Dog bad breath?
Has your dog got bad breath? Don't ignore it. When our dog has bad breath, it's
not just unpleasant. It's normally a sign that something else is going on. Have
they got plaque building up? Especially on the harder to see back teeth. A dog's
dental health is important to their overall wellbeing. It can affect their
behaviour and wide long-term health. They can't tell us (and can try to hide it)
when their mouth is uncomfortable or painful, so we need to be pro-active with
our dog's care.
Check-in with your vet.
If your dog hasn't had a recent check-up, or something has changed very
recently, it's always best to start with a vet check-up to rule out anything
serious. Although not as common, bad breath can mean something is going on in
their gut or with their kidneys or liver for instance, so it's best to rule
these out.
Do you need a professional clean?
So your dog is otherwise in great health, but their breath is not the nicest.
What can you do to help? If your dog is not ready to let you brush their teeth
(or the tartar build -up is too great), you may need a professional scale and
polish to get back to a healthy mouth.
Keep on top of it
Clean teeth mean fresher breath (and a generally healthier dog). Plaque can be
removed through daily brushing. If left on the teeth it starts to build up
within 12 hours and hardens into tartar. Like us, once it reaches the gum line,
it can cause gum disease (periodontal infections). This means DAILY BRUSHING.
Yep, daily! Choose a suitable toothbrush and dog-specific meaty toothpaste. If
your dog is not happy having their teeth brushed there are games you can play to
make it a fun experience. But it will need a few minutes each day.
Play games to make teeth cleaning fun
Growing their love of some carefully chosen games can make "husbandry" work so
much less stressful for them and you. This is not about wrestling your dog into
submission! A great foundation game is the Chin rest game. You are getting them
to choose to rest their chin into your cupped palm. Mark and reward at very
regular intervals. Growing sustained downwards pressure from them is your cue
that they are happy with being there. Over time, you slowly grow what you can do
with them in that position. It might just be holding a toothbrush in one hand
while they chin rest in your other hand. Don't rush. Make it fun. If your dog
already enjoys playing Middle you can add in Middle with handling. If you've
played Hand touch or Nose targeting you can swap out your hand for a toothbrush.
See the link at the bottom of this blog if you need more help.
Natural ways to help
Foods that have some crunch to them will help with good friction on the teeth. I
love to give my dog a raw meaty bone once or twice a week to keep his teeth
naturally clean. Watch out for some so-called dental chews that are very
processed and high in calories and not really that effective at keeping plaque
at bay. Instead, I like natural long-lasting chews of different textures
(hooves, rabbit ears, trachea, cow tails, chicken necks - the list is huge!). If
your dog likes carrots (or other firm raw veggies), you can give them a large
piece that they have to chew to help clean plaque from the surfaces of the
teeth.