Bad odor from the dog's mouth. Bad smell - why does your dog’s breath smell like rotten meat and rot and what to do? How to get rid of bad breath from a pet, depending on its cause

09.03.202227.05.2017

If The dog's breath smells This means that something is not working correctly in the animal’s body, and this can result in various diseases that can harm its health.

Why does my dog's breath smell?

A dog's breath can be bad for several reasons. In most cases, this is due to the presence of tartar. Animals, just like humans, eat food every day. In the process of eating food, small pieces remain between the teeth, which, when decomposed, create favorable conditions for the proliferation of harmful bacterial microflora. Over time, this causes tartar to form on the teeth and may cause associated infectious diseases oral cavity. The stone itself appearance is a common plaque on the teeth, the color of which ranges from light to dark yellow. It’s easy to notice; all you have to do is raise your pet’s upper or lower lip. Such an examination at home can be carried out provided that There is no aggression in dogs at all, otherwise, there is a possibility of stumbling upon some “misunderstanding” on the part of the pet and getting injured.

A dental tumor can cause inflammation and bleeding of the gums. It also destroys the enamel of the tooth, leading to damage to its root, and this already causes another disease - caries. Teeth affected by this disease need regular care, otherwise they may fall out, or caries may spread to healthier ones.

Another reason why your dog has bad breath is kidney and liver disease. As a rule, this is observed mainly in older animals. To make a correct diagnosis, you must undergo the appropriate tests prescribed by your veterinarian. Only after this can appropriate treatment be prescribed. In addition to the general practitioner, it is also better to visit a veterinary dentist. They may be prescribed a certain medication, diet, or teeth cleaning.

The dog has bad breath can also be observed in puppyhood. It is at this time that the change of teeth occurs - the milk teeth fall out and the permanent ones begin to grow. The process of shedding itself is accompanied by profuse salivation, and as a result, the mouth may smell unpleasant. The phenomenon of changing chewing elements is temporary, and a solution can be used to eliminate the unpleasant odor baking soda with water.

There are situations when for a four-legged animal everything turns out quite the opposite. Plaque on teeth leads to the birth of bacterial microflora, which, in turn, enters the body, and when food is digested, it is absorbed into the blood, spreading to the liver, heart and other organs. And those, in turn, cause other dental diseases, as a result, the dog’s breath smells. And diseased teeth themselves are also a breeding ground for bacteria. The latter can get on the lips with saliva, causing irritation.

How to eliminate bad breath from a dog

Answering this question is not very difficult. The fact is that the treatment of this disease consists of two simple things: treatment and prevention of the disease. Let's consider the list of actions of an amateur dog breeder (or a professional breeder for whom breeding dogs is a priority activity) aimed at solving this problem.

Regular visits to the veterinarian. Once a year vet. The doctor must conduct a complete examination of the pet, including the oral cavity. This is what will help to identify the disease in the early stages and take appropriate measures.
The animal's special diet. To reduce plaque, you can include harder foods in your pet’s diet that the four-legged dog can chew. For example, such components are bones, crackers, cookies, etc. By consuming all these “goodies” the pet receives natural massage gums and natural cleaning of tartar. In addition, there are special foods that work on the principle of physically removing plaque, or contain enzymes that break it down. It is not recommended to constantly feed smaller brothers canned food. Since the canned substance is very soft and does not in any way help eliminate plaque on the teeth.
Special treats. While chewing this “yummy” the individual cleans its teeth. They are usually made from rawhide leather impregnated with special enzymes to dissolve plaque. Bones are also a treat. You can give your pet everything from ordinary bones, except tubular and chicken bones. It is especially beneficial to give bones to puppies. At a young age, they do not yet fully understand what can and cannot be done. As a result, they may scratch their teeth and gums on furniture. The bone allows you to keep your baby busy for a long time Moreover, the pleasant taste will not leave any child indifferent.
Brushing your dog's teeth helps keep your teeth and gums healthy. animal. To carry out this process, you can use a special brush and paste, which can be purchased at almost any pet store. You can also massage your gums with a brush. It is better to start accustoming your pet to this procedure from puppyhood.
Using special mouth rinses will help eliminate bad breath from your dog. Enzymes added to the composition eliminate pathogenic bacteria and break down plaque.
Tartar removal. This procedure can be carried out both at home and in specialized salons where dog grooming is carried out. At home, yellow stains from teeth are removed with a special scraper. In professional salons, experts offer to remove plaque using ultrasound. Aggressive and fearful individuals are usually given a light anesthesia.
Removal of diseased teeth. This procedure is carried out only in agreement with a veterinary dentist. Typically, teeth that are diseased, have begun to loosen, and their continued presence in the mouth can harm the health of the animal are removed. After removing such a tooth, the dog’s breath smells much better, since there is no breeding ground for bacteria.
Restoration and restoration of teeth. Some dentists practice installing crowns on an animal's tooth. Since dogs regularly chew something, using the entire mouth cavity, the installation of such devices, as a rule, is short-lived. Accordingly, money will simply be thrown away and the nerves and health of the pet will be spent on the procedure.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that the problem bad breath a four-legged animal is a kind of wake-up call for the owner, who must quickly show his ward to a specialist, identify the cause of the disease and eliminate it.

