My 4-month-old puppy has fishy breath. Should I be concerned?

I would guess that this is potentially food related, and if it is transient and he is doing well on his food otherwise there may not be anything to be worried about. If it bothers you, you could try changing his diet to another flavor or another brand altogether (I recommend sticking to foods by Purina, Hill's, Royal Canin, Iams or Eukanuba). You could also consider trying a probiotic supplement. Although Guido is young he could still also have a tooth problem and if the odor seems to be around all the time you may want to have your vet examine his mouth.

What you are smelling may be anal gland secretions. If one or both of the anal glands are very full they will sometimes "overflow" and then you have them exit the anus. This is a very bad sort of fishy smell. Next time you visit your vet for his vaccinations, you should have the vet examine them and empty them if necessary. If you think he has problems pooping or if he cries when pooping or if he scoots his behind on the floor, then they may be infected or impacted and need to be checked by your veterinarian.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Bad breath could be a sign of a bad tooth. Smelling like fish could be Iayl licking his anal glands (sacs inside the rectum). If these glands get full or infected, cats will lick the area. I recommend taking Iayl to the vet for an exam of his mouth and anal glands. He may need to have a dental cleaning or have the glands expressed. Good luck!

If his breath smells like fish I would recommend having his anal glands checked. I would also recommend having your veterinarian shave the hair off of his prepuce and check a urine sample. That way we can determine if this discharge is anything to be concerned about. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern! If you are smelling a bad odor coming from Prince's mouth, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine his mouth to determine if he has severe dental disease or not. He will likely need a dental cleaning and a course of antibiotics if he is dealing with severe dental disease, which is typical in small breed dogs. Some things you can do after you have his teeth cleaned would include Oravet chews, Plaque off and CET oral rinse. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further!

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Fishy smelling breath can be from either dental disease or from GI disease. If she is having a hard time breathing, it could be either heart disease, primary lung disease (airway disoders, asthma, infection/pneumonia, etc.). She could also be breathing up from pain, especially if she has GI disease, this can make them have abnormal breathing as well. I would be fairly worried and would recommend bringing her to a vet right away. I would bring her to an emergency clinic if your vet isn't open. Best of luck with Luna, I hope she feels better soon!

It could be just normal puppy breath. Some people feel like it doesn't smell good. If she tends to eat poop, this could also be the cause. With her being so young, I would not expect her to have any dental tartar causing a smell. If it continues or it gets worse, I would have your vet take a look at the mouth to ensure there isn't an infection somewhere.