How to Get Rid of Your Dog’s Bad Breath and Get Ready for Fresh Puppy Kisses Before Valentine’s Day

This week, we started prepping for our “Valentine’s kissing booth.” While working with the dogs, I realized that one of our pups (Emma- the one selling her kisses) had stinky breath. Although I love sweet puppy kisses, I am not a fan of sloppy, smelly doggie kisses.

Bad dog breath can be the result of several issues including health problems.

The most common causes of bad breath in pups are bad oral hygiene and gum disease (inflammation of teeth’s deep supporting structures). The build-up of plaque and tartar can result in the growth of bacteria that causes bad breath. Just like people, poor oral hygiene can lead to gum disease, plaque and tartar build-up, cavities, infection, tooth loss, and awful breath.

Bad breath in a dog can be a sign of a health problem that may require the help of the veterinarian. Therefore, if your pup has bad breath despite you brushing their teeth regularly, it is prudent to take your dog to the veterinarian to make sure your puppy’s stinky breath is not related to a health issue or diet.

Some of the reasons for bad breath can be:

🐾   Kidney disease

🐾   Diabetes

🐾   Liver disease

🐾   Ingestion of a toxic substance

🐾   Oral tumors

🐾   Your dog’s food

Another reason for bad breath can be related to eating poop. Some dogs seem to like eating their poop and the poop of other dogs. We have a poop eater at home. To protect his pawsitive “reputation,” I am not allowed to share his name. Not only it is disgusting, but as you can imagine can cause terrible breath.  If your dog is a poop eater, DO NOT PANIC! This is a relatively common behavior.

There are several measures you can take to prevent or minimize these incidents. Cleaning up right after your dog will prevent your fluffy from eating his own poop. Also, it is a good idea to discuss this behavior with the veterinarian since sometimes this behavior can be due to malnutrition, inadequate intake of calories, or malabsorption.

Tips to prevent bad dog breath

The best way to prevent bad dog breath is to brush your dog’s teeth regularly. I give each dog one Virbac C.E.T. Oral Hygiene Rawhide Dog Chew every day. These rawhides not only keep our dogs entertained, but also prevent plaque from building. Additionally, I use the Tropiclean Fresh Breath Plaque Remover Pet Clean Teeth Gel at least once or twice a week. This gel works fast and helps reduce plaque and tartar on dogs. Although the product does not require toothbrush, I brush our dog’s teeth when using the gel.

After following this routine for several years, all of our dogs (except for Lolo) accept and enjoy teeth brushing. 

Dental health is incredibly important for the well-being, overall health, and quality of life of your pet.