How Do You Combat Your Dog's Bad Breath?

Discussion in Pets started by hayrake • Jan 7, 2015.

  1. hayrake

    hayrakeActive Member

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    There are a number of items on the market to help with canine halitosis. I've heard bad things about at least one of them, but can't remember which one. I know that it was one of the green ones--little greenies? The thing that looks like a toothbrush? I don't know.
    I'm aware that some people brush their dog's teeth, but I don't think I'm going to go that far. Surely there is a good chewie product out there for doggy dental health and breath.
     
  2. ReadWriteLearnLove

    ReadWriteLearnLoveActive Member

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    My dog just turned 11 years old and has the worst breath ever! We take him annually for a good cleaning at the vet and we have tried giving him greenies before. The greenies don't really seem to help, so we've given up on them. I have been feeding him Purina Beneful Healthy Smile dog food for the last 9 months or so (whenever we can find it at our local grocery store) and it has actually helped make his breath a little less stinky. It's not a complete transformation, but it does seem to help somewhat.
     
  3. akiii123

    akiii123Active Member

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    The best way to make sure that the dog doesn't smell bad is by giving it a mouth wash once in a while. I think that is one of the best way. I believe it is great to try and use some harmless mouthfreshner also.
     
  4. steph84

    steph84Active Member

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    You can try to brush your dog's teeth or give your dog some dental chews. That worked for my dog! He had some plaque buildup that was giving him rank breath. I took him to the groomers and got his teeth brushed for $5.
     
  5. chiofthenorns

    chiofthenornsActive Member

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    There are many ways to do this. We have five dogs and keeping their breaths smelling fresh is something that is not new to me. I usually buy them Dentastix. They are very cheap and one pack contains five to six sticks. You can also buy them those dog bones that they can chew on if you can find something cheaper.
     
  6. IcyFirefly

    IcyFireflyActive Member

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    I gave my puppy the little greenies before, and they don't seem to help his breath at all, but causes him to drop number 2 more often. So, that is out for good now. I now buy toys that have raised bumps or ridges for him to chew on. He has some balls that he loves to play with, and it helps.
     
  7. JoanMcWench

    JoanMcWenchActive Member

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    I actually enjoy brushing my dogs teeth. For some reason I've always enjoyed doing that. Him? Not so much. He's gotten used to it. I also use a bacon toothpaste that he seems to love so that's helped. I've used those dog treats as well but it's not as helpful as a good brushing once a week.
     
  8. rightct

    rightctActive Member

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    I don't actually think there's any workaround for this specifical dog problem. Giving them a mouthwash with our toothpaste doesn't seem that savvy, because I've heard rumours concerning the poisoning effects of fluorine on dogs.
    I have a dog which is around 6 years old, and even though his breath is absolutely overwhelming to withstand, I don't have that much of a choice. I can't simply throw him out of my house, haha.
     
  9. Dora M

    Dora MWell-Known Member

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    I've had two dogs over the years, and I can't say that they ever had really bad breath. Perhaps I was just used to it. I always fed my dogs a mixed diet of meat, vegetables and grains. Often I gave them what we were eating, with some extra meat, as we are vegetarians. My dogs also liked fruit and nuts. I gave them bones and raw hide to chew on daily basis. All the saliva they were producing worked on the bacteria that cause halitosis. And yes, we also turned cleaning their teeth into a game of fun, where they got rewarded with extra treats to keep their teeth healthy and clean.
     
  10. Corzhens

    CorzhensWell-Known Member

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    One of our dogs, Tisoy, the oldest in the brood at 7 years has bad breath. The odor is really bad like a rotten meat. We had tried drops twice already but it seemed to have no marked effect on the problem. Our vet said that it the bad breath is caused by the decaying teeth of Tisoy. And remedy is a minor surgery to clean the plaque. But the dog will be sedated so we are forgoing with that.