Why Does Your Dog’s Breath Stink?

Nobody would describe the smell that comes out of a dog’s mouth as pleasant. They like to get up close and personal so you can’t really avoid catching a whiff. If it’s a bit rough that’s not a huge problem but some dogs have really awful breath. A bit of a smell is normal but if it’s getting to be unbearable then your dog might have a bit more of a serious health problem. These health problems often get overlooked because people just put it down to normal dog breath but in reality, there are loads of different reasons that your dog might stink.

Gum Disease Or Tooth Decay

Gum disease and tooth decay are two of the most common causes of bad breath in dogs. Luckily it’s fairly easy to spot if you know what you’re looking for. If you lift up their lips you can often see that the gums are red and inflamed. You’ll also notice a buildup of tartar on the teeth. However, if they’ve got cavities below the gum line, you won’t be able to see it easily so don’t just rely on what is visible. The best way of reducing the risk of your dog getting gum disease is giving them Pawsiq dental bones to chew on. They will help to reduce the levels of tartar and plaque on the teeth, which is the biggest cause of gum disease. They also contain ingredients that can help to stop their breath from smelling too bad. Gum disease and tooth decay aren’t major problems as long as you take steps to combat them before they get out of hand.

Kidney Disease

If their gums and teeth are all fine but they still have problems with their breath, there could be something more serious going on. If a dog has kidney problems, all of the waste products that are usually filtered out by the kidneys enter the bloodstream and sometimes come out in the breath. When dogs have kidney disease they don’t just have normal smelling bad breath. It will have a particular ammonia smell so it’s a bit easier to spot. If you smell it, get them to the vets straight away.

Diabetes

Diabetes gives a dog’s breath another very specific smell. It’s common for sufferers to have a sweet or fruity smell to their breath. However, diabetes often stops the immune system from working properly which lets bacteria in the mouth multiply rapidly which can cause a more typical bad breath smell in dogs.

Oral Tumors

When a dog develops a tumor in their mouth, they grow very quickly. Sometimes too quickly for the blood vessels to grow at the same rate so big areas of it can die. Bacteria will take hold and big sections of the tumor will start to go rotten. This is going to cause a really gross and overpowering smell in your dog’s breath that goes far beyond the normal dog breath smell.

Bad breath is normal in dogs, but only to a certain extent. If it gets really bad then you should take them to the vet.