Why does my small dog have bad breath? When should I see a vet?

The foul odor is most likely related to dental disease and infection. It is likely that Lila has dental disease as this is very common in Yorkies. You should have her examined by your veterinarian so a dental procedure can be scheduled. Many times this dental infection requires the extraction of teeth to fully resolve the issue. Dental infection is painful and can lead to other systemic issues so I'd recommend having Lila checked out soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It would be best to have a veterinarian do an exam on him. It’s possible he may have a wound on the roof of his mouth or back of his throat, or a piece of grass or a small twig stuck on a back tooth, etc, or a wound elsewhere in his mouth. It’s also possible that he’s having some tooth root problems with the recent eruption of adult teeth. If he is eating fine and otherwise acting normally, it’s ok to try brushing his teeth and try a rinse or water additive designed for halitosis (bad breath) in dogs. However if that doesn’t help after a few days, I would strongly recommend that you take him in. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Yes dogs do need teeth cleaning! You can brush Layla's teeth with a specific dog toothbrush and paste you get from a pet store. Do NOT use human toothpaste. Denta sticks are fine. She also needs an exam from a vet. The bad breath could be due to severe gingivitis, tooth root abscess, or a broken tooth. That requires a dental cleaning, scaling, and polishing, it cannot be treated at home. Like humans, dogs need a dental cleaning yearly. Contact her vet on Monday to make her an appointment. I hope this helps!

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 there and thank for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Dental calculus and associated periodontal disease can cause bad breath indeed! Sometimes the only way to truly lessen the bad breath is by taking Suki to get a professional dental cleaning at a veterinary hospital where the adhered calculus can be removed and the teeth can be cleaned. This will absolutely help with the breath issues. I hope this helps and thanks for posting!

I recommend getting her seen by your vet for an oral exam. There may be some hidden oral disease you cannot see, she may have a tumor or polyp somewhere in her mouth or nasal passages, kidney disease can cause bad breath, there are a number of possibilities. You vet will do a thorough exam, possibly bloodwork and based on these results, be better able to tell you what is going on with your dog and how best to treat it.