Bad breath

[Jenni955]

Hi All,

What a lovely forum, thank you so much!

I have 2 very adorable little dogs, cross between a chihuahua and pekingese.  They are almost 3 years old.

They both have a terrible breath, which is not coming from their teeth (their teeth look good & healthy).
I have them on a regular diet of dry dog food mixed with tinned dog food, which they eat once a day.  
In between, occasionally, they get a dog biscuit for a treat, and they do chew on large bones and dog chewy sticks.

The only thing I can think of is that they do not pant!  They hardly ever open their mouths except to bark, yawn, eat and drink!  Could this be the reason?  Is there any supplement I can give them to help with bad breath?

Many thanks!

Kind Regards

Jenni
South Africa

[chihuahuagrandma]

Maybe its just a case of gingivitas, and there is a simple easy solution, if you get into vet, please keep us posted, wish the best...or something as easy as a dental green chew bones...At the pet store, they make Dental Green dog bones for dogs to chew to get the teeth is shape...my dogs don't neccessarily like the ment taste of the bone...so we go to vet for periodic cleanings...my dogs get chew bones, and they are all on high quality all natural hard dog food, and still one dog has terrible teeth, she had to have extractions....you just got to seek professional help and go from there...every dog is individualize...To be in the perfect situation for dogs teeth,
good quality hard dog food
brushings, and/or Dental Green dog mint bones
routine visits to vet for check up
(the softer the food, the softer the teeth)
PS some dogs just have genetic bad teeth, the mother dog did not have what she needed while pregnant...?????

[Jenni955]

Thank you so much for all your valuable advice.  I forgot to mention that they had this "problem" since we got them as puppies.  I thought it might be hereditary since BOTH dogs have the same bad breath, and I did not think it would be possible for both dogs to have the same problems with their teeth/gums/liver or kidneys!

I will toddle them off to the Vet and keep you posted.

Kind Regards

Jenni

[lonewolf07]

Have you ever taken them to the vet for a dental?  They can do X rays on the dogs' teeth and gums.  We just took our Siberian husky for a dental.  They did X rays and cleaned their teeth - like a dentist for humans.  Also - you're going to think I'm crazy - but we also have dog toothbrushes and dog toothpaste (they love the taste of it).  We try to brush their teeth every day.

Your dogs might have inflamed gums or gingivitis that only a vet would notice.  No sense in getting upset about underlying problems until you have eliminated all other possible causes for their bad breath.

I just saw JayBay's response .... d'uh .... I was also going to suggest getting them high quality food, maybe something recommended by the vet.

[Jaybay]

Even if their teeth look good, they could have a case of gingivitis (gum disease) that is making their breath stinky.  Even a change to a premium dog food can make a big difference.

Bad breath can also be a sign of something more serious like liver or kidney problems, so make sure to talk to your vet about this issue.

[chihuahuagrandma]

Bad breathe in human or dogs, is a sign of something not right....I would let the vet know, its probably bad teeth...bad teeth stink in dogs...
Welcome to dog forum, please check in with your comments, plenty people here with very informative suggestions,....
And, bad teeth, dogs can get that easy....my female has bad teeth, and I thought I took excellant care, but each dog different...just the way it is sometimes..
Good luck...keep us posted