Does Your Dog have Halitosis?

If your dog has a horrible odor coming from you’re his mouth he has halitosis.  This very offensive odor could be more than just bad “doggie breath.”  

You can purchase products at your pet store that will improve your dog’s breath. You can also slow down the tarter build up on your dog's teeth by brushing them on a regular basis.  Some dogs get to where they love to have their teeth brushed.   You can get tooth brushes and paste that made just for dogs. You can also buy doggie treats that are supposed to help keep the tartar from building up on the dogs teeth. 

You must treat any underlying diseases that may be causing your dog’s horrible breath odor.  Halitosis usually has oral causes.  Sometime it is caused by other diseases.  Some of the problems that cause halitosis are gingivitis, pereodontitus, abscessed teeth, an object stuck in his mouth, ulceration in his mouth, tumors in his mouth, lung cancer and kidney disease.

If your dog’s bad breath is caused by plaque your dog's teeth might have to have a good cleaning.  If your dog’s diet is the problem you will have to change his food.  If your dog’s bad breath is caused by gastrointestinal, liver, kidney or lung problems he must be checked by a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Symptoms that will indicate if your dog has a problem in his mouth will be an oral discharge, pain, bloody discharge, drooling, difficulty swallowing, difficulty eating and depression caused by severe pain.

Your veterinarian will do tests to determine the cause of your dog’s bad breath.  If your dog’s breath becomes very bad you should get him to your veterinarian as soon as possible because there could be a serious problem.  The sooner the cause is determined and treated the better off your dog will be.

If your dog has diabetes his breath will be fruity and sweet smelling.  If your dog has a kidney problem his breath will smell like urine.  If your dog has a problem with his liver his breath will smell bad.  He will also be vomiting and have a poor appetite.  His corneas will have a yellow tinge.

You must find out what is causing your dog's bad breath.  He could have a very serious problem that might even cause him to die.  The sooner the cause is determined and treated the better it will be. Most dog owners do not think about problems with their dog’s teeth and that they can prevent a lot of the problems by taking care of their dog’s teeth.

Article sources:

http://www.petwave.com

http://www.pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/bad-breth-dogs