One would expect that puppy bad breath would be a relatively uncommon thing. After all, puppies mouths are usually very healthy and young dogs have not had time to accumulate a buildup of tartar on their teeth. Surprisingly, a unpleasant odor on a puppy s breath is not uncommon - it s often caused, however, by different things than the problem in older dogs. If you puppy has not had regular veterinary care, a sensible first step is to take the puppy for a health check, vaccinations, and deworming.

If your young dog has bad breath, the next step is to look in his mouth. Look for inflamed gums or signs of an impacted baby tooth. Both of these things can generate an odor from dead tissue or from mouth bacteria that tend to colonize an unhealthy site. Is your puppy teething? Teething is a common cause of inflammation in a puppy s mouth and of puppy bad breath. Teething is usually finished by the time the puppy is six or seven months old. If, however, your puppy is not teething and you see that her gums are seriously inflamed, take her to your veterinarian for an examination.

While you are looking in your puppy s mouth, check carefully for food items lodged between the teeth. If you find something there it may have been there for a while and could easily be the sole cause of puppy bad breath. The solution is easy: remove the food and keep an eye on things. There may be certain places in your dog s mouth where food is particularly likely to lodge, so any time your dog has bad breath, check for that.

When an older dog has bad breath, it s usually due to a buildup of tartar on the teeth and accompanying gum inflammation. This is a rare cause of puppy bad breath, but it is worth looking carefully at the teeth, especially the outside surfaces of the back molars, to be sure that nothing is building up there. Feeding soft and canned dog foods can accelerate tartar buildup. Be sure to buy your puppy some chew toys and bones that will help keep his teeth clean. You can also get him used to having his teeth brushed at a young age to avoid tartar problems later on.

Another thing to consider is the possibility that the puppy bad breath is coming from somewhere other than your dog s mouth. Many dogs will eat feces if they get the chance and this can produce a terrible smell on the breath for a while. Also they may pick up a bad smell in the mouth when they groom themselves around the anal sac. When a dog has bad breath at any age, this may be the cause. There s not a lot you can do about it, but remember, in each instance, it s temporary.

In some cases of puppy bad breath, there s nothing wrong. Some breeds are said to typically have bad breath and there isn t much you can do about it. Your veterinarian can help you decide if your puppy has bad breath because of a health problem, or if that s just the way her breath naturally smells.

R. Drysdale is a freelance writer with more than 25 years experience as a health care professional. She is a contributing editor to Puppy Bad Breath, a blog dedicated to the treatment of bad breath.

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