Bad smell from the mouth (or halitosis) is not normal, but does not always indicate pathology in the dog. Often the stench is caused by rotting pieces of food stuck in the interdental spaces and dental plaque, but in some cases it is a consequence of severe respiratory, digestive and excretory systems. The specialist’s task in this case is to provide information about the pet’s life and determine what could have caused the stench. How can you get rid of bad odor from a dog?

Why can a dog's mouth smell bad?

When answering the question why pets smell bad from their mouths, veterinarians cite the 2 most common reasons: lack or lack of oral hygiene and poor nutrition. It is mistakenly believed that eating dry food, hard vegetables and special treats prevents the formation of tartar. In fact, these measures can reduce the likelihood of plaque formation, but regular teeth cleaning, including professional brushing, helps to completely protect the enamel from pathological deposits. Less often, stench is a consequence of pathology.

Non-pathological factors

If your pet has an unpleasant odor, the first thing you need to do is analyze its diet. The mouth stinks after a pet eats legumes, fresh cabbage, eggs, fish, flour products - carbohydrates provoke increased proliferation of pathogenic flora in the mouth and the appearance of a foul odor. Excess protein in the body leads to a rotten smell from the mouth - a consequence excessive consumption meat and offal. Normally, a pet’s daily diet should include 70% meat, 30% cereals, vegetables, herbs and some dairy products.

Another cause of bad breath is when your pet eats rotten food. Your pet's bowls should be washed after each feeding. It is necessary to regularly inspect and clean the folds on the face of brachycephalic dogs from food debris. These breeds include bulldogs, boxers, pugs, Pekingese, etc. It is necessary to immediately stop the pet’s intention to eat scraps from the trash can and from the ground before it becomes a habit.

Pathological processes

Puppies have an unpleasant smell from their mouths due to premature replacement of baby teeth with permanent teeth or malocclusion. Pieces of food accumulate in large interdental spaces, which rot and provoke increased proliferation of pathogenic flora and the appearance of odor. The stench also occurs due to the eruption of molars when the milk teeth have not yet fallen out. In this case, the latter begins to rot, which leads to inflammation of the gums and the appearance of a foul odor.

Depending on what the dog’s mouth smells like, you can judge the causes of the stench:

If your animal's mouth suddenly begins to smell bad, you need to analyze the pet's condition and find out if any other warning signs have appeared.

The presence of pathology is indicated by the following signs:

thirst;
change in appetite;
difficulty breathing - the animal sneezes and tries to rub its nose on surrounding objects;
dryness and yellowness of the oral mucosa;
discharge from the nasal passages;
vomiting (vomit may contain blood, mucus and bile);
increased urination;
diarrhea (helminth eggs can be seen in the stool);
sudden weight gain or loss;
elevated temperature;
weakness, lethargy and apathy.

