Bad Breath

[Guest masa]

Hello,

I'm new so sorry if my question comes off sounding stupid ^^

We just got our beautiful grey girl not to long ago, I brush her teeth, every night there have been a few times where it has been every other night. But her breath smells bad, she was in my face today o.o wow, it was really bad. Mt friends who have other breeds of dogs said they give their dogs Pedigree Dentastix. I was worried, this being my first Grey, and after reading about all the things that are toxic to Greys, I'm scared to give her anything outside her food without checking in with her vet. I know I sound like a worry wort sorry ^^. I'm just so scared that I might give her something that could hurt her or make her sick.

So are Pedigree Dentastix alright to give greys? Or are there better chew options out there to help with bad breath?

Thank you everyone!

[Guest greyers]

Hi and welcome to the forum! I can't speak to those specific chews and how they help with breath, but I have used them with past Greys and the only thing about any of those types of chews is that sometimes they don't do well in their tummy. So if your greyhound is sensitive belly wise, you may want to only give a very small amount of any sort of "dental" chews.

I am sure others will come along with some great suggestions for breath and teeth cleaning (things that if you are newer to dog ownership might even seem shocking! )

 

I do not use anything specific for breath, but use various things for teeth cleaning including trachea, bully sticks and antlers.

 

I do wonder though, based on what you say about your pups breath if your girl needs to have a teeth cleaning? I know you said you brush her teeth, but when was her last "dental"? Some times certain medications, also dogs that eat poop, etc can have really foul breath, but usually the bad breath is a sign they have some dental needs.

Edited November 13, 2011 by greyers

[Guest masa]

thank you for the reply, We did take her to the vet this weekend because I was worried that her bad breath had less to do with her teeth and maybe something else. But he said she was healthy, and that she shouldn't need her teeth cleaned for a while. I guess her foster parents had her teeth cleaned about a week before we got her, so about 5 weeks ago. She did manage to grab some poop when i looked away, to grab the neighbors dog for them. Lol their little dog moves fast. Do you think she should go back in and have a dental, would that be to soon?

Thanks again for the kind reply!

[Guest greyers]

If its only a couple months ago then you are in good shape! Most greyhounds need a dental done annually at the most. It's important to have their teeth cleaned regularly for their overall health, but since it requires going under anesthesia it's not something you want to do too often as its always a risk to out your dog under. If your vet says that her teeth look fine and the dental was done that recent, then I wouldn't worry about it. your doing better than most of us if she lets you brush her teeth anyway!

It is possible the smell could be from eating poop if you saw her do that. Some dogs have that issue and a poop eater you will always want to keep a close eye on when you walk her. That is one way they can pick up parasites and such.

 

Sounds like she is a healthy girl though and I wouldn't worry at all about teeth cleaning for quite some time.

[Guest masa]

Yeah, i try and keep our yard picked up from any poop that she might snatch as we are going on our potty rounds in our yard. But the people who live next to us think that our yard is theirs and just let them out, this scared my poor girl so much, because we were in the middle of our yard and their two huge pits came bounding over. Lol She loved them after that. The pits are very sweet dogs to. I was petting all three this morning.

Thank you again for suck a kind post

[GreytNut]

I've tried the Dentastix and Riley adores them, but he eats them so fast (in about a minute or two) that I don't think they have time to do him much good.

 

He also likes cow hooves, bully sticks and extra large CET Chews. Those last longer. I use ProDen Plaqueoff on his food and Petzlife Oral Spray. I try to brush every night but don't always remember to do it. He adores the poultry flavored toothpaste so much that he will attempt to suck it out of the tube.

[Feisty49]

Though I brush Annie Bella's teeth regularly, her gums are still red in spots and sometimes her breath is bad I just researched what's in ProDen Plaqueoff and it's all natural stuff, according to the web site, and includes a seaweed that has beneficial effects for oral care. There's no artificial colors, preservatives, gluten or sugar. Sounds like a pretty good product. I'm going to try it, and also keep on brushing.

 

Wonder if it would work for humans? I know people with bad breath.

 

ETA: There is a Proden Plaqueoff pill for humans.

Edited November 13, 2011 by Feisty49

[Guest masa]

Thanks so much guys and I will definitely be trying these out!

[Guest peacehound]

one thing to think about, some greys just have really bad teeth, my girl has had dentals every 6-9 months, I brush daily, use CET chews, petlife gel and still her breath and teeth are horrendous within a month of dentals..vet says she is just that way..every dental she does get two or three teeth pulled..now that she is almost ten, I hope to cut down on her dentals to yearly..good luck with your girl, greys are wonderful and I am sure you will have lots of fun with her

[Guest masa]

thank you, yes I already love her to bits, its only been a few short weeks but already I cant even begin to imagine life without her.

[kudzu]

This is an issue I would have a vet check first to ensure there isn't a dental or other health problem. If the vet says her teeth/gums are fine than give the Dentastix a try. Mine get them every day. Giving her one AM & one PM every day will likely help. As GreyNut said, these are really just a treat not a long lasting chew. Yet using them consistently does seem to help reduce plaque.

 

Just mentioned in a different thread was the use Maxiguard. http://www.amazon.com/Maxiguard-Oral-Gel-4-oz/dp/B0002XIZX4 We've been using it for years. It helps a lot with bad breath.

