We love our pups and want to shower them with love, affection and hugs all day long, but it can be hard to do that when their breath... stinks! 

While smaller dogs, senior dogs and dogs with generally shorter snouts are more prone to bad breath, dogs don’t have to have a horribly bad breath.

Most of the time, your dog may have a slightly gamey-smelling breath. And that’s completely normal, and tends to be a byproduct of their diet. However, if you’re a few feet away from them and canstill smell their breath, there might be something wrong.

So what exactly causes bad breath? Is bad dog breath a bad thing? How can you help their bad breath go away? Let’s take a look at the top 3 bad breath causes in dogs and some bad breath cures you can try!

#1 Bad Gut Health

Just like us, our pups have healthy bacteria in their gut. These bacteria help us in all sorts of ways, but if there’s an imbalance of bad bacteria, it could wreak havoc for our pups. 

In this case, an imbalanced gut microbiome can result in horrible breath as bad bacteria in your dog’s tummy produce smelly gas. Bacteria in your dog’s mouth can also travel to their gut through saliva, so dog dental hygiene also plays a role here!

You may therefore want to manage your pup’s oral hygiene using Tropiclean’s Fresh Breath solution. Just add to your pet’s water bowl according to the instructions and over time, it will help reduce plaque and tartar in their mouth, eliminating harmful bacteria and giving your dog fresh breath!

If your pup’s bad breath persists, you might want to consider changing up their diet. Give Instinct’s Raw Boost Mixers (Gut Health Recipe) a go! These freeze-dried and raw toppers are made of delicious bits of cage-free chicken and contain live, natural probiotics to help boost your pup’s gut health. 

On the other hand, you can also consider supplements that help to promote a healthy gut such as Lacto Gold Probiotics Powder. This helps to not only support a healthy digestive system, but also improve nutrient uptake and boost the immune system.

#2 Gum Disease

One of the most common causes of bad breath, plaque build up in your pup’s mouth can cause some pretty unpleasant smells. Build ups of plaque can also cause other problems like Gingivitis, irritation of the gums, and eventually even Periodontal Disease and Halitosis. 

Thankfully, this can be easily resolved using the ultimate bad breath cure - brushing your dog’s teeth regularly! It can be a challenge for some, but a little goes a long way. Give Vet’s Best’s Enzymatic Toothpaste and Toothbrush Set a go to help your pup achieve healthy teeth. 

Dental sets like this are great as they provide the right tools for the job. In particular, the triple-headed toothbrush makes dog dental care a breeze. Your pup will have fresh breath in absolutely no time!

For a more enjoyable experience for your pups, you might also want to treat them to some of Ziwi Peak’s Venison Hoofer Oral Health Chews for Dogs. These gently-dried bones are delicious, but also contain naturally preserved ingredients that easily eliminate pathogenic bacteria in your pup’s mouth. 

Brushing your dog’s teeth might prove difficult if they’re still puppies, but you can still help maintain their oral health using NaturVet’s VitaPet Daily Vitamins and Breath Aid Soft Chews. These soft chews are made specifically for puppies, to help boost their oral and general health!

#3 Other Health Conditions

If you’ve tried everything above and your pup’s breath still smells, you may want to bring them to see a vet. Bad dog breath can also be an indicator of other health issues like Diabetes or Liver Disease.

In particular, having Liver or Kidney disease can cause your dog’s breath to smell foul. Liver Disease causes your pup’s breath to smell like a dead animal as their body is no longer able to process smelly sulphur compounds found naturally in their food. 

Kidney disease on the other hand can cause your dog’s breath to smell fishy or like urine. This is a result of high urea in your dog’s body as their kidney’s ability to deal with toxins are negatively affected.

That said, you should take note any time your dog’s natural dog breath smells different. Dogs with Diabetes may not have bad breath. Instead, they may have fruity or sweet smelling breaths. In these cases, you should definitely bring your dog to a vet right away!

Bad dog breath can sometimes be easily overlooked as a small issue that can fix itself. But in reality, it could also be an important indicator. As a rule of thumb, always make sure to monitor your pup’s condition. 

Chronic changes in your dog’s physical condition, including but not limited to the smell of their breath can help point you to health conditions your dog may need help managing. 

Thankfully, in most cases, problems like stinky dog breath can be easily managed by forming good habits like brushing your dog’s teeth regularly. So you’ll be back to cuddling with your pup in no time!

Editor’s Note: 

We’re so glad you’re here! As Singapore’s Better Pet Store, we care for the well-being of our dogs just as we would with our loved ones. GDP supports ethical and responsible dog ownership and you can be assured that all the products featured on our online store are responsible products. You may check out our Academy to learn more about various interesting topics that might guide you to becoming an even better dog owner for your furry friend. If products listed below are 'out of stock', that means they are super popular, but before you get disappointed, check out the drop down bar to discover other flavours or sizes.  

  

Tammi writes articles about anything from data analytics to animal health, and loves doing the occasional craft. But most importantly, she loves hanging out and doing photo-shoots with her dog.