We know that your precious pooch is absolutely adorable. One thing that isn’t adorable, however, is bad breath. Good oral hygiene is crucial for the health of every doggy. Fresh dog breath is also good for you and other loved ones that receive frequent smooches from your precious pup!
Let’s take a look at what bad dog breath is and what could be causing it. Find out about good oral health for your dog and some natural remedies for bad breath in dogs.
Bad Dog Breath and the Importance of Oral Health
What is bad breath in dogs and what causes it? Bad breath is when your pup has a foul odor coming from his or her mouth. Sometimes it’s just a simple matter of brushing your pooch’s teeth on a regular basis and other times bad breath is a symptom of a more serious underlying medical condition.
Since there are various common medical reasons for bad breath in dogs, we go over some of the main causes and then find some natural ways to solve this problem.
Common Causes of Bad Breath in Dogs
Gum Disease
This condition is extremely common and it’s absolutely fixable. Gum disease is medically referred to as periodontal disease. In this case, it’s the build-up of bacteria and plaque in your dog’s mouth and on their teeth that cause bad breath. Eventually, periodontal disease causes gingivitis, the inflammation of the gums, and can be very painful and uncomfortable for your pup.
Teething
Young puppies are known to have stinky breath during their teething phase. The reason for this is again due to a slight build up of oral bacteria around the gum line area. Bacteria may also be accumulating on new adult teeth that are growing in as well as on the gums. Brushing your puppy’s teeth and providing him or her with good chew bones and toys that promote good breath can solve this problem.
Gingival Hyperplasia and Other Oral Diseases
Gingival hyperplasia is when your dog’s gums grow in excess. When this happens the result is bad breath because of the bacteria that are collecting in the crevices of your dog’s gums.
Furthermore, there are various oral diseases and infections that can occur in the mouth of your doggy. Basically, any infection, oral masses, oral inflammation, accumulation of bacteria, or an imbalance of the proper amounts and types of bacteria in the mouth can all cause bad breath.
Gastrointestinal Disease
If your pup has a record of an upset stomach and other GI issues, this may be the cause of bad breath. Whenever it is the stomach, intestines, or esophagus that are feeling and performing less than optimal, the end result can be a puppy that doesn’t feel well and has bad breath on top of that.
Metabolic Diseases
A metabolic disease is any condition that causes an excess amount of toxins within the blood of your dog. Also, any condition that throws off your dog’s normal metabolic function in any way falls under the category of being a metabolic disease. Kidney disease in dogs is a very common example of a metabolic disease.
Basically, your precious dog’s breath is a big part of their oral health and overall health. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to monitor your pup’s breath, because the consequences of ignoring bad breath can lead to frequent trips to the vet and the diagnosis of more serious diseases.
If bad breath is ignored and the cause is simply from gum disease and being fed too much of the wrong types of foods, the consequence could be that your pooch will need an expensive dental cleaning procedure done and even some teeth extractions could be necessary.
Worst case scenario, ignored bad breath and poor oral hygiene can cause severe damage to crucial organs such as the kidneys and the heart.
We understand that this can seem scary, but you have nothing to fear. Your doggy should be fine as long as you take preventative and immediate action regarding your pooch’s breath.
How to Improve Bad Dog Breath
Now that you know the importance of good breath and excellent oral hygiene, we can discuss ways to improve your dog’s bad breath. First and foremost, we always recommend that you and your pup visit your vet. We say this because we don’t want you to just assume that the solution to bad breath is always as simple as brushing their teeth.
As mentioned above, some cases of bad breath are actually signs of underlying diseases and the sooner your doggy sees the vet the sooner any serious diseases can be either diagnosed and treated or ruled out.
If severe oral diseases are ruled out, the vet might recommend that you sign your precious pup up for a dental procedure. This will immediately remove the plaque and unwanted bacteria found inside your dog’s mouth.
If your dog’s mouth is irritated and infected some anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial medication will need to be prescribed. However, if your pup’s breath and teeth aren’t that severe yet, the best thing that you can do is to purchase a toothbrush and natural dog toothpaste to brush his or her teeth with.
Natural Remedies for Bad Breath in Dogs
This section right here is specifically for all the awesome homeopathic doggy parents! We completely understand that you want to avoid dental cleanings, medications, and harsh dog teeth and breath products. That’s why we are sharing with you all the natural ways you can be proactive about or greatly improve your pooch’s stinky breath.
Use Natural Herbs
The use of natural herbs in your dog’s water or food is said by many to drastically improve foul smelling breath. It even works on basic puppy breath and many vets will approve this method. The most commonly used herbs for bad dog breath are cloves, parsley, mint, and sage.
Sage is particularly amazing because it freshens up the breath by naturally destroying some of the oral bacteria that cause bad breath. One thing you have to do if you choose this natural method is to consult with your vet on how much of the herb is okay to give your dog. Doses of herbal medicine and portion sizes are determined by your dog’s weight.
Natural Dental Dog Bones, Dry Dog Food and Treats
We highly recommend that you check out Old Mother Hubbard’s line of treats because they are natural dog treats that won’t contribute to plaque build-up on your dog’s teeth because they’re a solid dry dog snack.
There are also natural dog bones that your pup would love to chew on. We also strongly encourage that you talk to your vet about the best dry kibble for your pup. Dry and hard dog food is better than wet dog food and soft people food because soft food is what sticks best to teeth and hides in the crevices of the gum.
Add Plain Yogurt to Your Dog’s Daily Diet
Yogurt is full of healthy gut bacteria that greatly aids in the improvement of any digestion issues. The healthy probiotics in yogurt not only help with digestion but they will also eliminate some of the bad stomach and intestinal bacteria.
Brush Your Dog’s Teeth
We highly encourage that you make teeth brushing a few times a week a habit from puppyhood for your doggy. Even if your dog is older it’s not too late to establish this amazing and healthy habit.
Brushing your dog’s teeth will help to eliminate foul mouth odor, plaque, and any harmful bacteria. It is important to note that dogs cannot use human toothpaste because our products actually have a toxic ingredient in it so your pup will need a good vet-recommended dog toothpaste.
Watch this video for some quick tips on how to brush your dog’s teeth.
Take Care of Your Dog’s Oral Health!
Bad breath in dogs has several causes, and it may range from mild to severe. Regardless of your fur baby’s case, we wish you and your precious fur baby the best with all your oral hygiene and fresh doggy breath endeavors!
We strongly encourage you to always consult your vet first about any breath concerns and we hope that you will always remember that fresh breath is a sign of a healthy and happy pup!
