Happiness is a warm puppy who's breath doesn't smell like ass.

October 26, 2007 4:43 PM

Bad dog breath... what helps?

My dog has allergies and a sensitive stomach so I make a point to feed her dog food that's natural. Up until recently her breath has been absolutely lovely... although believe it or not, she also has always had a bit of a burping problem. It has always made me laugh more than anything, though. (She's a dainty little girl dog and always looks almost embarrassed when she burps. Hee!)

Anyhow, all of the sudden when she tries to lick my face I notice her breath is getting pretty stinky. And that's not quite so funny. She is 2 1/2 and has nice white teeth, so I don't think it's tooth decay. Because of her allergies it makes more sense to me that it might be diet... but I'm not sure what to do about it because I'm just glad I have found dog food she isn't allergic to. (When I first got her, she threw up the first three brands I tried.)

In the store, I see all sorts of green bones "for breath" and other stuff... Doggie mints, whatever. I don't know if any of them work. Is there anything natural that I could just add to her diet that would make her breath become better?

Ideas? Have you found anything simple and natural that might help my puppy's breath become fresh? 'Cuz otherwise she's not getting anywhere near my face, which is a bummer because she's freaking awesome.

As always, the obligatory photo of said stinky, dainty dog.

posted by miss lynnster to pets & animals (18 comments total)

Oh, the little dainty stinkypup! She is adorable!

My boyfriend's little lady dog also often has bad breath (so bad you can smell it across the room sometimes when she's panting heavily), but she's had more trouble with her teeth than it sounds like your little girl has, and so her breath is often improved by having the vet do some serious cleanings. But she also has digestive/intestinal problems, and we've also noticed separately from any cleanings that her breath definitely improves when she gets treatment for her little tummy flareups. Could your pup have a similar digestive thing going on?
posted by scody at 4:57 PM on October 26, 2007

Do you have cats as well?
posted by Fezboy! at 4:58 PM on October 26, 2007

Unbrushed teeth can cause this, even if they are white.
posted by vilcxjo_BLANKA at 5:05 PM on October 26, 2007

To build on Fezboy's question, even if you don't have cats, do you, um, keep a careful eye on her when she's out using the toilet? The worst dog-breath I've ever encountered was from a friend's dog who apparently considered her own excretions the most delectable of treats (this dog was so blasted awesome that even THAT didn't keep many of us away - what's a little ass-breath between friends?) - but, um, yeah. Gross (though my friend's vet said the dog was clinically okay) and most definitely a contributing factor to stank, stank doggie breath that not even the biggest of doggie mints could really handle ... if you're sure it's not tooth decay it might at least be worth keeping an eye out for, just in case ..
posted by zeph at 5:06 PM on October 26, 2007

No cats. And she's not a poop-eater, she's content with a momentary sniff-analysis on walks. And while she is very licky because of her allergies, she doesn't lick her dainty private lady parts very often either.
posted by miss lynnster at 5:13 PM on October 26, 2007

There is more to a healthy mouth than just clean white teeth. Gingivitis and below-the-gumline decay can cause bad breath (it's amazing how otherwise healthy-looking teeth can actually be deeply unhealthy once they're examined carefully under anesthesia and via x-ray, dental x-rays are needed to truly accurately assess oral health).

Bad breath can also be caused by various endocrine problems, GI upsets, ear problems and many other things (and allergies can be a cause of quite a few of these). I would get a thorough vet check done, since bad breath can be an indicator of a variety of issues which may be more serious than just halitosis, and if your vet laughs it off, find another vet, bad breath is not normal, healthy dogs with healthy mouths and bodies do not have bad breath. Licking and itchy means that something is still bothering her, just because she's not vomiting doesn't mean that she's not allergic to what she's eating, or what's in her environment. There are a lot of medications and allergy protocols available to help allergic dogs, if your dog is itchy/licky, it can probably be alleviated to some degree.
posted by biscotti at 5:32 PM on October 26, 2007

Oooh. You said something that might be relevant. As I mentioned, she has HORRIBLE allergies and they cause her to have regular ear infections. I have to deal with them constantly, which is a bummer. I try to give her allergy pills every day but I'm not even good at taking my own pills. And I have medicine for inside of her ears too. Could the ear infections be tied to her breath?
posted by miss lynnster at 5:56 PM on October 26, 2007

Could the ear infections be tied to her breath?

