Why does my dog sound like she has a dry mouth and awful breath?

Lily could have dental disease causing foul breath - bacteria form plaque on the teeth and underneath the gumline and cause bad breath. She could have a mass or wound in her mouth if this is a sudden change, or occasionally dogs with gastrointestinal disease will also have bad breath. I'd recommend having your veterinanrian examin Lily's mouth -she may need a dental exam and cleaning under anesthesia.

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.

Bad breath is usually due to teeth and gum disease. If Precious has not had dental treatment before, then this is definitely a possibly. Here is a link to some information about dental disease: https://www.petcoach.co/article/6-things-every-dog-owner-should-know-about-dental-care/ Heavy breathing and snoring noises could be related. This often happens with breeds of dogs that have short/smashed-appearing muzzles. It can happen due to various structural deformities such as small nostril size, or an elongated soft palate. If this is something that suddenly started, then I would be more worried about laryngeal paralysis, or a polyp causing her to have obstructed breathing. Given the multiple possibilities and the likely need for treatment, I recommend you have Precious examined by a veterinarian. They can quickly narrow-down the cause of the bad breath and snoring. I hope that helps and all is well with Precious.

Hi. She would need a full oral exam to know for sure. But some possibilities include: dental disease, infected tooth, ulcers in the mouth, foreign material stuck in mouth, or in the tongue. Check her mouth very closely, and call your veterinarian first thing in the morning. Good luck.

It's odd that it improved when the [Giardia](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/giardia/) was treated. My first suspicion for the ongoing odor is that she may be licking at her anal glands or eating her own (or someone else's) poop. Ideally, have her examined by a veterinarian just to make sure there are no wounds, irritation, etc in her mouth or throat that maybe contributing. You r vet can also check her anal glands to see if they seem full or irritated which could lead t her having a tendency to lick at them a lot. If her anal glands are fine, and her mouth is fine, use a daily product for dental health. [CET products](https://us.virbac.com/cet-veggiedent-fr3sh-dental-chew-for-dogs) contain chlorhexadine which kills bad breath causing bacteria. [Water additives](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zymox-oratene-water-additive) are great too. I hope thats helpful for you. Thanks for asking PetCoach! Good luck!

How adorable! Often bad breat is related to dental disease. There may be gingivitis or she may have a tooth infection. Many times the teeth may look alright but a deeper exam under anesthesia often shows some problems. I recommend a dental exam by your veterinarian. If there is tartar or gum disease they will recommend a dental cleaning. Many veterinarians now take dental X-ray also to see pockets of infection around the tooth roots. After the teeth are cleaned then I recommend brushing the teeth or using an antibacterial mouth rinse. Small dogs tend to have more dental problems probably due to their smaller mouths compared to a big dog. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Lela.

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