Dogs with Bad Breath: Reasons Why and How to Get Rid Of Your Dog’s Stinky Breath Through Home Remedies

Dogs demonstrate their love for you and gratitude by scratching your hands, face, and even mouth. But sometimes, no matter how much you love your dog, because her breath stinks, you just need to prevent her from offering you a French kiss!

There are many reasons why your dog develops bad breath. There are also many ways to remedy the problem.

Reasons for bad breath on dogs

The cause of your dog’s bad breath could be internal or external. Internal causes include illnesses. External causes could include gross things that she eats.

1. Oral disease

Some oral disease tooth decay, mouth tumors, inflamed gums, plaque and tartar build-up, or foreign items stuck between the teeth are the most prevalent reason for poor breath (or halitosis as medically described).

Dogs from small breeds like Shih Tzus are more prone to developing dental problems because the shape of their mouths makes them vulnerable to decay and bacteria.

Looking inside her mouth is the simplest way to find out if your dog has some oral disease. Check if her teeth are dark brown or black, or her gums are red and swollen, also that if internal lips have sores. Look for foreign objects such as bones or the remaining food stuck in the teeth of your dog.

Plaque and tartar could inflame gums, make gums recede exposing teeth to more bacteria, destroy the tissue in your dog’s mouth and gums, and cause severe halitosis.

The dental disease could be so bad that the bacteria have seeped into the blood vessels of your dog’s mouth, causing infection.

2. Kidney disease

If the kidneys of your dog don’t work correctly, your body won’t be able to remove waste properly. The waste products will build up in the body of your dog, leading to bad breath.

To check if this is the cause of your dog’s breath, have a sniff of her breath. If it smells like ammonia or urine then there is a big chance that something is wrong with her kidneys.

3. Liver disease

The liver is a significant organ in the body of your dog. It performs many tasks: it eliminates blood toxins, metabolizes food to transform it into energy, stores vitamins, helps digestion by generating bile acids, and generates proteins that are essential for blood clotting. When liver failure occurs, your dog may have bad breath as a symptom of this severe disease.

Check if your dog vomits, does not want to eat or lacks the usual appetite, and has really bad breath. Yellowish gums instead of the usual pink ones mean that the problem needs the attention of a vet ASAP.

4. Diet

All dogs love to eat. Even things that are not considered food are fair game to them. Your dog might have eaten something toxic to her. Or she might have eaten something foul like garbage, dead animals, or even poop.

For instance, if your dog eats raw fish, her breath smells like one. If she smells like poop in her breath, you understand what she’s eaten. It is a normal activity for dogs to eat poop, particularly cats poop, but it is a very unhygienic activity that should be stopped.

5. Diabetes

Diabetes can lower your dog’s immune system. If this happens, bacteria could proliferate in your dog’s mouth without antibodies to check it.

This issue could result in a sweet and fruity breath. But because your dog’s breath smells good, it does not mean that you should let the problem continue. Diabetes could lead to other complications.

You will know that your dog has diabetes if drinks and urinates more than normal.

How to get rid of dog’s bad breath (remedies)

To start treating your dog’s bad breath, the most significant thing to do is to discover the origin of the issue. Upon finding out the root of the smell, you can choose which alternatives would be best for your dog to get rid of your dog’s bad breath.

1. Consult your vet

Your vet will be able to determine the exact reason for your dog’s bad breath by conducting an examination. Tell your vet all of the symptoms that you have noticed.

If the problem is an oral disease, dental cleaning can be provided by your veterinarian. You might be amazed, but the deep cleaning of the dog’s teeth will involve anesthesia. Not many vets give teeth cleaning without anesthesia. If you are concerned about anesthesia then do some research in your neighborhood if a vet clinic provides dog teeth cleaning free from anesthesia.

If your dog is not allergic to or can handle anesthesia, your veterinarian should be able to examine. Cleaning may also require x-rays and radiographs because your veterinarian will need to determine whether to remove some of your dog’s teeth to prevent further infection.

If the root of the halitosis is more serious like kidney disease or diabetes or liver disease then your vet will be able to advise you of the proper treatment.

2. Diet and exercise

A healthy body leads to breathing with a good smell. Feed your dog high-quality, nutritious food. Also, if you’re feeding her wet dog food, make sure there’s no leftover food stuck between her teeth. For instance, brush her teeth frequently or offer her chew toys.

Also, give her plenty of exercises so that she does not develop illnesses like diabetes.

3. Home remedies

You have several options to solve your dog’s bad breath problem at home. Here are some of them:

1) It is essential to maintain adequate oral hygiene. In order to prevent plaque and tartar build-up, always brush the teeth of your dog. Do it once a week at least. Use formulated dog toothpaste. Human toothpaste includes xylitol, which is highly toxic to your dog.

