By Pat Hunter
A dog may be a man's best friend, yet the bad breath dogs can develop can seriously test this relationship. It's not pleasant to have your face licked by a friendly pooch whose breath could strip wallpaper. So what can you do about it?
Unsurprisingly, one of the main causes of dogs' breath problems is poor dental hygiene. It is very important to clean your dog's teeth regularly using a doggie-friendly toothbrush and toothpaste. Your dog may resist your attempts at brushing them less if you use a meat-flavored toothpaste. Also, keep an eye out for any noticeable problems, such as an abscessed tooth or gum disease. Book your dog in to the vets every few months for a dental check-up and professional clean.
A canine mouthwash can improve a dog's breath, as well as reducing the build up of plaque and tartar on its teeth. Certain chew toys are also helpful in reducing plaque.
A dog's diet can also be a major contributor to foul breath. Many canned foods cause bad breath, so check your pets diet. If your dog is healthy, and has no reason to be on a specific soft food diet, make sure to feed him or her dry foods as well as the usual canned soft foods.
If your dog's breath problem persists despite taking these measures, it could be due to a more serious health problem. Bad breath can often be a symptom of gingivitis, an oral cancer, or having a foreign body stuck in the throat. It can also be caused by an infection of the kidneys, stomach and intestines, as well as diabetes. Thankfully, most cases of bad dog breath are the result of poor oral hygiene. However, if you have any concerns as to what is causing the bad breath, be sure to get your dog examined by a vet.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
2 Simple Ways to Cure Dog's Bad Breath
By Joshua Adams
Its an awful thing if your dog has bad breath. It can also be very embarrassing in front of friends and family if your dog decides to yawn in front of them or decides to give them a kiss. Let me tell you about 3 simple ways to cure dog bad breath
Brush Their Teeth
Dog teeth are very similar to human teeth, you know what would happen if we did not brush our teeth for a week, there would be a huge plaque build and it would be just gross, right? In the same way your dog's bad breath may be due to plaque/tartar build up if you have not been brushing their teeth.
There are many good quality toothbrushes and pastes available on the market which come in all sorts of flavours which your dog will love.
Just make sure you don't use colgate or aquafresh to brush your dog's teeth as they can be harmful to your dog's health as your dog not be able to spit the paste out after brushing.
Change Their Diet
There are certain diets available which aid in very quick plaque build up, and can cause your dog's breath to go really bad, that diet is canned diet. Canned diets are not of the best quality unless you are using a good brand name. Also, during the manufacturing process of canned foods, vital nutrients and digestive enzymes are wasted. So if you are feeding your dog canned food, then switch their diet to a different brand or consider giving your cuddly beast a raw diet or dry food. Raw diets can be very effective for the removal of bad breath since you know exactly what the dog is eating and also the physical munching of the raw diet helps to eliminate and prevent plaque buildup.
Its an awful thing if your dog has bad breath. It can also be very embarrassing in front of friends and family if your dog decides to yawn in front of them or decides to give them a kiss. Let me tell you about 3 simple ways to cure dog bad breath
Brush Their Teeth
Dog teeth are very similar to human teeth, you know what would happen if we did not brush our teeth for a week, there would be a huge plaque build and it would be just gross, right? In the same way your dog's bad breath may be due to plaque/tartar build up if you have not been brushing their teeth.
There are many good quality toothbrushes and pastes available on the market which come in all sorts of flavours which your dog will love.
Just make sure you don't use colgate or aquafresh to brush your dog's teeth as they can be harmful to your dog's health as your dog not be able to spit the paste out after brushing.
Change Their Diet
There are certain diets available which aid in very quick plaque build up, and can cause your dog's breath to go really bad, that diet is canned diet. Canned diets are not of the best quality unless you are using a good brand name. Also, during the manufacturing process of canned foods, vital nutrients and digestive enzymes are wasted. So if you are feeding your dog canned food, then switch their diet to a different brand or consider giving your cuddly beast a raw diet or dry food. Raw diets can be very effective for the removal of bad breath since you know exactly what the dog is eating and also the physical munching of the raw diet helps to eliminate and prevent plaque buildup.
