# My dog has bad breath **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 16, 2005, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dog-has-bad-breath/294755 "2005-03-16T04:00:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dog-has-bad-breath/294755/1 "2005-03-16T04:00:48Z")
My new dog, Quinn the Siberian Husky, has bad breath. When his previous owner had him, he had a teeth cleaning which freshened things up for a while, but now he’s funky again. He dosen’t like MilkBones or other crunchy dog biscuits designed to scrape teeth clean, so is there some kind of canine breath mint available? 😉 Meat flavored toothpaste? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dog-has-bad-breath/294755/2 "2005-03-16T04:02:27Z")
> [@Enola Straight](#): > > My dog has bad breath So how does he smell? [sub]oops, wrong joke[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Large\_Marge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/50afbb/32.png) [@Large\_Marge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Large_Marge)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dog-has-bad-breath/294755/3 "2005-03-16T06:11:42Z")
You may need to change his diet. Have you talked to a vet about it? ---
**Author:** ![buns3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c89c15/32.png) [@buns3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buns3000)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dog-has-bad-breath/294755/4 "2005-03-16T06:17:14Z")
Dog with bad breath. In other news, bear shits in woods… ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dog-has-bad-breath/294755/5 "2005-03-16T07:16:32Z")
> [@Enola Straight](#): > > Meat flavored toothpaste? 😛 You should be able to get that and a fingerbrush at your vet or local pet-supply place. Bed Bath and Beyond usually has dog breath mints. Also, some dogs are just prone to dental disease, so it’s possible that he’s in need of being knocked out and scraped down again. You might also look into Nylabones and other chewing toys that are meant to help keep the teeth clean. I’m not sure how well they work, but they’re cheap enough it doesn’t hurt anything to try. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dog-has-bad-breath/294755/6 "2005-03-16T10:53:28Z")
My dog’s breath is pretty stinky as well, and he really dislikes chewing things. [Greenies](http://www.greenies.com/html/index.html), however, he goes nuts over. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dog-has-bad-breath/294755/7 "2005-03-16T11:33:16Z")
My cat’s breath smells like cat food. ---
**Author:** ![RGillen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/848f3c/32.png) [@RGillen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RGillen)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dog-has-bad-breath/294755/8 "2005-03-16T13:45:08Z")
[Here](http://www.petcarecentral.com/eiginonepetp28.html) is a typical kit you can get at just about any pet store. The toothpaste in the link is mint, but the kind I have is turkey flavored (no, I haven’t tried it). It will probably take a while for your dog to get used to you brushing his teeth, so be patient but persistent. > [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > You might also look into Nylabones and other chewing toys that are meant to help keep the teeth clean. I’m not sure how well they work, but they’re cheap enough it doesn’t hurt anything to try. Our dog loved Nylabones and chewed on them daily. After about 3 years, she now has molars so chipped they’ll probably need to be removed. There’s nothing wrong with Nylabones, but be sure to limit their use or at least keep an eye on your dog’s teeth. Also, I find the idea of a dog turning down anything remotley edible really weird. ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dog-has-bad-breath/294755/9 "2005-03-16T14:12:41Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > My dog’s breath is pretty stinky as well, and he really dislikes chewing things. [Greenies](http://www.greenies.com/html/index.html), however, he goes nuts over. Same here. These things are like doggie crack. I now have a junkie Rat Terrier. He gets his treat around 5 o’clock each evening, but he starts whining about 4:30. And it’s the most pathetic whine you’ve ever heard - orders of magnitude worse than his, “please let me out, I have to pee so badly,” whine. I actually de-tox him for a week or more whenever a bag runs out. My brother-in-law is a veterinarian, so I e-mailed him the ingredient list, hoping to find out what was so addictive in them. There was nothing he could single out, although there is a catch-all, “natural flavors.” I’m thinking the, “natural flavors,” are coca- or poppy-derived. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dog-has-bad-breath/294755/10 "2005-03-16T21:10:47Z")
