.58” with an easy to grip 6” handle.
Advantages
This dog toothbrush has soft bristles that cover the entire head of the brush and because of that, the makers are claiming that this brush has 10 times more bristles.
The awesome thing about the head is that you can easily clean your dog’s teeth by rotating the brush.
So, if you have a small dog or a puppy that is a wiggle worm and you sometimes worry about missing some of his or her teeth, this brush is the solution for you and your fur baby!
Another great thing about this product is that the handle is designed for you to not be concerned with the slippage of your grip.
Overall the product is praised by many for being a simple product that is extremely efficient and affordable.
Disadvantages
The downside is simply that this product does not have a toothbrush head that is also useful for large dog breeds.
However, if your dog is medium in size and is very well behaved, he or she might just sit still long enough for you to brush their teeth efficiently regardless of the size of the brush head.
Boshel Dog Toothbrush
Product Description
The BOSHEL brush is a double-sided toothbrush that has a large 1” brush head on one end and a smaller 0.5” brush head on the opposite end. The bristles are soft for a gentle yet efficient tooth cleaning session.
There are two of the doubled ended toothbrushes and one small finger toothbrush per pack. The handle is sleek and it is 8.5” in length.
Advantages
This amazing product is said to be extremely convenient and efficient! The fact that there are two brush head sizes on one long toothbrush is a big plus.
Because of this awesome feature, you can use this toothbrush on dogs of all sizes. Another amazing thing is the fact that there is a small finger brush that is included in the pack.
This pack is a big plus if you are introducing your pooch to the stellar habit of weekly teeth cleaning sessions.
We say this because if you’re not sure what your dog would prefer, this product provides you and your pooch with efficient and affordable toothbrushing options.
Disadvantages
This product has so many great features such as the long handle, but the handle does not have a slip grip design on it. However, this downside can be overcome by choosing to brush your dog’s teeth during the time of the day that he or she is the calmest.
If you choose to clean your dog’s teeth when they are calm, you won’t have to worry about having a steady hand while brushing your precious wiggly pup’s teeth.
H&H Pets Professional Dog Toothbrush
Product Description
This product is a finger toothbrush. This product is useful for dogs of all sizes and ages. The tooth bristles are FDA approved and they are soft for an efficient yet gentle tooth cleaning session.
This product is sold in a pack of 8 finger brushes that are ¾” in diameter.
Advantages
This product is perfect for dogs who dislike basic toothbrushes. If your dog is anxious about a regular toothbrush this product might just do the trick!
We say this because while your dog might not trust a tool, they trust you and your body. And this one slips right onto your finger and is not bulky at all.
A finger toothbrush is something that should not intimidate a puppy or a dog who isn’t used to having their teeth cleaned.
Another great thing about this toothbrush is the fact that it’s compact in size, and it also comes in a pack of 8 for such a low price. Also, the bristles are soft and are FDA approved.
Disadvantages
The main disadvantage would be that if your finger size is less than a ring size 4 you might have to choose their smaller finger brush size.
If your fingers are still loose in both of their finger brush sizes, you can simply fix that problem by stuffing a thin piece or two of tissue inside the brush to take up space.
Best Dog Toothpaste and Water Additives
Vet’s Best Dog Enzymatic Toothpaste
Product Description
This product is formulated by vets specifically for dogs, the toothpaste is made up of natural enzymes and no harsh chemicals are used.
Advantages
This toothpaste is praised by many and formulated by veterinarians, so we know it’s an effective and safe product to use.
Also, the fact that enzymes are a key ingredient in this product is excellent, because enzymes destroy harmful bacteria and they easily remove the tartar and plaque from teeth.
Another great thing about this toothpaste is that it is not expensive and it doesn’t have any artificial flavoring.
Disadvantages
Some dogs might be upset that the toothpaste is flavorless. However, you could always spray a natural liquid peppermint on top of the toothpaste.
Tropiclean Fresh Breath Water Additive
Product Description
This product is all-natural and approved by veterinarians. This is a liquid that contains chlorophyll, citric acid, green tea leaf extract, purified water, and other natural ingredients.
This liquid is added to the water in a dog’s bowl. The product comes in a 33.8 oz bottle and can be sold individually or as a package of three separate bottles.
Advantages
The best thing about this product is that it is all-natural. The second best thing about this liquid is that it’s easily added to your dog’s water.
This saves you the hassle of having to brush your dog’s teeth so often because the ingredients of this liquid are known to eliminate excess bacteria, bad breath, and greatly reduce plaque.
So if your dog or puppy hates their teeth being brushed, this product is a reasonable substitute for the typical toothpaste and toothbrush cleaning sessions.
You should still try brushing your pup’s teeth regularly, but you may not have to do it as often if you use this.
Disadvantages
Your dog might notice that their water tastes slightly different. Some dogs will become more interested in water because of the taste with the additive in it.
However, for dogs who might not like their water flavored as much, we advise that you just increase the water to product ratio.
Add more water and only use the amount of liquid additive that the product advises on the bottle.
Check out this video for some tips on how to clean your dog’s teeth:
We think the best product for bad dog breath is a good toothbrush and toothpaste set. Try one of these recommendations and use them regularly.
We wish you the best of luck with cleaning your dog’s teeth. We hope that we have greatly helped you decide which products and methods are best to keep your doggo’s breath fresh.