Monday, July 27, 2009
How to Stop Bad Breath in Your Dog
By Cristian Stan
Obviously when you praise your dog and playing around, you don't want his breath smells like a vampire. Bad breath in dogs is common problem and this is directly related on dog's health.
Dogs just loves to lick in your face and that means he really loves you and don't want you to leave him. But soon his mouth smells from miles, you get ticked off and unfortunately you can not give him a mint chewing gum for that bad breath.
Similar to human, bad breath is the cause from what you eat and it is same with your dog. What your dog eats has everything got to do with a bad breath. Surly they don't brush teeth twice a day and maintain good oral health like we humans do. But you can start thinking of brushing your dog's teeth at least once day which is enough. There can be several reasons when you dog's breath starts to smell. Generally it is not serious problem but one should always take vet's examination into consideration which in fact, it gives your dog a better health and a better food than before.
One of the usual suspects of having a bad breath is not chewing the food properly which means saliva that helps to soften food and provides lubricant, is not functioning properly. Other reason maybe due to dental plaque, allergic reaction to some food that you might not be aware of, improper management of dog foods, bacterial infection in saliva, digestion problems, tooth decaying etc. All these reasons may cause not only bad breath but could damage overall health of your dog. Without proper guidance of experienced vets, your dog might suffer from serious health risk which could be permanent.
If taken care from the beginning, you dog could enjoy a healthy life and also brings smile on your family everyday. So what you need to do is apply basic steps to avoid bad breath of your dog.
There are various toothbrush especially made for dogs with meat flavored toothpaste that you can buy from market. Using the toothbrush on daily basis builds strong resistance to other bacterial diseases which are main reason for bad breath and other oral infections as well. You may be surprise to know that if your dog's teeth remain strong and healthy, he can live more, up to 5 years in addition. Never ever use human toothpaste.
Avoid feeding your dog chocolates and do not mess with routine food intake of your dog. Search around the market for best food that is suitable for your dog. It depends on age, breed of a dog and likes or dislikes, consulting with vets will help to list down the healthy diet for your dog.
One of the most popular ways to freshen up the your dog's breath is giving the favorite treats that is especially formulated to freshen up the mouth, makes teeth strong and kills bacterial attacks which ultimately gives fresh breath.
However, if the bad breath doesn't stops then your dog might be in serious health risk so it would be good idea to check in vet clinic as soon as possible before it gets too late.
Obviously when you praise your dog and playing around, you don't want his breath smells like a vampire. Bad breath in dogs is common problem and this is directly related on dog's health.
Dogs just loves to lick in your face and that means he really loves you and don't want you to leave him. But soon his mouth smells from miles, you get ticked off and unfortunately you can not give him a mint chewing gum for that bad breath.
Similar to human, bad breath is the cause from what you eat and it is same with your dog. What your dog eats has everything got to do with a bad breath. Surly they don't brush teeth twice a day and maintain good oral health like we humans do. But you can start thinking of brushing your dog's teeth at least once day which is enough. There can be several reasons when you dog's breath starts to smell. Generally it is not serious problem but one should always take vet's examination into consideration which in fact, it gives your dog a better health and a better food than before.
One of the usual suspects of having a bad breath is not chewing the food properly which means saliva that helps to soften food and provides lubricant, is not functioning properly. Other reason maybe due to dental plaque, allergic reaction to some food that you might not be aware of, improper management of dog foods, bacterial infection in saliva, digestion problems, tooth decaying etc. All these reasons may cause not only bad breath but could damage overall health of your dog. Without proper guidance of experienced vets, your dog might suffer from serious health risk which could be permanent.
If taken care from the beginning, you dog could enjoy a healthy life and also brings smile on your family everyday. So what you need to do is apply basic steps to avoid bad breath of your dog.
There are various toothbrush especially made for dogs with meat flavored toothpaste that you can buy from market. Using the toothbrush on daily basis builds strong resistance to other bacterial diseases which are main reason for bad breath and other oral infections as well. You may be surprise to know that if your dog's teeth remain strong and healthy, he can live more, up to 5 years in addition. Never ever use human toothpaste.
Avoid feeding your dog chocolates and do not mess with routine food intake of your dog. Search around the market for best food that is suitable for your dog. It depends on age, breed of a dog and likes or dislikes, consulting with vets will help to list down the healthy diet for your dog.
