A lot of dog owners are often surprised when they find out that their cute puppies no longer have the fresh baby breath they used to have. Like people, dogs have relatively fresh breaths when they’re still young because they only drink milk. When they grow up and start eating solid foods, that’s when their breath changes. They go through a process called teething which is a natural phenomenon among puppies that often makes their breath smell rotten.
In addition to the effects of teething, puppies also eat a lot of things they’re not supposed to eat due to their curiosity and increased appetite. When people eat foods that contain a lot of onions or garlic, you’d often notice by the strong odor of their mouth. The same principle applies to dogs; what you feed them and what you let them eat will dictate how their breath smells like.
Dog bad breath is a bit more common than human bad breath though. This could be due to the usually more odorous diets dogs tend to have and their tendency to eat things they’re not supposed to eat (even toxic ones). Careful monitoring of your dog’s eating habits and a change to a better, less smelly diet may rectify this problem.
Feed your dog with high-quality dog food that’s easy to digest so that you can make sure that the ingredients used do not directly lead to bad breath and also won’t cause stomach problems that indirectly lead to bad breath. Consider giving your dog a good chew toy; a good chew toy will keep your dog from gnawing and eating a lot of things he’s not supposed to eat. It will also help him clean his teeth naturally.
If your dog’s breath still stinks even after changing his diet and making sure he doesn’t eat anything he’s not supposed to, he may have some kind of gum or dental disease especially if he’s a small breed; small breeds are usually prone to gum or dental disease because of food particles getting stuck in places that can’t be reached. These food particles soon turn into breeding places for bacteria and eventually turn into plaque. (More)
To continue reading this blog, please visit: http://toothguru.org/dog-bad-breath/.
BY: Viktor Borisov
SOURCED: Tooth Guru – http://toothguru.org/dog-bad-breath/
Borisov, Viktor. “Dog Bad Breath.” Dog Bad Breath. Tooth Guru, 19 June 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