Diagnostic methods

When diagnosing halitosis, the veterinarian first asks the owner about the pet’s lifestyle, diet and diseases suffered by the pet, after which he examines the animal’s mouth. Often, to remove the foul odor, it is enough to remove tartar and then maintain oral hygiene. If internal pathology is suspected, the following studies are carried out:

general and biochemical blood test;
general urinalysis;
tests for the presence of viral infections in the body;
X-ray of the jaw (for example, if a pathology associated with improper eruption of permanent teeth is suspected);
Ultrasound internal organs.

How to get rid of bad breath from a pet, depending on its cause?

Depending on the cause of halitosis, you can get rid of the unpleasant odor using different means:

Tartar. The best way removal of deposits - ultrasonic cleaning. The procedure is painless, but for large and restless animals it is better to perform it under anesthesia. After this, the teeth are treated with an antiseptic solution, polished with special brushes and abrasive pastes, and coated with a fluoride-containing preparation - this helps protect the enamel from the rapid accumulation of plaque on its surface. Tomatoes should be included in your pet’s diet – with their help, plaque can be more easily removed during home brushing.

Oral trauma. It is necessary to stop the source of pathogenic flora that causes an unpleasant odor. It is necessary to remove the foreign body that led to tissue injury, and, if necessary, stitch the wound. Until it heals, you need to regularly carry out antiseptic treatment.
Diseases of the digestive system. To eliminate the unpleasant odor, in addition to the main treatment, you need to follow a diet. During illness, the dog should be fed with special dietary food or slimy porridges with lean meat - chicken, turkey and veal. In the first days of illness, the pet should drink only water. This is necessary to reduce the severity inflammatory process, causing bad breath.

Diabetes mellitus. With this disease, it is necessary to maintain the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood within acceptable limits not only by taking special medications, but also by diet. Disruption of metabolic processes leads to the appearance of the odor of acetone from the mouth, characteristic of this pathology. You should avoid overfeeding your dog - overweight complicates the course of the disease. The pet should be fed with special diet food or natural food with a minimum content of fats and carbohydrates. You should not give the animal food from the owner’s table, corn or buckwheat porridge, grape.

Helminthiasis. After removing the helminths, you need to give your pet sorbents to cleanse the body of toxins and get rid of bad breath. In case of severe intoxication, droppers with saline solution and maintenance medications are also prescribed.

Regardless of the cause of halitosis, you need to maintain your dog's oral hygiene. It is necessary to accustom your pet to brushing its teeth from childhood. It is better to carry out this procedure together: one person should hold the dog, the other should brush the teeth. For puppies this can be done using a clean cloth, for older animals - a brush or a rubber finger tip of medium hardness and a special toothpaste.

First of all, the dog’s teeth are cleaned from the outside from the far to the central, and then from the inside. The procedure is carried out several times a week.

Preventive measures

To prevent smell from your pet’s mouth, you need to take the following measures:

Regularly undergoing preventive examinations for your pet. A dog's oral cavity needs constant care. In addition to brushing your teeth at home, you need to periodically remove plaque using professional products. It is necessary to regularly examine the animal, donate blood and urine for tests, and, if necessary, do an ultrasound.
Particular attention when teething. It is necessary to regularly examine the baby’s oral cavity and promptly eliminate problems associated with the untimely loss of baby teeth and the eruption of permanent teeth. To prevent inflammation, it is necessary to wipe the gums with solutions of chamomile, soda, hydrogen peroxide or Chlorhexidine.

Proper nutrition and drinking regime. The pet should be fed prepared premium and super-premium food. When eating natural foods, the diet must include solid vegetables and fruits - carrots, apples, cabbage, celery, etc., as well as cartilage and special treats to cleanse plaque from the enamel. Under no circumstances should you feed your pet sweets or bakery products– carbohydrates provoke the spread of pathogenic flora in the oral cavity. It is necessary to provide the animal with constant access to clean water, be sure to be filtered and not tap water.

One day, the owner notices that there is an unpleasant odor coming from the mouth of his beloved dog.

Some are calm, because the animal might have eaten something and does not have the habit of brushing its teeth, while others, on the contrary, panic and run to the veterinarian.