One of the most popular ways to freshen up the your dog's breath is giving the favorite treats that is especially formulated to freshen up the mouth, makes teeth strong and kills bacterial attacks which ultimately gives fresh breath.
However, if the bad breath doesn't stops then your dog might be in serious health risk so it would be good idea to check in vet clinic as soon as possible before it gets too late.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
My Dog Has Bad Breath - Should I Be Worried?
By Joshua Adams
If you smelled the of breath of five dogs there is a very good chance that four of five dogs will have very bad breath. Because it is such a common condition many dog owners feel that it's acceptable that their dog has bad breath and this is the very reason why many dog owners don't do anything about it. If your dog has bad breath then it could be a sign that there is poor oral hygiene or it could be an alarm for an underlying issue.
If you search the Internet for dog bad breath causes you will find that majority of the information is related to poor oral hygiene where 90% of the time that is true but it cannot be neglected that there are some instances where the bad breath is a result or symptom of a major underlying illness.
By missing the signs of an illness you run the risk of making your dog even more ill.
Common question is what causes dog bad breath other than poor oral hygiene? Well, there are two major things that need to be considered. The first thing is factors like parasites, food allergies, stomach ulcers, poisoning and the second issue is illnesses like liver failure, kidney failure, diabetes, and lung cancer. Now, as you can see that there is more to bad breath than just some tartar build up and your dog's bad breath is telling you that there is something wrong.
Now the big question is how can you tell if your dog's bad breath is due to poor oral hygiene or is it due to an illness.
Unfortunately, it is not as straight forward as that, it is quite difficult to judge yourself what is the cause of bad breath but there are two things that you can do to check if you need to take your dog to the vet for further examination.
The first thing that you need to do is try and see if the smell is coming from your dog's mouth and the way you would do this is by closing your dog's mouth and smelling his/her breath directly from the nose when it is exhaled. Another thing what you want to do is take a good look inside your dog's mouth and see if you can spot cement like build up on the teeth or if you can see red, puffy bloody gums rather than firm pink gums then you need to take your dog to see a vet.
If you smelled the of breath of five dogs there is a very good chance that four of five dogs will have very bad breath. Because it is such a common condition many dog owners feel that it's acceptable that their dog has bad breath and this is the very reason why many dog owners don't do anything about it. If your dog has bad breath then it could be a sign that there is poor oral hygiene or it could be an alarm for an underlying issue.
If you search the Internet for dog bad breath causes you will find that majority of the information is related to poor oral hygiene where 90% of the time that is true but it cannot be neglected that there are some instances where the bad breath is a result or symptom of a major underlying illness.
By missing the signs of an illness you run the risk of making your dog even more ill.
Common question is what causes dog bad breath other than poor oral hygiene? Well, there are two major things that need to be considered. The first thing is factors like parasites, food allergies, stomach ulcers, poisoning and the second issue is illnesses like liver failure, kidney failure, diabetes, and lung cancer. Now, as you can see that there is more to bad breath than just some tartar build up and your dog's bad breath is telling you that there is something wrong.
Now the big question is how can you tell if your dog's bad breath is due to poor oral hygiene or is it due to an illness.
Unfortunately, it is not as straight forward as that, it is quite difficult to judge yourself what is the cause of bad breath but there are two things that you can do to check if you need to take your dog to the vet for further examination.
The first thing that you need to do is try and see if the smell is coming from your dog's mouth and the way you would do this is by closing your dog's mouth and smelling his/her breath directly from the nose when it is exhaled. Another thing what you want to do is take a good look inside your dog's mouth and see if you can spot cement like build up on the teeth or if you can see red, puffy bloody gums rather than firm pink gums then you need to take your dog to see a vet.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Dog Bad Breath - More Than Meets the Nose By Angelo Ioanides
By Angelo Ioanides
Take any five dogs off the street and chances are four of them will 'bite you on the nose' with their dog bad breath. Being such a common condition it's understandable why so many dog owners accept it as normal... and why so few do anything about it. Yet dog bad breath (formally called canine halitosis) can be an early alarm-bell alerting you of a more sinister hidden disease.
