My dog has skunk breath from being sprayed. How can I fix it?

I would not be too concerned about Toadie ingesting some of the skunk’s spray. It is not harmful or toxic. Typically repeated bathing is the only way to get the skunk smell to dissipate. This will be very tricky with Toadie however because the odor is mostly coming from his mouth and it will be difficult to bathe this area. Just do the best you can washing his face/mouth with a cloth. The smell will go away eventually.

You can certainly brush her teeth with baking soda (a small amount). I would also wash her face down because the odor could be embedded in her fur too. I would watch her real closely for any signs of gastrointestinal discomfort . I suspect if she ate something that bad that the repercussions are coming. Good luck and I hope she is back to normal soon.

The chemical substances sprayed by skunks and called thiols can be quite irritant and provoke inflammation on dogs skin, gums and eyes. Usually plenty of water can be used to wash out these substances (especially from eyes). Water can be sprayed with a syringe (without needle) inside the mouth to wash it off as much as possible. If Flec keeps salivating despite it, a check up would be needed as anti-inflammatory meds may be required. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

At his age, the bad breath could be an abscess or the normal shedding of his puppy teeth. Take a good look inside his mouth to check for any abnormalities. You may also consider having him examined by the veterinarian if you are not sure what you are seeing. Otherwise, I recommend to brush his teeth. This is one of the best ways to maintain dental health: https://www.petcoach.co/article/brushing-teeth-home-dental-care/ I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

If he has no teeth there should not be that much of an odor. Is he only missing the front teeth? If he does still have some teeth left, there may be an infected one. I suggest you have him checked by your vet to be sure. There are a few things you can use to help with bad breath at home. There are many other "knock off" products but this brand really works so if you are going to use something please use this brand. The water additive is the easiest one to use. You can use just one product or a combination of them. ( https://www.allivet.com/p-5485-oratene-veterinarian-drinking-water-additive-4-oz.aspx ) ( https://www.allivet.com/p-5484-oratene-veterinarian-antiseptic-oral-gel-1-oz.aspx ) ( https://www.allivet.com/p-6312-oratene-breath-freshener.aspx ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

I certainly understand how difficult it can be to manage bad breath. I am attaching a handout below on halitosis which will give you more information. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=129 Unfortunately, halitosis is most commonly due to dental disease that can only be treated by performing a dental cleaning under anesthesia to remove all the tartar and bacteria under the gum line. After a dental cleaning, continuing to brush is very important. I recently started using PetSmile since a veterinary dentist recommended it to me and have been very pleased at the improvement in halitosis in my dogs. https://petsmileusa.com/ Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach

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!