So when might an unpleasant odor be a cause for concern?

Halitosis is a term from humane medicine that refers to an unpleasant (rotten) odor from the mouth. This fetidity may be associated not only with poor oral hygiene, but also with serious pathologies of internal organs. And yet, why does a dog’s breath smell like rotten meat?

Among the causes of halitosis are the following.

1. Oral diseases

The yellow coating that forms when eating food hardens over time and turns into tartar. The latter destroys tooth enamel and leads to inflammation of the gums (gingivitis) and inflammation supporting apparatus teeth (periodontitis).

The lesion extends to the oral mucosa and inflammation occurs - stomatitis. Hence the putrid odor from the mouth.

The affected tissues are bright red and often bleed.

A sick animal's appetite decreases, the desire to chew solid food or toys disappears. In young animals, bad breath is associated with a change of teeth or injuries to the mucous membrane of the mouth when gnawing on toys, furniture, branches while walking.

2. Pathology of the digestive system

Inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract is caused by pathogenic microorganisms. Their waste products and affected animal tissues cause bad breath. Animals of all ages are susceptible.

3. Kidney disease

Oral odor occurs due to chronic illness kidneys, occurs more often in older animals. Here the dog has a smell from his mouth urea - the end product of protein metabolism.

4. Diabetes mellitus

Thus, if a dog’s breath smells like rot, the reasons can be completely different. And only the attentiveness of the owner and timely contact with the veterinarian determines how accurate the diagnosis will be and the time required to eliminate the unpleasant odor.

What to do?

The dog’s mouth stinks – what to do at home? You can try to identify the cause yourself. If the dog is active, eats and drinks well, and has no health complaints, then the problem is probably only with the oral cavity.

You need to carefully examine your mouth and if there is tartar or red gums, then you should go to an appointment with a veterinary dentist and carry out sanitation of the oral cavity, removal of diseased teeth.

Best of all this The procedure is performed under general anesthesia: this will relieve the animal from pain and stress, and the doctor will do the job efficiently.

If yellow plaque is detected, you can brush your dog’s teeth yourself. Eat two ways mechanical cleaning teeth.

Use soft baby toothbrush , but you need a special dog paste. Patience and persistence will be required, because if the animal is not accustomed to brushing its teeth, it will resist.
Wrap your finger in gauze and soak it in water or an antiseptic solution.(chlorhexidine Bigluconate solution 0.05% or furacillin solution) and smooth the teeth from top to bottom to clean off the soft yellow plaque.

Even if the bad odor is associated with the oral cavity, you should consult a veterinarian.

The doctor will order additional tests and then determine the cause.

If the dog is lethargic, sleeps a lot, does not want to play, has a worsening appetite, or has bad breath, then this indicates a serious disease of the internal organs and you should immediately contact a veterinarian for help.

Prevention

To prevent your dog's mouth from smelling bad, you should preventive measures:

Visit your veterinarian at least once a year for a checkup., conduct a medical examination: take blood tests, do an ultrasound of the internal organs. These activities will help to identify in time possible problems with health.
Brushing your teeth a children's toothbrush and a special toothpaste for dogs two or three times a week.
Games with rubber toys or ropes for chewing.
Proper nutrition: exclude sweet, smoked, salty, fatty foods from the diet.
Include solid foods in your diet: carrots, apples, soft vein bones, cartilage, special chewing sticks that clean teeth.
Every time after eating treat the oral cavity dogs with special veterinary dental gels or sprays.

A sign of pathology is an unpleasant odor from the pet’s mouth. may be a sign of a serious illness or a common dental problem. In any case, it is necessary to take measures to prevent the suffering of your shaggy friend.

Additionally, check out this short video about why your dog has bad breath and what to do:

Many pets have bad breath. Animals do not know how to take care of oral hygiene in the same way as people, so owners often believe that an unpleasant stench is normal and do not attach serious importance to this fact.

You need to understand that any noticeable symptom indicates some kind of health problem with your pet. Therefore, you should not wait for more serious manifestations of pathologies, but promptly identify the cause of the unpleasant odor.