Do an online search for causes of dog bad breath and you could be forgiven for thinking that all halitosis arises from one fundamental source - poor oral hygiene. True... 90% of cases are due to oral-bacteria and yes, these bacterial infections (in the form of tooth decay and gum disease) can give rise to more serious conditions. Yet, for 1 in 10 dogs with bad breath the source of foul-odor arises beyond their mouth. Consequently, by applying this blanket diagnosis to your dogs' bad breath you run the risk of overlooking a potentially harmful underlying condition and in the process inadvertently delay critical early diagnosis and treatment.
So what can cause bad breath other than the usual dental diseases?
In essence, there are two broad categories of non-dental causes for bad-breath: gastro-intestinal conditions and non-gastro-intestinal causes.
Gastro-intestinal conditions comprise the most common non-dental causes of bad breath. Of these the most common odor-producing diseases include:
- Foreign bodies lodged in the oro-pharynx;
- Parasites;
- Food allergies;
- Poisoning;
- Stomach ulcers;
- Esophageal / stomach cancer.
As for non-gastro-intestinal conditions, while these are much rarer causes of bad breath they are definitely the more serious conditions to diagnose early and accurately. The most common of these conditions include:
- Diabetes;
- Kidney failure;
- Liver failure;
- Lung cancer.
Looking at this broad list of conditions it should be clear that dog bad breath is not simply a reflection of poor oral hygiene. Rather, dog bad breath is a non-specific symptom of a wide range of harmful and even potentially fatal conditions. In essence dog bad breath is Natures' way of telling you that your dog is unwell without telling you exactly what's wrong with them.
This raises the question, "How can I tell if my dogs' bad breath is due to poor oral hygiene or if it's due to something much more serious?"
Unfortunately there is no simple way to diagnose the cause of dog bad breath. However, there are two (albeit crude) at-home diagnostic tests that can help you determine whether or not the odor warrants further investigation.
The first test involves eliminating the mouth as the source of odor. Simply look inside your dogs' mouth and look evidence of gum disease (chalky cement-like build up on teeth; red, puffy bleeding gums (as opposed to healthy firm pink gums) or tooth decay. If you see none of these signs and after instigating a stringent oral hygiene regimen (involving daily brushing of teeth for a week) and the odor persists then that raises suspicion that the cause is non-dental.
Next, close your dogs' mouth and smell the breath they exhale through their nose. If this nasally-exhaled breath carries the same odor as their mouth-breath then that further raises suspicions that you are dealing with a non-dental cause of bad breath.
In both these cases an urgent visit to your vet is warranted to eliminate a non-dental, potentially fatal underlying medical condition.
Take any five dogs off the street and chances are four of them will 'bite you on the nose' with their dog bad breath. Being such a common condition it's understandable why so many dog owners accept it as normal... and why so few do anything about it. Yet dog bad breath (formally called canine halitosis) can be an early alarm-bell alerting you of a more sinister hidden disease.
Do an online search for causes of dog bad breath and you could be forgiven for thinking that all halitosis arises from one fundamental source - poor oral hygiene. True... 90% of cases are due to oral-bacteria and yes, these bacterial infections (in the form of tooth decay and gum disease) can give rise to more serious conditions. Yet, for 1 in 10 dogs with bad breath the source of foul-odor arises beyond their mouth. Consequently, by applying this blanket diagnosis to your dogs' bad breath you run the risk of overlooking a potentially harmful underlying condition and in the process inadvertently delay critical early diagnosis and treatment.
So what can cause bad breath other than the usual dental diseases?
In essence, there are two broad categories of non-dental causes for bad-breath: gastro-intestinal conditions and non-gastro-intestinal causes.
Gastro-intestinal conditions comprise the most common non-dental causes of bad breath. Of these the most common odor-producing diseases include:
- Foreign bodies lodged in the oro-pharynx;
- Parasites;
- Food allergies;
- Poisoning;
- Stomach ulcers;
- Esophageal / stomach cancer.
As for non-gastro-intestinal conditions, while these are much rarer causes of bad breath they are definitely the more serious conditions to diagnose early and accurately. The most common of these conditions include:
- Diabetes;
- Kidney failure;
- Liver failure;
- Lung cancer.
