When your dog has been walking around the yard for quite a long time. He suddenly comes home with a new sense of fish breath; it can be worrying for an owner. After all, wouldn’t thoughts like, “What did they eat that I don’t know of” or “I hope they didn’t eat anything rotten”, and that’s natural. So, what does it mean when a Dog’s breath smells like fish? Does that mean it is something that I need to worry about?
What Bad Breath means for your dog?
It’s often that owners sometimes find their dog’s breath to be horrendous, and it’s almost always that they describe the smell as something related to rotting fish. When talking about bad breath, it is known as halitosis.Let’s look at the facts when a certain type of bacteria that produce strong odors are starting to gather around the mouth or even inside of your gut and lungs. Bad breath is inevitably going to start happening.What does that mean for your dog?
- Extra dental care
If your dog has bad breath, especially the kind that goes on for weeks, they’re going to have to go through extra dental care. You don’t necessarily have to brush your dog’s teeth constantly because there are special treats that act in place of toothbrushes. However, if you wish to do so it is much more recommended.
- Medical problems
If it’s not the lack of dental care, then there might be something wrong with your dog medically. There are possibilities of problems occurring inside of your dog’s liver and kidneys. None of those sound really good.
Either way, if your dog has bad breath, that can never be a good sign. You should look into it as soon as possible.
What are the different causes of bad breath in dogs?
Bad breath can never have any good causes. So what do you think makes bad breath in dogs?
- Respiratory Problems
There are multiple respiratory problems that can end up having bad breaths. Most of the time the symptoms can be related to sneezing, snorting, gagging, and coughing. With those factors, it means that there is an infection. Can you imagine what an infection would smell like?
- Problems in the internal organs
That can apply to your dog’s stomach, intestines, and other organs that are connected to the mouth. There can be many explanations. It can be an infection or even sudden increase in their bacterial count. There’s never a sure reason until you list out all of the symptoms and match it up.
- Dental and Gum Problems
As I have mentioned, it can be the lack of dental care. It can also be a problem with your dog’s gums. If it is the gum disease that dogs can have, rotting inside their mouth. For sure, it’s going to cause a horrible breath.
Doing your research and listing out all the symptoms that you see in your dog can do a lot. However, it is best to bring your dog to the veterinarian. He would be able to give the exact diagnosis after different kinds of examinations.
What to do to stop Halitosis before it starts in your dog
Usually, one would think that an old dog having bad breath is normal, but that’s not exactly a legitimate reason. Before your dog actually starts having halitosis you should take measures to prevent it for your dog and to save up on those medical bills.
- Special Dental Treats
As I have mentioned previously, there are different kinds of dental treats that not only act as a mint for your dog but also as a basic dental care. These treats aren’t just good for your dog, but they are also completely delicious.
- Chewing toys
Dogs are able to clean their teeth through a lot of chewing. It’s one of the ways they can get rid of dental filth without having humans help them with a toothbrush. Give them a chewing toy that they can play with. They would be able to have fun, as well as take care of their health.
- Basic Brushing
Of course, brushing is something that we would recommend. Brush your dog’s teeth every day. The cleaner the teeth, the lesser chances there would be any bad breath.
- Monitor your dog’s health frequently
Schedule regular check-ups at your favorite vet to ensure that your dog is always in good health. If ever your dog actually gets diagnosed with a problem relating their breath, at least you would be able to stop it early.
- Oral Health Products
The best way to choose the right oral health product for your dog would be to ask your veterinarian. They are trained in this sort of area and would be able to recommend you the perfect product.
One might think that bad breath for dogs is normal and would disappear a bit. Most of the time, that might be right. However, there are circumstances that won’t always apply. There might be dangerous reasons that would cause your dog pain. The best option is to check up on your dog and take care of it before it actually gets worse.
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REFERENCES:
http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/bad-breath-dogs#1
http://www.petwave.com/Dogs/Health/Upper-Respiratory-Infection/Symptoms.aspx