Bad breath! Who? Me?

Bad breath also known as halitosis is the build up of odor producing bacteria in your cat or dog’s mouth, lungs or gut. Persistent bad breath can indicate something is wrong in the gastrointestinal tract, liver or kidneys or it could mean your pet needs better dental care.

Most often bad breath is caused by dental or gum disease. In certain dogs, particularly small ones and small cats with brachycephalic (characterized with short nose, flat face features) breeds such as Himalayan or Persian are most prone to periodontal disease.

Your veterinarian is best to pinpoint the cause of the bad breath. When you go to the veterinarian be ready to answer questions about diet, oral hygiene, exercise, and general behavior.

In some cases there are no symptoms other than the foul odor coming from the mouth. Some additional  symptoms you can watch for are pawing at the mouth, inability to eat or excessive drooling.

If the breath smells unusually sweet or fruity could be a sign of diabetes, if the breath smells like urine could be a sign of kidney disease and if it is a unusually foul odor and there is vomiting, lack of appetite and the corneas of the eyes or gums are yellow-tinged it could be a sign of liver issues.

Only by a veterinarian checkup with some routine testing can you get to the root of the problem.

So now you know that bad breath in your pets is something you want to have checked out!