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If your puppy's breath smells

Owners of young pets traditionally worry about their health much more. If your puppy has an unpleasant odor from his mouth, it is easier to diagnose the problem yourself. Representatives of small breeds of dogs experience difficulties with their baby teeth. If the molars begin to grow too quickly, the young canines will not automatically fall out. This leads to decay of baby teeth. Accordingly, a young puppy’s mouth will smell bad.

In some situations, everything is complicated by the fact that the gums become infected. This leads to disruption of the microflora of the mouth. Because of this, the putrid smell becomes more distinct. In this case, it is recommended to carefully examine the pet’s oral cavity and identify gum inflammation.

It should be taken into account that adult dogs’ teeth grow denser than those of young animals. If food gets stuck in the cracks, then over time it begins to rot. This kind of problem is the easiest to fix. To do this, just brush your teeth.

Young dogs are more active. They eagerly chew on everything that comes into their mouth. If a puppy sinks its teeth into sticks and hard toys, gum damage is inevitable. Minor scratches lead to infection, which also disrupts the puppy’s oral microflora.

If an adult dog has bad breath

The older the puppies get, the more serious their illnesses are. In this case, we are talking about pathologies that have already developed. Most often this is due to problems with the oral cavity or gastrointestinal tract.

Dental problems

An older dog may suffer from tartar. To identify the problem at home, it is enough to examine the dog’s mouth. If you see brown or yellow plaque on your teeth, as well as growths, then this is clearly the problem.

To remove tartar, you need to use special pastes and treats that will help get rid of the growths. If they are too old and deeply penetrated into the gums, then such preventive measures are useless.

The presence of tartar cannot lead to the death of an animal. But the dog will suffer and cause discomfort to the owner, since his mouth will constantly smell of rot. Therefore, you should not ignore the problem. It's better to consult a specialist.

Oncology

New growths in an animal’s mouth can also be detected with the naked eye. If there are seals in your pet's mouth or bumps on the gums, then you should not perceive this as an aesthetic problem. Treatment should only be carried out by a specialist.

Most often, dogs with a short or upturned muzzle (for example, pugs) suffer from this disease. However, similar problems are not uncommon in other breeds. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically examine your pet’s oral cavity.

Diseases of the kidneys and genitourinary system

In this case, the stench comes not only from the pet’s mouth, but also from the saliva. The smell has distinct notes of ammonia. This is because this component is no longer properly excreted from the animal's body, causing it to pass into a liquid medium, including saliva and blood.

Ammonia gets into the tissues, which does not lead to the best consequences. If a dog develops hypothyroidism, this will lead to tooth decay, gingivitis, rotting gums and deformation of the mucous membrane of the tongue. The smell will be pronounced and very unpleasant.

Hormonal problems

If an animal's mouth stinks of acetone, then this is a sign of the development of autoimmune processes. If the unpleasant odor is very strong, then the problem lies in diabetes mellitus. In the first stages of this pathology, the stench is not so strong, but over time the bad odor becomes more distinct.

This may be caused by diseases of the thyroid or pancreas. To make an accurate diagnosis and get rid of the smell of acetone as quickly as possible, you need to contact a specialist who will conduct a blood test for biochemistry.

Liver problems

If your pet's breath smells like rotten meat or spoiled fish, this is due to liver pathologies. A cadaverous smell indicates that the animal's organs have already begun to decompose. This is only possible in the most advanced stage.

If your pet is diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver, then things are bad. But we should not rule out the possibility that the dog ate carrion found on the street. In this case, the unpleasant odor comes from it.

Food that enters the dog’s body is not digested. Instead, it literally begins to rot. In addition, pets often suffer from tapeworms. Similar problems occur in dogs of small breeds and in larger pets.

Gingivitis

If your dog's breath smells, it could be an oral disease. With gingivitis, the dog's gums become swollen and the tissue becomes infected. The main reasons for the development of this disease are vitamin deficiency, indigestion, gastrointestinal pathologies and helminthic infestation.

If the source of the problem is not removed, gingivitis will develop into a more serious form. In this case, there is a risk that ulcers and necrotic areas will form.

