Question:
We just got our Jack Russell Terrier Spayed and since then she has been
licking the place where her stiches are to keep it clean...however, she has
gotten this really really bad breathe in the process....i usually can
tolerate a little doggie halatosis...but this just reaks everytime she gives
us a kiss...what should we do...we have tried minty bones and doggie breathe
mints but nothing works...please tell us this is temporary....we really like
those doggie kisses of old...and if anyone has any remedies that have worked
for them...let us know....
Answer:
This has nothing to do with licking the wound; it's clean, and irritates
her right now.
Brush her teeth. Your breath is probably pretty bad if you don't brush.
Use a child age 1-4 toothbrush and pet toothpaste. No rinsing required.
(NO, don't use human toothpaste that foams. It can give a dog a tummy
upset... the urka-gurkas...) Do this 2 or more times a week. On
no-brushing days, rinse her mouth out with a pet mouthwash. But the
brushing takes less then five minutes... No excuses....
If any of her teeth are yellowish or brown anywhere, she needs to have
them cleaned; the plaque deposits have caused gum disease, and that
causes bad breath. Brushing reduces this problem as in humans.
Sometimes bad breath is caused by the ingredients in a dog food reacting
unhappily inside that specific dog. This is Much less common than gum
disease.
Are you giving her anything different than usual to eat? Are you giving
her animal body parts as chewies?
Treats such as "Greenies" do work very well to fight the bad breath
and brushing your dogs teeth will also help. Also, you might want to
try Oral Care by Science Diet. Instead of changing the food of your
dog, simply give a few food pellets a day as treats. This should help
to reduce the smell of you dog's breath.
Why does anybody care what their dog's breath smells like? Are they
kissing the dog, or something? I'd that such people would be more
concerned about what most dogs use their mouths for (like drinking out
of the toilet or licking their own genitalia) than just the smell.
If a young dog has bad breath, please examine his teeth and mouth well. I
volunteer time with a low cost spay and neuter clinic and we've had some
incredible stinky mouths that were ususally do to the dog needing a good
dental cleaning. However, we had a year old lab mix that his owner said
loved to chew sticks. He sure did, until he got one caught between two
molars and it imbedded itself in the soft palate. The roots of the teeth
were exposed and the animal had to go to a full service vet for treatment.
The very next week we had another lab mix who had a chicken bone wedged into
exactly the same position! It wasn't the easiest thing to detect right off
either, as it had embedded itself so deep and an initial sweep with the
fingers to ensure the airway was clear upon anesthesia did not feel out of
the ordinary. It took visual inspection to detect. So, do check to see if
perhaps ther might be a foreign object of some kind in your dog's mouth
before assuming that he just needs breath fresheners. :~)
