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My dog has bad breath and dark gums. Does she need teeth pulled?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Female | unspayed | 8 years and 2 months old | 7.5 lbs

Hello! I have a 8 year old Morkie dog. She has bad breath but she eats just fine and chews on bones just fine. She doesn’t show that there is any pain in her mouth but her gums are like a dark brownish color. Can you tell just by looking if she needs teeth pulled?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on March 20th, 2018

Poor Gracie! From what I can see in the photos, it does look like she has severe periodontal disease. I can't tell for sure if she will need extractions or not, as we usually have to check each tooth with a probe during the dental cleaning under anesthesia to evaluate whether it is healthy or not.

I do think that Gracie definitely needs a dental procedure to get rid of the tartar and evaluate her teeth more closely, so I would recommend scheduling this with your veterinarian when you are able to. He/she can give you a better idea of what she may need during the procedure after checking her mouth in person.
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