Dog breath

[bosshog]

Our lovely 3 years lab has just recently started to have slightly bad breath. I think her teeth perhaps need a good clean (or something). Any ideas tips?

[poprock]

You could start off by getting some dental chews from your nearest pet shop or big supermarket. There’s all sorts of brands out there, but they basically boil down to pre-shaped chewy stuff that helps clean your dog’s teeth as they chew it.

Next step might be popping along to your vet and asking them to do a dental check-up. Dogs need the dentist sometimes just like we do.

You can get dog toothpaste (it’s meat-flavoured usually) from pet shops too. Use a long toothbrush and it’s often a good idea to do it in the bath! That’s good for getting any stuck bits of food out of their back teeth (which can cause really stinky breath).

It’s a good idea to get a tough, rubbery, spiky toy for the dog as well, something that will get between their teeth while they play with it.

Some people make home-made dog biscuits (I know, a lot of work) and if so, putting things like fresh parsley and mint into them can help quite a lot with bad breath.

Good luck!

Edited by poprock on Wednesday 15th December 12:31

[frank hovis]

As above - good advice

I let my dog chew on hard bones like Coo's knees and such like - good for getting tartar of his teeth

Does your dog eat wet or dry food ? have you changed the brand recently ?

[Jasandjules]

frank hovis said:

I let my dog chew on hard bones like Coo's knees and such like - good for getting tartar of his teeth

This can be a bit of a problem in terms of being a bit hard and can break a dog's teeth (not my opinion, from a dental specialist vet one of my dogs had to see, and a 2k operation.....).

However, raw chicken can help.

But as above, clean the dog's teeth with a brush regularly. In an ideal world start it when they are puppies so they are used to it. It's pretty gross, you get covered in drool - so get some hibiscrub for cleaning your hands afterwards....

[Chilli]

We give ours Dent-i-Stix(sp?) which are supposed to mint flavoured. I've tried one and they're not, but it does stop the little fella's breath from making we want to throw up every time I smell it!

[Georgiegirl]

Raw chicken?

[Mrs Grumpy]

Does often depend on diet. Mine are fed raw or good quality kibble. They also get a raw chicken wing a day.

Erin (5 yo ex PF breeding bh) is only about 5 but her teeth were worse than any 16 yo dog I've seen. She's had a full dental and 7 teeth had to come out. All down to a rubbish diet.

[Jasandjules]

Forgot to say, a carrot a day is also helpful to keep the teeth clean.

[bosshog]

thanks everyone !

[nick_j007]

http://www.plaqueoff.com/proden_plaqueoff_animal/t...

I've used this on my own dogs followed by a few hide chews and the results are impressive.

Nick

[Lefty]

What kind of bad breath is it?

If it's a bit fishy, get dog along to the vets to her arse glands checked and, if need be, emptied.