[MaryJane]

I'm surprised that I'm seeing some posts here indicating yearly dentals -- I'm not sure that is the norm and I hope that others will chime in on that.

 

One of my current dogs has had a dental once in the 6 years that I have had him. My previous dog had one dental in the 5 years I had him. Having a dental usually means going under anesthesia which is not to be done lightly but, if the teeth are bad then there is no question that it should be done because it can cause other infections in the body.

 

Sometimes the breath is a result of what you are feeding him - you can gradually switch dog foods to see if another dog food changes the smell. You might also want to have some kidney tests done along with a urinalysis and see if there is a kidney issue which could cause an "ammonia" smell to the breath.

[Guest greyers]

I'm surprised that I'm seeing some posts here indicating yearly dentals -- I'm not sure that is the norm and I hope that others will chime in on that.

 

One of my current dogs has had a dental once in the 6 years that I have had him. My previous dog had one dental in the 5 years I had him. Having a dental usually means going under anesthesia which is not to be done lightly but, if the teeth are bad then there is no question that it should be done because it can cause other infections in the body.

 

Sometimes the breath is a result of what you are feeding him - you can gradually switch dog foods to see if another dog food changes the smell. You might also want to have some kidney tests done along with a urinalysis and see if there is a kidney issue which could cause an "ammonia" smell to the breath.

It all depends on the greyhound. Some greys can go with only a couple dentals in their whole life, while others need it annual or even more frequently. A lot of it is gentics I think, but really a key is how well the greyhound has been talken care of dental wise. I have never gotten an 18 month old or even a 3 or 4 year old fresh off the track. Every one of mine have been multiple bouncers and the youngest was 5, but most we're around age 7. The previous homes didn't take care of their teeth well in all except 1 case. So that means that all of my guys have needed annual cleanings under anesthesia. And my worst two needed multiple extractions annually. Like zombrie mentioned with dolly, she had a lot of extractions, My JJ finally got to the point where he had no teeth that lined up. This was because I got him at age 7 and previous homes(s), didn't address his dental needs. I am pretty sure the first greyhound I ever owned that had horrible teeth died of an infection that went into her blood stream likely due to poor oral care. Her breath and teeth were so bad that no one wanted this bounced girl and thus we adopted her. Unfortunately for us, it was our first greyhound and even though we did annual dentals, our vet wasn't the best and didn't really know greyhounds. So he wasn't proactive enough and we didn't know any different because when I grew up we had few dogs that ever even needed dentals. What I love about my current vet is that she doesn't mess around! She pulls whatever needs to be pulled in our Greys and is proactive about their long term oral care.

Edited November 14, 2011 by greyers

[GeorgeofNE]

I think routinely doing annual dentals is a relatively recent phenomenon. Relatively recent means within the past 25 years or so to me. My family has always had dogs. We NEVER did routine dental cleanings. Ever. And never had a single problem related to teeth.

 

George had a cleaning when I got him, and hasn't had one since. The anesthesia was a bit of a problem, and for me to subject him to it again without a compelling reason would be foolish. The vet looks at his teeth every time I bring him in, and says "Wow! His teeth look great." I have never brushed them or fussed in any way over them. I do give him bones on the weekends, but I think I just have one of the Greyhounds with good teeth.

 

Bad breath can be caused by things other than their teeth, however, so if the vet hasn't done a routine blood work and overall check up, you might consider that.

[Guest bethac]

I think it really just depends on the dog. Just like people - some have bad breath, some don't.

 

We have three greys and the youngest (not quite 5) has the worst breath despite having had a dental less than a year ago and getting the same food, treats, and daily teeth brushing as our other two. Our 6 1/2 year old and 9 year old still have all their teeth, and no bad breath as a rule. They each had dentals about 2 years ago. We're debating how often to repeat the dentals ... vet says once a year but we're not too excited about anesthesia that often.

 

This is our routine - our hounds get fed twice a day and in the evening after dinner (a smaller meal than breakfast) they go for a walk, each one gets their teeth brushed when we come in the house, then each one gets 1/2 of a large Dentastix. They love them. They know this routine and they line up for tooth brushing and their treat.

 

Good luck with your girl. Hope her bad breath improves as time goes on, but if it doesn't do not beat yourself up over it. You're doing more than a lot of people do already!

[Guest masa]

Thank you guys so much for all the wonderful advice

[sweetdogs]

If her teeth really are in good shape (you can post a picture & we'll let you know ), maybe it's the food she's eating. Maybe it's coming up from her stomach & not from her mouth.

 

My first 2 hounds had fairly lousy teeth, that wasn't helped by my once-weekly brushing. My current 2 came to me with beautiful teeth that I brush everyday. They also get raw turkey necks & a bully stick once a week but it's really genetics that have helped keep their teeth nice. As mentioned above, some hounds are like mine & some need much more aggressive work to keep their mouths clean.

 

I use an enzymatic dog toothpaste with a battery-operated toothbrush & I rub biotene gel on their gums afterward. I've heard good things about PetzLife products but haven't tried them myself.

[Guest masa]

thanks guys : )

We're still working on the sitting still and letting me mess with her mouth, shes not to thrilled at the idea i could maybe get a picture of her canine and some of her front teeth, but im not sure if that would help.