My 13-year-old Border Collie: food, grooming, and bad breath advice?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear Eddie is having dental issues. If his dental disease is that significant, and his mouth bacteria is making that bad of a smell, I would recommend having his teeth evaluated by a veterinarian and possibly having a dental. Bacteria in the mouth are not only bad for a dog's teeth, but they also can lead to bacterial translocation to the heart and kidneys, which can lead to substantial health issues long-term. At his age, I would recommend a senior dog food; there are many good options, including Purina Bright Minds, Acana, and multiple others. A good quality senior food (grain free or not) would most likely be a good option, and then having his teeth issues addressed. Good luck!

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.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Once dental disease and tartar is present, it is very difficult to remove the smell without a dental procedure to clean the teeth. With the collapsing trachea this does increase the risk of anaesthesia, so you should discuss this risk with your vet. You can try Hill's T/D dental forumula, it works very well at preventing more tartar build-up but won't help what is presently there. It might help with the breath a bit as it has some enzymes present that help. There are also water additive products that help with the smell of the mouth, and you can ask your vet about these products and what is available in your area. I think you should talk with your vet about the risks of anaesthesia, and also try the other methods to see if you can get the dental disease under control. It might be better to have another cleaning now however, before Rudy Sue's collapsing trachea gets worse. I would discuss this aspect with your vet as well. Best of luck with Rudy Sue!

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!

Hello. You are probably right that the bad breath is not entirely from the teeth or oral cavity. Certainly other health conditions can contribute to Mitch's halitosis including gastrointestinal disease & renal disease. I would recommend an x-ray or his upper GI, including the esophagus to rule out a condition called megaesophagus, & then, of course, a CBC, serum chemistry, urinalysis & thyroid evaluation. This way, if something is found, proper treatment can be initiated immediately. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It would be better is she was switched to an adult dog food. Small breed dog foods are typically a small pellet. Eukanuba has a small breed adult dog food so you could try that and see if she is able to eat that food. You should gradually switch to the adult food as an abrupt change may cause some gastrointestinal issues.

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.