Bad breath in dogs
Bad dog breath or halitosis can be so disgusting and gross, particularly to those who love to cuddle or kiss their pooches. Unlike humans who may be aware, your canine friend may not know that its breath is awful.
a). Common causes
Some of its common causes include:
- Poor oral and dental hygiene can lead to tartar and plaque buildup with time leading to this foul odor.
- Gum and dental diseases, oral cancer and respiratory diseases
- Kidney disease if the smell resembles ammonia
- Ingestion of toxins,
- Eating decomposing foods, cat poop, GI upsets, and so on.
- Diabetic ketoacidosis may result in an unusually sweet and fruity smell or, if uncontrolled may weaken your dog’s immunity making it vulnerable to oral bacterial overgrowth.
- Foreign bodies lodge in your canine’s oral cavities including bones
b). Treating bad dog breath
If your pooch has an objectionable breath odor, do not begin the various treatments and remedies to curb the smell. Instead, let your vet conduct a proper diagnosis to unveil the underlying cause.
Once the underlying cause is known, depending on what it is, treatments may include the following:
- Treating any underlying disease such as oral and dental disease, diabetes, poisoning, kidney disease, and so on.
- Dog’s dental chews, mints, dental sealants
- Proper oral hygiene including brushing their teeth
- Routine annual teeth cleaning by your vet
- Look at what he or she eats
- Home remedies including given your dog some parsley, ginger tea, rawhides, coconut oil, neem, cinnamon, probiotics, et cetera.
Best breath mints for dogs
From the above overview, you have an idea of what the possible causes of the foul smell emanating from your dog’s mouth, as well as probable treatments of which dog or puppy breath mints, are one of it.
Some of the best mints for dogs in the market include the following:
1. Greenies Fresh mints
The GREENIES Flavors Dental Dog Treats are flavored naturally with dried spearmint to ensure fresh, minty breath. They also have vitamins, minerals, and other ingredients.
Why should you consider buying Greenies? Besides being recommended by VOHC (Veterinary Oral Health Council), only one chew is enough to ensure fresh breath, clean gums as well as help in fighting tartar and plaque.
What is good
- They quite effective in dealing with bad breath, tartar
- Most dogs will like them
Downside
- Some pups may not like them. Also, ensure you buy the right size.
2. GREENIES Breath Buster Bites
Also, you can go for the GREENIES Breath Buster Bites that have dried peppermint and many other nutrients. It is made following the AAFCO guidelines for adult dogs and is low in calories, less than 15 calories for each treat.
Avoid giving them to puppies below the age of six months or adult dogs whose weight is less than 5 pounds.
What is good
- They are great at improving your pup’s breath. No need to regularly brush their teeth or use dental wipes.
- Their small size makes them ideal for smaller dogs.
- Most dogs will love them so much owing to their great flavor and scent.
- Value for money.
Downside
- A few people reported little improvement in their dog’s breath. However, this requires a diagnosis to determine the cause.
- Some dogs may not like them.
3. Trader Joe’s Mint-A-Breath Minty Bones for Dogs
They come as digestible bones and have fennel, parsley, dill, chlorophyll, and peppermint for a fresh canine breath.
Besides ensuring fresh breath, they will help clean your dog’s teeth and promote digestion. Avoid giving them to puppies who have not begun eating solid.
Pros
- It has an appealing scent and taste that your canine friends cannot resist.
- It will clean their teeth besides ensuring a fresh breath.
Cons
- Some dogs may be sensitive to them, i.e., they may cause stomach upsets.
4. Woofmints All Natural Breath Freshener for Dog
The Woofmints All Natural Breath Freshener for Dog comes as a gel capsule that has organic parsley and peppermint seed oil. Besides ensuring fresh breath, it will also aid in digestion and calm your pup’s tummy.
Feed one gel to a dog weighing up to 25 pounds twice a day and twice as much for those weighing about 25 pounds. You can mix it with their food, treats, or with peanut butter and say bye to that awful breath that your canine friend has.
Pros
- They are effective at getting rid of that monstrous bad breath that your pooch has with a long-lasting effect.
- Being small in size, they can be easily concealed in food.
Cons
- Some dogs will refuse to eat them owing to their strong smell and taste.
5. Arm & Hammer Dog Dental Care Dental Mints
If you do not like the hustle of having to brush your pooch’s teeth, these are the mints you need. They will get rid of the bad breath and are suitable for dogs and puppies.
They have been enriched with baking soda and have peppermint, parsley powder, chlorophyll. It’s chicken flavor, and the crunchy texture will amaze your dogs.
Finally, they will not only reduce tartar and plague but also make your dog’s teeth white and their breath so refreshing.
Pros
- Most dogs will love them owning their crunchy chicken taste and a great scent.
- Value for money
Cons
- They are small in size hence some dogs may just swallow them.
6. Chomp’s Yip Yap dog mints
These breath mints for dogs are proven to work effectively and have only natural ingredients, which include rosemary, liver, parsley, and green tea. To your surprise, they do not have any Mentha sp. but are quite useful.
Finally, Yip yap comes in 12 times, meaning that you do not have to buy them time and again.
Note – However, use these breath mints only after diagnosis. Otherwise, they may not help if your vet does not address the underlying cause.
Where to buy them?
Besides amazon.com, other places where you can buy these dog mints include Walmart, PetSmart, Petco, eBay, Chewy, among others. You can also get them in your local pet store.
Homemade dog breath mints
If you do not want to buy them, you can, with an excellent DIY dog breath mints, you should be able to make your own at home.
We have already looked at whether mint leaves are safe or not to dogs where a large amount is not safe. Therefore, use only a small amount of these leaves. Besides fresh breath, they have many other benefits too.
We will not be looking into the various recipes in detail. Instead, we will give you where to get resources that will be helpful.
- Rover – It has seven homemade recipes that will ensure your canine friend has a fresh breath as well as the other benefits the various ingredients have.
- This Dog’s Life – It will give you five recipes as well as dog cookies, using peanut butter, among other ingredients. The steps are easy to follow.
- WikiHow – Features stepwise, well-illustrated steps to follow that you will also find very helpful.
- Petcube – Uses parsley and mint in their recipe.
- The Everyday Dog Mom – Makes use of basil, peppermint essential oil, and other ingredients in their recipe for homemade dog mints.
Can dogs eat mint candy-like Altoids and polo?
No. Dogs should not eat mint candy, especially those sweetened by xylitol or sorbitol, or have ingredients such as chocolate. They are toxic, i.e., not good for dogs. Furthermore, being sugary and highly calorific, they may lead to obesity and well as diabetes.
Therefore, dogs cannot eat polo mints, Altoids, thin or junior mint, or any other designed for humans. Go for those involved for your pooches.