Bad breath is common among dogs, but it is very difficult to diagnose the exact reason as they can arise due to various factors. Most of the pet owners assume that bad breath is due to improper diet or careless teeth maintenance. In some cases, it could indicate initial stages of a health problem.
If this condition is left untreated for a long time, this could further worsen the health of your pet. If you are not able to find out the reason, visit the vet immediately.
Causes of Bad Breath:
• Pet owners need to balance between different textures of dog food. Include soft wet canned food as well as dry food during every meal.
• Tooth decay or broken tooth often results in bad breath. Open your pet's mouth and check whether there is any bone pieces of food particles stuck in his teeth. Remove it yourself if possible or visit the vet for tooth cleaning.
• Observe the stools of your dog. If he is passing loose stools or suffering from diarrhea, then there is a possibility of gastrointestinal infection. The other symptoms of this infection include vomiting, constipation, loss of appetite and swollen abdomen.
• Some dogs suffer from periodontal disease, or gum disease, due to age as the gums overgrow on the dog's teeth and cause a lot of discomfort. Gingival hyperplasia is also common in older dogs and this leads to severe bacterial infection. Sinus infection, mouth tumor, infection in the kidneys, inflammation of mouth tissues and diabetes are other common reasons for bad breath.
Avoiding Bad Breath in Dogs:
• Visit the vet regularly and keep a check on the dog's health.
• Take your pet for professional tooth cleaning at least once a month.
• Consult your veterinarian and ask him to prescribe special dog toothpastes. Use this to brush your pet's teeth regularly. This would help in reducing the bad breath.
• After brushing the teeth, feed your pet some breath mints to maintain fresh breath.
• Increase the amount of dry food for your pet if you sense bad breath. This is because canned food or wet food can get caught between the teeth resulting in a bad odor.
• Feed hard dog biscuits. This would help in removing plaque. Hard dog bones also help in maintaining clean teeth.
• Feed a mix of raw carrots and turkey. This is a natural preparation for oral care to fight bad breath.
• Ask your veterinarian to suggest recommended practices that would avoid common oral infections in your dog.
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