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How to help my old dog's terrible breath and unhealthy gums at home?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | unneutered | 20 lbs

Hello, I have a dog about 13 years old & he has REAAAAALLLLYYYY bad breath.. I can't afford to take him in to a vet at the moment, but I want to see what I can do to help him. He has one front tooth & barely any back teeth.. but his breath smells so bad I can smell it without even having to bend over to pet him.. his gums look disgusting as well.. please help!!

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on December 11th, 2016

Poor Bonbon! It sounds like he has really severe periodontal disease - this is unfortunately quite common in older small-breed dogs. This means that he has severe infection in his gums, often with bone loss around the base of the teeth and a great deal of pain for the pet as well as horrible breath. To treat this problem effectively, I'm afraid that he will definitely need to see a vet for a full dental cleaning under anesthesia to remove any painful, rotten teeth and get rid of the tartar and infection in the mouth. So ideally, this should be a goal as soon as you are able to do this, even if you need to plan ahead for a while to be able to do it.

In the meantime, you can try using a daily oral rinse for dogs such as CET oral dental rinse. This will not remove tartar or treat the infection, but may help a bit with the odor and keep things from getting worse in the meantime.
Vote Icon2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Bonbon apparently has severe dental disease and will need a veterinary exam and likely a tooth cleaning. There is also a possibility of kidney problems which can also cause bad breath (would likely smell like urine). Please take Bonbon to a vet on Monday.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 24th, 2019

    Yes dental disease is absolutely the #1 cause of bad breathe. You should notice a significant improvement after his cleaning, especially if your vet can do dental x-rays to identify problems under the gum and if any diseased teeth are extracted that day. If any diseased teeth remain then the bad breathe will continue. So its best to team up with your vet to come up with a complete game plan for Seymours' upcoming dental cleaning to ensure he is treated fully.
    I would also then start to brush his teeth at least 3 times a week and also use a water additive (can be purchased through your vet or at a local pet store) to help keep the tartar from forming so quickly after his cleaning is done and also help with his bad breathe in case he does have some halitosis going on as well
    Best of luck with your pet Seymour and his bad breathe. I hope things improve soon. : ) Take care!

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Training & Behavior
My senior dog has bad breath and chattering teeth. Is it gingivitis?
This is a serious concern. Sonny likely also has lots of tartar on his teeth. The tartar as well as the area below the gum line is full of bacteria which are causing the severe gingivitis and the bad smell. The inflamed tissue will also facilitate that bacteria enter the blood stream and so can travel to the heart, causing heart disease, and to the kidneys causing kidney disease. This is also a highly painful process. The only way to remedy this is to have his teeth cleaned under anesthesia, removal of the tartar, cleaning below the gum line and removing any teeth that may be loose, infected or damaged. I suggest you schedule an appointment with your vet to assess the condition.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Vet Q & A
My dog has terrible breath despite brushing. What else can I do?
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
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Vet Q & A
How do I get rid of my dog's bad breath and improve their oral health?
At this age she most likely has bad breath due to Halle ptosis which is an accumulation of bacteria on the back of her tongue or the beginning stages of dental disease. You want to tackle this by brushing her teeth every day with a pet formulated toothpaste and toothbrush which you can find at your local pet store. You can also do oral rinses with a pet formulated rents also located at your pet store. If the bad breath continues then it is a good idea to have your veterinarian do a complete oral exam to make sure there are no other concerns that need to be addressed. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Vet Q & A
Dog has red, swollen gums and bad breath. What home remedies work?
If his gums are red and swollen than he may have stomatitis and gingivitis. You can start brushing his teeth with a canine tooth paste and see if that helps. You could also try some chews, like Virbac C.E.T. Enzymatic Oral Hygiene Chews. Depending on the condition of his gums and teeth, he may need to have his teeth cleaned and have any diseased ones extracted, as well as need an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory. Have your vet examine his mouth to decide the best way to treat his problem.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Vet Q & A
My older rescue dog has bad breath and no teeth. OTC solutions?
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.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Vet Q & A
My dog's breath smells awful and his teeth look discolored. Why?
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
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Training & Behavior
My dog's breath smells awful. What products help or what can I do?
Dogs with bad breath usually have terrible teeth...ie their teeth are full of tartar which harbors gas producing bacteria and that stinks. These bacteria also cause severe gingivitis (inflamed gums) which allows the bacteria to enter the blood stream and eventually cause heart and kidney problems. Another reason for bad breath could be a tooth root abscess, a wound in the oral cavity and renal failure. Please take Voodoo to a veterinarian for an exam to find the cause of the bad breath. Treatment can then be initiated, ie a dental cleaning, antibiotics to kill those bacteria and/or early detection of renal failure.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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