Bad Breath

[Guest Oakleylove]

Oakley has some horrible breath..any suggestions??? I have thought about trying to brush her teeth, but haven't attempted that yet.

[Burpdog]

Does she need a dental?

[tbhounds]

Most likely she needs a dental prophy then you need to follow up by daily brushing. The stink you are refering to is bacteria in the mouth--which can lead to heart and kidney disease--ewwwww.

[Guest Spencers_Greyt]

Take her to the vet and have her teeth checked out. Most Greyhounds need annual dental cleanings as the breed is notorious for bad teeth.

 

[PrairieProf]

You really should brush, or at least figure out alternative measures to take for dental health! It's not that hard, really. Get the poultry-flavored doggie toothpaste and your dog will probably go nuts.

 

I've become a fan of Wysong DentaTreat as well -- you can sprinkle it on your dog's food, in his bowl, or rub it directly on the teeth. And I recently became a raw turkey neck believer -- removes tartar as well as preventing buildup.

 

But if the teeth are really bad, I agree with a vet check and possibly a dental so you can start with a clean slate. The vet visit would be good because there are things besides bad teeth/gums that could cause bad breath, although they're less likely.

Edited June 8, 2009 by PrairieProf

[Guest kydie]

I agree with the dental exam, when my hound came to me, he had breath that would peel paint, even though I was told he had a dental before he came, with in 2 weeks he had a cleaning and and no more rotten breath, I do brush teeth once a day, he had no teeth issues, just needed a good CLEANING

[Guest Energy11]

I have an OAKLY :-) He is a 7 yr old black boy :-))

 

HE needs a dental, and we will be getting him one in the next week or so. FOR BAD BREATH, yes, first check to be sure your pup doesn't need a dental. If that is okay, I use OXYFRESH GEL DAILY on all of mine's teeth (you can use it on a finger toothbrushk or just rub in in with your fingers . Deoderizes and keeps bacteria down. WONDERFUL stuff! You can find it online.

 

Good luck with YOUR Oakely! Dee and The Five

[Guest Cris_M]

Unfortunately, even if your pup had a dental prior to adoption, he may need another. Duncan's adoption dental left a LOT to be desired.

 

Sometimes changing food will help. If the current food isn't working with the dog, the breath can be awful. Since your pup is new to you, has the food changed now that she is in your home? A food change can cause stinky breath for a while.

 

Brushing Oakley's teeth isn't a big deal. You'll have to repeat each of these steps a few times over a few days. Don't try to do it all at once. Show her the toothbrush. She'll nose it. Give her a treat. Repeat. Then, pull her lip up. Treat. Put the toothbrush against the teeth. Treat. Brush. Treat. Treats can be really, really small.

 

Also, raw turkey necks do help. A full raw diet is what made a real difference for Duncan.

 

Glad to have you here!

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

I would ditto the vet visit for possible dental, then I would suggest raw beef or bison femurs. The dogs love them, and they clean the tartar off their teeth and leave them sparkly white. Do NOT get the smoked or otherwise cooked bones from the pet store. Visit a butcher, or a raw food dealer and ask specifically for large beef/bison femurs. Your pooch will love you for it.

 

Chad

[Guest FullMetalFrank]

We solved our dragon breath problems by including raw in the diet. If any plaque starts to build up, we brush; I have also been known to scrape it off with a fingernail, eewww but effective! We used the DentaTreat early on and I do feel it helped to break down the tartar and make it easier to be removed by the action of them gnawing on their bones ( we use a lot of chicken leg quarters, backs, turkey necks, etc....) It literally flaked off in chunks. The end of the story is I had 2 dogs who the vet recommended dentals at their next visit; who now do not need those dentals after being re-inspected by the vet. And their breath is very nice!