> [@RGillen](#): > > [Here](http://www.petcarecentral.com/eiginonepetp28.html) is a typical kit you can get at just about any pet store. > . Woah. I was just at PetSmart and asked for something to freshen a dog’s breath, and was referred to a $9 kit of toothpaste, toothbrush, fingerbrush, and mints. I come home and find its just what **RGillen** linked to! ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dog-has-bad-breath/294755/11 "2005-03-17T00:07:24Z")
I’m willing to bet that won’t solve the problem, though. My middle dog, Two-Tone, has absolutely horrible breath. I asked the vet about it, and it turns out it’s because his anal gland gets plugged easily. It’s a bit painful, so Two-Tone licks his butt to try to make it feel better- and as a result, the anal gland expresses itself onto his tongue. Um… yuck. I take him to the vet fairly often to have his gland expressed- and trust me, that stuff STINKS. It’s only like ten bucks or so, and he’s a happier dog with fresher breath for a while afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dog-has-bad-breath/294755/12 "2005-03-17T02:44:33Z")
I’ve never seen Quin lick his asshole. His goodies, yeah, but not the hole. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dog-has-bad-breath/294755/13 "2005-03-17T11:52:19Z")
bad breath can also be a symptom of worms ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dog-has-bad-breath/294755/14 "2005-03-17T14:54:23Z")
Some dogs get bad breath as they get older. My 9 year old Norweigan Elkhound mix started having horrible halitosis. Her glands were not impacted, and her teeth were fine-- she was in perfect health. It was her stomach. I got her a liquid which you add to their water which kills certain bad breath-causing bacteria in the stomach. [This](http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/shop/index.php?page=shop-flypage-3157-4bcbc7de422b5992206a362b609d78cc&ps_session=be9aa358e3b69bdda4e9819f1dc5c089) is the product I use-- and it’s safe and healthy to use every day. It worked like a charm. I was skeptical when my mother, who works at an animal supply store, sold it to me, but I was amazed at the results. In about two days, she (the dog, not my mother 😃 ) had normal doggy breath. You should be able to find it in Petsmart or Petland-- any of those sorts of places. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dog-has-bad-breath/294755/15 "2005-03-17T15:12:36Z")
You know, ordinary tootpaste works just fine. You don’t even have to brush, just squeeze out some on your finger and put in doggies mouth. It’ll start masticating and spitting but it’ll get distributed and work wonders for its breath. A way to go is with kiddie toothpaste which is often sweetened, rather than minty. My dog prefer Colgate Tweety Bird toothpaste. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dog-has-bad-breath/294755/16 "2005-03-17T16:20:02Z")
> [@The Gaspode](#): > > You know, ordinary tootpaste works just fine. You don’t even have to brush, just squeeze out some on your finger and put in doggies mouth. It’ll start masticating and spitting but it’ll get distributed and work wonders for its breath. A way to go is with kiddie toothpaste which is often sweetened, rather than minty. My dog prefer Colgate Tweety Bird toothpaste. Don’t you mean, “woof.” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![richardb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/96bed5/32.png) [@richardb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/richardb)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dog-has-bad-breath/294755/17 "2005-03-18T10:25:24Z")
> [@The Gaspode](#): > > You know, ordinary tootpaste works just fine. You don’t even have to brush, just squeeze out some on your finger and put in doggies mouth. It’ll start masticating and spitting but it’ll get distributed and work wonders for its breath. A way to go is with kiddie toothpaste which is often sweetened, rather than minty. My dog prefer Colgate Tweety Bird toothpaste. From this site ([Home Dental Care](http://www.marvistavet.com/html/dental_home_care.html)): > [@](#): > > DO NOT USE A HUMAN TOOTH PASTE ON YOUR PET. Tooth paste for people contains sudsing agents which are not expected to be swallowed. These will upset your pet’s stomach as your pet is not able to rinse out his or her mouth.