Looking at this broad list of conditions it should be clear that dog bad breath is not simply a reflection of poor oral hygiene. Rather, dog bad breath is a non-specific symptom of a wide range of harmful and even potentially fatal conditions. In essence dog bad breath is Natures' way of telling you that your dog is unwell without telling you exactly what's wrong with them.
This raises the question, "How can I tell if my dogs' bad breath is due to poor oral hygiene or if it's due to something much more serious?"
Unfortunately there is no simple way to diagnose the cause of dog bad breath. However, there are two (albeit crude) at-home diagnostic tests that can help you determine whether or not the odor warrants further investigation.
The first test involves eliminating the mouth as the source of odor. Simply look inside your dogs' mouth and look evidence of gum disease (chalky cement-like build up on teeth; red, puffy bleeding gums (as opposed to healthy firm pink gums) or tooth decay. If you see none of these signs and after instigating a stringent oral hygiene regimen (involving daily brushing of teeth for a week) and the odor persists then that raises suspicion that the cause is non-dental.
Next, close your dogs' mouth and smell the breath they exhale through their nose. If this nasally-exhaled breath carries the same odor as their mouth-breath then that further raises suspicions that you are dealing with a non-dental cause of bad breath.
In both these cases an urgent visit to your vet is warranted to eliminate a non-dental, potentially fatal underlying medical condition.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Stop Dog Bad Breath - Take an Action Now!
By Alex De La Cruz
If you love your pup very much, you are willing to provide everything you could to keep it healthy and happy. Just imagine raising a pooch which gives you all its attention, never playing the role of being a pain in the butt, but rather help you around the house by just being itself. Of course it is always the dream of every dog owners to have a pet just as obedient and lovable as that. When it comes to showering you with unbiased attention, you can definitely count your pooch. Licking your face and hands is its humble way of showing its love.
But when your pet has a nasty smell, you need to do something. You need to stop dog bad breath right away. But before you start anything, it is important that you know what causes it. One of the reasons for having a bad breath is improper food chewing which leads to the build of dental plaque. When food rots it releases a nasty smell that is why the food stuck in your pet's teeth gives it a nasty dog breath. Other causes of dog bad breath are bacterial infections in its mouth particularly found in its saliva. Sometimes there is nothing wrong with the food getting stuck because you even give your pet its regular brush.
But it still emits a foul odor which is obviously not due to lack of brushing. When this happens you need to get your pooch to the vet for further check ups. The problem might be more than a simple dog bad breath. Your vet might give it medicine to control the growth of bacteria in its mouth. If there is no bacterial infection you might want to check your pet's teeth for possible appearance of tooth decay. Decaying tooth also emits a foul smell, so that maybe the problem. It is very important that you get to brush its teeth regularly so as to prevent the formation of plaque that destroys the teeth.
Aside from the smell, your pet's health is also affected if ever the tooth aches. It will also lead to eating and digestion problems and other forms of diseases. Dog bad breath should be taken seriously because the mouth is an important part of your pet's body system. Through it your pet gets its daily dose of nutrition and plays its role either as a guard, watch or family dog. You love it when your pet licks your face so long as its saliva does not carry bacteria that may impair your own health. Of course you do not want to shoo your pet away when it tries to get near you.
This action can make your pooch sad which can later on lead to depression. Fight dog bad breath by proper brushing, acquiring help from your trusted vets, and keeping your pet's mouth clean. When you do that you do not only reduce the possibilities of having a nasty breath, but also ward off other diseases that may harm your pooch.
If you love your pup very much, you are willing to provide everything you could to keep it healthy and happy. Just imagine raising a pooch which gives you all its attention, never playing the role of being a pain in the butt, but rather help you around the house by just being itself. Of course it is always the dream of every dog owners to have a pet just as obedient and lovable as that. When it comes to showering you with unbiased attention, you can definitely count your pooch. Licking your face and hands is its humble way of showing its love.
