My dog has bad breath and yelps when eating. Could it be a toothache?

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 Tango! It sounds like he has severe dental disease, which is painful for the dog in addition to causing bad breath. I would definitely recommend taking him to the vet for an exam as soon as possible, since he sounds quite uncomfortable. Many older dogs are able to have dental cleanings without any problems, if they are otherwise healthy - your veterinarian can help you decide is this would be safe for Tango or not. If it’s determined that anesthesia would be too risky for him, your veterinarian may be able to prescribe antibiotics and pain medication to help reduce the infection and make his mouth less painful.

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

Poor Felix! I agree, it definitely sounds like something is wrong inside his mouth. He may have a dental problem such as a broken or infected tooth, or may have a wound, a growth, or even some type of foreign body stuck there. I would strongly recommend taking him to the vet for an exam. He/she can do a thorough oral exam (with sedation, if needed) to determine what's wrong, and get him started on appropriate treatment depending on what is found.

If the antibiotics have not made a difference, recheck with your veterinarian. Rex may have significant periodontal disease. A complete dental cleaning may be necessary. This will require anesthesia, so pre anesthetic blood work should be done to assess major organ function. This blood work can assess kidney function which can also be the cause of his condition.

It would be best to have a veterinarian do an exam on him. It’s possible he may have a wound on the roof of his mouth or back of his throat, or a piece of grass or a small twig stuck on a back tooth, etc, or a wound elsewhere in his mouth. It’s also possible that he’s having some tooth root problems with the recent eruption of adult teeth. If he is eating fine and otherwise acting normally, it’s ok to try brushing his teeth and try a rinse or water additive designed for halitosis (bad breath) in dogs. However if that doesn’t help after a few days, I would strongly recommend that you take him in. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

An infection or ulcers or bad kidneys can cause changes in the breathe. An infection can be under the gums line affecting the tooth root that will not be able to be seen unless there are xrays taken. I would have him seen by your vet to see if this is the case and a simple blood panel can check his kidney values for you