Try the Pura Naturals Organic Solutions dental kits. There are separate kits for puppies, adult dogs, and senior dogs. Each kit is supplied with a gel tube and a toothbrush. The gel has no harmful components while the brush is strong enough to scrape plaque, tartar, and food stuck in the teeth of your dog.

2) Monitor your dog and prevent snacking on stuff like garbage, poop, or dead animals. When you have your walks, always keep her on a leash so that you can pull her away from unhealthy things she may want to eat.

If you have cats in your house, make sure that your dog cannot access the litter box. Put it in a place where your dog cannot reach but which your cat can easily get to.

3) Give your dog a lot of toys she can chew. Choose ones that have nubs or grooves that can help scrape your dog’s teeth while she chews. 

Try the Brushing Stick Dog Chew Toy from Bristly. This product is a toothbrush as well as a toy. Your dog, while having fun, can clean her teeth on its own. There are four sizes you can choose from depending on your dog’s breed. Each toy has a collection of2-sided bristles that can clean the teeth and gums of your dog. Two paw pads allow your dog to hold the toy readily. You can even place toothpaste in a reservoir.

If you want something more natural, Antlerz Natural Dog Chews offers deer antlers that come in various sizes perfect for small to big breeds of dogs. These are natural chew bones, so they do not contain any additives or chemicals.

4) Use coconut oil as a natural cleanser for antibacterial teeth. You can use it on your dog’s chew bone or toy as an alternative to toothpaste, offer it as a syrupy treat, or add it to the meals of your dog.

Owners who give their dogs coconut oil recommend you provide a maximum of 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds of dog weight.

In addition to making her breath fresh and cleaning her teeth, coconut oil can provide your dog with extra advantages. It includes saturated fats that can improve the digestion of your dog, contribute to a brighter coat, moisturize her skin, and help fight arthritis.

5) Give her chew treats that are specially formulated to clean teeth. Chlorophyll, cinnamon, and clove as ingredients are good for making your dog’s breath fresh and cleaning her teeth.

Try the DentaCare Daily Oral dog treats. These come in various flavors such as yogurt and peanut butter, yogurt, peppermint, and parsley, and combos of yogurt and fruit. The treats help remove tartar. Moreover, the American Kennel Club recommends this brand, and each pack has the approval seal of the Club.

6) If you want to give chlorophyll directly to your dog, add some fresh cuttings of wheatgrass to your dog’s food. You could also juice it and add the liquid to your dog’s food or water.

Or you could grow your wheatgrass mini-hedge and keep it near your dog’s food bowl. Whenever she has the urge to eat grass, she can eat the wheatgrass instead of your lawn.

When you start this diet, try to give only a little bit at a time until your dog is used to the raw grass.

Wheatgrass comprises, vitamins, fiber, amino acids, antioxidants, and enzymes besides chlorophyll. So, in addition to freshening the breath of your dog, wheatgrass can help with your digestion, stop constipation, increase her energy, and fulfill her desire to consume grass.

Warning: chlorophyll can sometimes make your dog’s poop turn green. If you are unsure about adding it to your dog’s diet, then consult your vet.

7) Another natural ingredient you can add directly to your dog’s food is cinnamon.

You can sprinkle a little bit of your dog’s food. Don’t offer that spice too much, though. Cassia-type cinnamon has coumarin, a compound that, if ingested in high quantities, could be harmful to your dog’s liver.  In general, cinnamon also has anti-clotting characteristics. Too much could thin out the blood a bit more than usual.

This spice is said to boost brain function among dogs. Plus it might be able to regulate your dog’s blood sugar and thus ward off diabetes. Research has also shown that cinnamon mixed with honey can benefit dogs with arthritis.

8) If your dog hates having her teeth brushed and does not like having additives included in her food, then you might need to add something to her water.

Nylabone Advanced Oral Care Tartar Remover is an additive to water that helps kill plaque-causing bacteria. Specially developed to freshen the breath of your dog and stop the build-up of tartar and plaque. Simply add 1 tablespoon of your dog’s water to 32 ounces.

Before adding much to the water of your dog, do a taste test first. Some owners said their dogs didn’t like the taste while others said their dogs had no issue drinking their spiked water.

If your dog does not like the taste, you can dilute the solution and spray it directly into your dog’s mouth.

9) Some individuals believe a good intestine is a good body. Because harmful bacteria are the primary cause of many halitosis causes, add a few probiotics to your dog’s diet to fight against poor bacteria. Probiotics are a good bacteria source.

Nusentia Probiotic Miracle is an addition containing various kinds of good bacteria. It comes in tasteless and odorless powder shape. So you can sprinkle it over the food or water of your dog. It has an all-natural formula, so it is safe for your dog to ingest.

Conclusion

The bad breath of your dog might have a simple or complex reason behind it. Find out what the cause is so that you can immediately begin to treat her disease. You can enjoy her loving kisses again quickly if you do that.