How to Help Your Dog Get His Puppy Breath Back
Everyone loves puppy breath! But give that same dog a few months to get his adult breath and well, not so much.
Bad breath is a common complaint amongst many dog owners and studies have shown that 98% of dogs that have bad breath are usually suffering from periodontal disease, which is a result of plaque buildup.
However, there are a few things that you can do to help restore your dog’s breath back to its original puppy-freshness:
1. Brush Your Dog’s Teeth
Most veterinarians advise dog owners to brush their dog’s teeth every day to at least once a week. Before you embark on such a regime, you will first need to get your dog used to having your finger inside his mouth. You can do this by:
- dipping your finger in beef bouillon and allowing your dog to lick it off by placing your finger in his mouth.
- Next you can introduce your dog to a toothbrush and make small circles around your dog’s teeth.
- Eventually you will be able to graduate to using toothpaste on the toothbrush.
Ensure that you only use toothpaste made for pets, as human toothpaste can be harmful if swallowed by your dog.
Brush your dog’s teeth slowly and gently, making sure to reach the back teeth where tartar and plaque are usually more prevalent. But stop after 30 seconds or so as your dog may begin to fuss. You don’t want him to associate fussing with you stopping the toothbrush.
2. Watch What He Eats
Your dog’s diet can help keep his teeth nice and clean. Dogs who eat dry kibble usually have less plaque buildup than those dogs who eat primarily canned wet food. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t still brush your dog’s teeth. The abrasiveness of kibble is nothing compared to a good toothbrush and some liver-flavored toothpaste. Yum!
3. Throw Him A Bone
Giving your dog a bone can sometimes be a good thing…as long as it’s a chewing bone that is. Dogs have an inherit need to chew on things as this helps keep their jaw muscles strong, and their teeth sharp and tartar free. Provide your dog with a good quality chew toy such as a Nylabone.
4. Does Your Dog Slobber?
Your dog’s slobber can play an important part in determining how often you need to brush your dog’s teeth. This is because some dogs will produce more acidic saliva while other dogs will actually produce saliva that is more alkaline. Within your dog’s saliva there will also be varying amounts of salts and ions, which accumulate on their teeth forming tartar.
5. Freshen His Breath
Sometimes all your dog needs is a minty breath freshener, such as Dog Smog Remedy . Not only does it contain Spearmint and Peppermint oils, it also contains natural Fennel and Parsley extracts as well. Other key ingredients are Sage extract to help prevent gum disease and Marshmallow extract to help promote healthy gums.
Simply spray 3 to 6 squirts of Dog Smog Remedy, depending on the size of your dog, onto your dog’s tongue and let the natural herbs work their magic on your dog’s breath.
Pretty soon your dog will have puppy-fresh breath!