But when your pet has a nasty smell, you need to do something. You need to stop dog bad breath right away. But before you start anything, it is important that you know what causes it. One of the reasons for having a bad breath is improper food chewing which leads to the build of dental plaque. When food rots it releases a nasty smell that is why the food stuck in your pet's teeth gives it a nasty dog breath. Other causes of dog bad breath are bacterial infections in its mouth particularly found in its saliva. Sometimes there is nothing wrong with the food getting stuck because you even give your pet its regular brush.
But it still emits a foul odor which is obviously not due to lack of brushing. When this happens you need to get your pooch to the vet for further check ups. The problem might be more than a simple dog bad breath. Your vet might give it medicine to control the growth of bacteria in its mouth. If there is no bacterial infection you might want to check your pet's teeth for possible appearance of tooth decay. Decaying tooth also emits a foul smell, so that maybe the problem. It is very important that you get to brush its teeth regularly so as to prevent the formation of plaque that destroys the teeth.
Aside from the smell, your pet's health is also affected if ever the tooth aches. It will also lead to eating and digestion problems and other forms of diseases. Dog bad breath should be taken seriously because the mouth is an important part of your pet's body system. Through it your pet gets its daily dose of nutrition and plays its role either as a guard, watch or family dog. You love it when your pet licks your face so long as its saliva does not carry bacteria that may impair your own health. Of course you do not want to shoo your pet away when it tries to get near you.
This action can make your pooch sad which can later on lead to depression. Fight dog bad breath by proper brushing, acquiring help from your trusted vets, and keeping your pet's mouth clean. When you do that you do not only reduce the possibilities of having a nasty breath, but also ward off other diseases that may harm your pooch.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Dog Bad Breath
By John M Williams
Bad dog breath can be a bad problem for your dog and you, at times their breath an be unbearable and make bonding with them a chore you'd rather avoid at all costs. This may not be due them and more down to the care you have not realized that your dog should have. Dog's bad breath like most other dog symptoms can be the cause of many different issues separately or together, this makes the cause hard to diagnose without a proper examination from a professional dog carer or vet.
Common causes of dog bad breathe -
Maybe your dog is finding it hard to eat or swallow which can lead to dog's bad breath and other illnesses that are related. Saliva drooling from your dog's mouth may also be a cause of bad breath, as more saliva gets built up in their mouth is makes it easier for bacteria to breed resulting in bad breath.
The last and most common form of bacteria build up is from not cleaning or not properly cleaning your dog's teeth, this enables tartar to form and make the bad odour you are forced to smell day in day out. Many believe that food choice and what you feed them is a problem when dog breath is concerned, as this may be true to an extent this is more of a temporary short term problem and the reason above is more likely to be the problem cause.
There are plenty of dental hygiene products available in pet shops and online, some work better than others on different ones but you best bet is to clean your dog's teeth regularly to stop the bacteria build up, this is where the problem begins and where you should target your efforts. If you fear the problem has got too far to recover or damage or the gums and teeth is visible you should contact your vet as soon as possible for help and a proper diagnosis of your pet.
Bad dog breath can be a bad problem for your dog and you, at times their breath an be unbearable and make bonding with them a chore you'd rather avoid at all costs. This may not be due them and more down to the care you have not realized that your dog should have. Dog's bad breath like most other dog symptoms can be the cause of many different issues separately or together, this makes the cause hard to diagnose without a proper examination from a professional dog carer or vet.
Common causes of dog bad breathe -
Maybe your dog is finding it hard to eat or swallow which can lead to dog's bad breath and other illnesses that are related. Saliva drooling from your dog's mouth may also be a cause of bad breath, as more saliva gets built up in their mouth is makes it easier for bacteria to breed resulting in bad breath.
The last and most common form of bacteria build up is from not cleaning or not properly cleaning your dog's teeth, this enables tartar to form and make the bad odour you are forced to smell day in day out. Many believe that food choice and what you feed them is a problem when dog breath is concerned, as this may be true to an extent this is more of a temporary short term problem and the reason above is more likely to be the problem cause.
There are plenty of dental hygiene products available in pet shops and online, some work better than others on different ones but you best bet is to clean your dog's teeth regularly to stop the bacteria build up, this is where the problem begins and where you should target your efforts. If you fear the problem has got too far to recover or damage or the gums and teeth is visible you should contact your vet as soon as possible for help and a proper diagnosis of your pet.
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