Some people assume that dogs naturally have bad breath, it is sometimes called doggie breath.
But bad breath in dogs is not normal and thus if your dog has a bad breath, you need to investigate the cause.
Other reasons could be injuries in the mouth, the presence of foreign bodies and sometimes the smell could be emanating from the body due to a metabolic issue.
Another cause of bad breath is if the dog has an injury inside the mouth or if they have foreign things stuck between the teeth.
The teeth could have sticks, hair, pieces of cloth or even remains of food wedged in between.
All these usually gather bacteria leading to a bad odour. A dog might also have a wound in the mouth that becomes infected giving a bad odour.
Issues with the intestines and respiratory diseases can also cause bad breath.
In addition to the odour, you may notice they have red gums, bleeding gums, excessive drooling, reduced appetite or reluctance to chew on food and toys as well as weight loss.
Your vet will start by doing a physical exam on the mouth. If the problem is the teeth, then they will most likely recommend professional dental cleaning. While they are cleaning and polishing the teeth, they will check for any abnormalities to determine if there need for further treatment such as extracting some teeth.
They might need to check for diabetes or kidney problems to determine what treatment to give.
Check also for teeth that could be loose, broken, have exposed roots and any material wedged in between the teeth.