Allergy

Both toy terrier owners and those who have a larger dog can face a similar problem. Allergies have very broad symptoms. Most often, animals suffer from the food variety. In this case, an unpleasant stench will emanate from the mouth of your beloved pet.

There is no point in diagnosing allergies and dealing with them on your own. If an animal suffers from another illness, and its owner gives it pills for an allergic reaction, then there is a risk of aggravating the situation. Allergies are difficult to confirm using laboratory tests. But if an animal experiences itching, then there is a possibility that it suffers from this particular disease.

If we talk about how to treat bad breath in a dog, then you need to immediately contact a veterinary clinic.

Sometimes it happens that your beloved pet suddenly starts to have bad breath. Communication with the dog becomes not so rosy due to this smell of rotten meat. The main thing here is to understand the reasons why this unpleasant aroma arose and eliminate the problem of its occurrence as soon as possible.

Causes of unpleasant odor

The following reasons may be responsible for the smell of rotten meat coming from your pet’s mouth:

The most common cause of an unpleasant odor is poor condition of dog's teeth. If you think that this is the reason, then you should first examine the animal’s oral cavity yourself, and if you have any questions, contact your veterinarian. So, in healthy young people, the mucous membrane of the mouth has a pink tint, no rashes, pimples or irritation are observed. It may happen that a piece of food is stuck between the teeth, and it is this that emits the bad smell. Then you should carefully remove it and reconsider the animal’s diet. Otherwise, solid food may get stuck in the teeth all the time and the rotten smell will haunt your pet constantly.
At stomach disease An unpleasant rotten odor from the dog’s mouth is also possible. Poor stomach function and difficulty passing food through the animal's intestines can cause a number of diseases, such as gastritis.
No matter how strange it may sound, an unpleasant odor can also form as a result breathing problems. However, with this disease, the dog’s body temperature rises and a cough appears. You should contact your veterinarian immediately.
Problems with kidney function.
Eating plenty of protein.
In young dogs, foul odor may be caused by changing teeth.
Other diseases of the internal organs of the animal.

Treatment of unpleasant odor

If your dog has bad breath, should visit the veterinarian's office. After undergoing a series of examinations, it is possible to determine the cause of its appearance and further treatment.

If the problem is related to the teeth - the appearance of plaque or tartar - the veterinarian will remove it using special equipment.

If additional tests show that the cause lies in poor functioning of the internal organs, then drug treatment is prescribed. It is recommended to change the dog’s diet, switch to a different type of food, change the daily routine and walks. All this is done according to the recommendations of an experienced veterinarian. There is no need to self-medicate in the hope of saving money or time on medical examinations.

Preventing rotten odor from a dog's mouth

To prevent the occurrence and development of an unpleasant odor from a dog’s mouth, you should strictly follow the recommendations of your veterinarian. The main ones:

Carry out regular examination of the animal veterinary clinic. This measure helps to avoid the presence and development various diseases internal organs of the dog.
If there is a prescription for a special diet, it is better to strictly follow it. Buy special medications only from a veterinary pharmacy.
For plaque and other oral problems, you should pay great attention to the hygiene and brushing of your dog's teeth.

Introduce soft vegetables into the diet or let him chew on a vein bone. This method works well with just the initial appearance of tartar in a dog.
Adding tomato juice to dog food. Just a few spoons are enough. There is no need to overdo it either. As practice shows, the plaque will disappear within a couple of weeks. Or soak a cotton pad tomato juice and wipe all the animal's teeth.
A method that includes using special toothpaste for dogs. It is purchased at pet stores or veterinary pharmacies and tastes like meat. However, remember that getting your dog to keep his mouth open while brushing is not that easy. During this procedure, she may even show some aggression that is unusual for her.
Use for special bones for cleaning teeth.
Wiping teeth with cotton pads and soda solutions.
Include greens and crackers in your dog's food.

All of the above recommendations give positive results only if they are used correctly and consistently. It is better to coordinate any means of prevention or treatment with your veterinarian and not leave everything to chance. Only proper walking with care will keep the dog healthy and prolong its life.