Yes. Ears drain into the throat through the eustachian tubes. So infection in the ears can definitely cause bad breath. Alternately, it could be sinus drainage if her allergies are affecting her sinuses.
posted by amyms at 6:14 PM on October 26, 2007

Does your dog have toys? Specifically stuffed, cloth toys? My dog's breath seems to get worse when her toys need to be washed. Clean toys, better breath. Also, carrots are good for sweetening dog breath (if she likes them)

Maybe it's as simple as that with your dog? Hope so . . .
posted by nnk at 6:32 PM on October 26, 2007

biscotti nails it
posted by matteo at 6:48 PM on October 26, 2007

A little lactobacillus may also help. Give her a couple of tablespoons of yogurt a couple of days per week.
posted by megatherium at 7:41 PM on October 26, 2007

Huh. Wouldn't that be weird if both my dog and I had eustachian tube issues? Kinda bizarre.
posted by miss lynnster at 8:18 PM on October 26, 2007

Also, nobody's commented on breath freshening bones so I'm guessing those aren't a good temporary solution?
posted by miss lynnster at 8:20 PM on October 26, 2007

Greenies are great (as long as they're the new formula ones, which I think are all that's left now), but they're a band-aid. There's no reason not to give her Greenies or charcoal biscuits or anything else (as long as she's not allergic to the ingredients, Greenies contain wheat, which is a very common allergen for dogs), but you do need to address the underlying issue. The bad breath is a symptom, and in some ways, trying to cover it up can make it harder to pinpoint the cause.

Has your vet done a full allergy workup? A RAST test? An elimination diet? Finding out what she's actually allergic to can be an enormous help, especially if it's something you can control easily, like diet. Most vets can at least run a RAST test for around $100, which can help give you some clue about what the dog is allergic to, many dogs have pretty straightforward food allergies, and there are so many single-protein foods available now, it's easier to find a food an allergy dog can thrive on (that isn't a Hill's scary-ass-bad-ingredients Prescription Diet, which do work well for some animas, but I wish they didn't have such poor-quality ingredients).

And yeah, bad ears can cause bad breath. And depending on where you're located, allergies are horrible in many places right now.
posted by biscotti at 9:11 PM on October 26, 2007

If you use the greenies, make sure your dog is chewing them up rather than swallowing them whole, as my dogs would tend to do. After a couple of painful looking, straining passings of mostly whole greenies, we threw the rest of ours away. Our vet said this is not entirely uncommon.
posted by Roger Dodger at 9:29 AM on October 27, 2007

Roger Dodger: those problems were known to happen occasionally with the old formula Greenies, but the new formula Greenies are much more digestible than the old ones. Dogs should still be supervised while they eat them, and if the dog tends to swallow big chunks instead of biting off smaller ones, Greenies are not suitable for that dog.
posted by biscotti at 9:36 AM on October 27, 2007

Diet. Try a whole foods diet, raw or otherwise. Make your own or buy online. Educate your self.
posted by flummox at 9:36 AM on October 27, 2007

Update... I switched her food and within a week her breath totally stopped stinking! Wow. It's amazing. Because she clearly is allergic to just about everything, I'm trying her on a raw food diet in hopes that it will cut down vet bills in the long run. So far she doesn't like the flavor much though, so I just haven't found the right brand yet. Might take a little time.

Her breath is shockingly stink-free right now, though. So I'm happy about that. It really got bad for a while there but now whe she sits in my lap I don't have to stop breathing and cover my face anymore. Yay!
posted by miss lynnster at 9:56 PM on November 9, 2007