Although we might expect our loveable pets to have bad breath a lot of the time – particularly after they’ve wolfed down a particularly undesirable meal – bad breath in pets can actually be a sign of certain health issues, such as disease. These diseases might be dwelling locally in their mouths or somewhere else in their body, but understanding how and why the unpleasant odours are occurring is an important step in managing your animal’s health. In this article, we take a look at a few reasons why your pet may have developed unpleasant breath to give you some idea of what to look out for.
Issues that bad breath might indicate
Although there are certain aspects of pet ownership that seem obvious, like taking a bit of time to compare pet insurance just in case your four legged friend falls ill, regularly checking the breath of your pet is likely a lot farther down the list (and we think that’s fair, in most cases). Apart from instances where your dog has eaten smelly food, there can be a lot going on in the mouth of your animal – in most cases, the pat breath of a pet is related to periodontal disease, which occurs due to a steady build-up of bacteria, tartar and plaque in the mouth of your pet. If left unmanaged, this build up can eventually cause the gums, teeth and oral ligaments of your pet to become damaged, and can even get to be so bad that your pet’s teeth fall out. In some cases, this bacteria can even migrate further into the body and damage vital organs. Other causes of bad breath can include very serious illnesses and diseases such as diabetes, kidney disease, a variety of cancers and skin infections.
How to remedy bad breath
If your pet has bad breath, the best thing you can do is to consult your vet. They will be able to properly assess your animal and narrow down potential causes to help work out the root issue, and from there management is much more possible. In the event that the issue is found to be periodontal disease, in most cases a home remedy is possible to keep it under control. Your vet will usually recommend you some strategies to clean the teeth of your pet to ensure that you can better brush their teeth and prevent any issues related to poor oral care. In the event that the smell is caused by something else, your vet will devise another management plan that, if successful, should ensure the smell disappears indefinitely. To guarantee that everything is going as smoothly as possible, your vet will also typically recommend that you come by semi-regularly so they can check on how the bad breath situation is developing.
Preventing bad breath in the first place
By ensuring that you always provide your animal with excellent oral hygiene, you’ll be able to very effectively prevent many of the most common causes of bad breath, such as periodontal disease. It’s good to think of pets as just like humans in these circumstances – just imagine what would happen if you didn’t take care of your breath for a few months! Even simple things like dental chews are fun for your dog and will ensure that they can better stave off unwanted mouth bacteria.
