My dog has bad breath & dark brown buildup on teeth. Should I worry?

I am sorry it is really hard to tell by the pictures what is going on with the teeth. Small and medium size dogs are affected with dental disease more often than large breed dogs. I would recommend taking Genesis to a vet for a good oral exam. It is important that Genesis needs a dental cleaning (like people) to remove all the dental tartar and bacteria from the teeth. The odor is caused by the tartar and bacteria in the mouth and will resolve with a cleaning. Once the teeth are cleaned I would recommend brushing the teeth daily with dog tooth paste to prevent slower build up of tartar in the future. Hope that helps

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Riddick. Thank also for providing pictures, they are very helpful. I see some swelling of his gums around those moles and a fair amount of plaque. Daily brushing will not correct this. He does need to see a vet for a dental cleaning, polishing, and scaling. I'd give his vet a call in the morning to make him an appointment. I hope this helps!

Poor Buster! It looks like he may have periodontal disease or potentially an injury that has led to recession of his gums and allowed hair to accumulate in the pocket. I would guess those two middle teeth need to be extracted. I am a little concerned about the hair above his canine tooth as well - it looks like he might have a draining tract associated with that tooth. I would recommend having your vet examine Buster soon to see if a dental cleaning with tooth extraction is recommended. Fortunately dogs do not use these teeth much for chewing.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While you didn't ask a specific question about Tanner I am assuming you are concerned about the black discoloration of his teeth. This is likely calculus accumulation and dental disease. Bad breath is usually associated with bacteria in the mouth from dental disease as well. While I don't think this is an emergency based on the photo you provided, I recommend you take Tanner in to see his vet soon. He would benefit from a dental exam and your vet will likely recommend a cleaning to remove the calculus and tartar on his teeth. Dental disease is one of the most common issues in small breed dogs and is very common. Removing the calculus now will help keep his teeth healthy longer and will definitely improve his breath! .

If Tehya's teeth are fine, I would recommend getting blood work on her to make sure her kidneys are ok. Sometimes with kidney disease they can have a bad smell from their mouth. I would also discuss with your vet about potentially performing a dental procedure with x-rays to confirm there is no abscess we can see. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This sounds like severe dental disease with gum loss and loose teeth. The chattering of the jaw is a sign of pain and you should have him assessed by your vet as soon as possible to remove any further damaged teeth and clean the rest of them

AT that age, dental disease is common. The odor and discolorations indicate an infection due to gingivitis and tartar build up. The only way to have that removed is the have her teeth cleaned at your vet. They can clean around the gums and polish teeth similar to how ours are done. They will remove any damaged or infected teeth. You will likely need antibiotics to go along with this to further treat the infection and continue with brushing to help prevent this again