As your four-legged friend leans in for a kiss, you may jerk back in horror at their mouth odor. When did your pet’s breath get so bad, and why did it happen? If your furry pal has stinky breath but is otherwise behaving normally, they likely have dental disease.

However, other health conditions can also cause your pet’s breath to stink. Learn about pet’s potential bad breath causes, and follow our North Bay Veterinary Dentistry team’s tips on how to help your furry pal have kissably fresh breath.

What conditions can make my pet’s breath smell bad?

Many health conditions can cause your pet’s bad breath, so a comprehensive veterinary exam is always necessary to determine the underlying cause. Some of pets’ most common foul breath triggers include:

  • Dental disease — Dental disease is by far the most common cause of bad breath. Plaque bacteria, food debris, trapped fur, and other conditions that affect the lips, cheeks, tongue, and teeth can cause foul breath.
  • Kidney disease — Pets suffering from severe kidney disease can have a uremic (i.e., ammonia-like) odor to their breath.
  • Liver disease —The liver is responsible for the body’s toxin filtration, so when this organ fails to function properly, toxins accumulate and can cause your pet to have bad breath.
  • Diabetes — Pets with unregulated diabetes who have excess sugar or ketones in their blood can have an acetone-like (i.e., sweet) scent to their breath.
  • Allergies — Chronic skin allergies can cause your pet to lick and chew their skin obsessively. Not only can moist skin develop a yeasty odor, but your pet’s breath can also become foul if fur becomes trapped under their gumline, and oral bacteria grow.
  • Foreign object — If your pet chews a stick or other sharp object, it can pierce their oral cavity tissue and lodge in the roof of the mouth or under the tongue. If your pet has a foreign object lodged in their mouth, the item can fester and cause an infection, leading to foul breath.
  • Gastrointestinal issues — If your pet has gastroesophageal reflux, or regularly vomits stomach bile or food, their breath may be particularly unpleasant. 
  • Dietary habits — Whether your cat enjoys eating fishy foods or your dog snacks on the feces in the litter box, your pet’s dietary habits can cause bad breath.

Why does dental disease make my pet’s breath smell bad?

Oral bacteria mix with substances in your pet’s saliva and food debris, creating sticky plaque that hardens into tartar on their teeth. The more tartar your pet has on their teeth, the more the plaque is contacting the gum tissues and causing inflammation. When pockets develop because of this inflammation, specific bacteria invade the pockets and release the noxious odors that cause bad breath. Overall, any periodontal problem your pet develops can make their breath smell bad. Inflammation, infection, and any oral injury your furry pal suffers can lead to stinky breath.

What other problems does dental disease cause in pets?

Dental disease is an overarching term that encompasses pets’ myriad oral health problems. Some periodontal problems that can cause your furry pal to have bad breath include the following:

  • Gingivitis
  • Plaque and tartar accumulation
  • Gingival hyperplasia (i.e., overgrowth)
  • Crowded teeth that trap food/debris
  • Oronasal fistulas

Other dental and oral conditions that are commonly associated with bad breath include:

  • Broken teeth
  • Oral masses
  • Stomatitis (plaque-reactive stomatitis in dogs, feline chronic gingivostomatitis in cats)
  • Auto-immune disease such as erythema multiforme

Your family veterinarian should examine your pet’s mouth if your furry pal’s breath is unpleasant to determine whether a periodontal problem or an underlying health issue is causing the odor. In general, bad breath can signal your pet needs veterinary care to keep them healthy.

What at-home care can I provide to help my pet’s breath smell fresh?

While you might be tempted to give your pet a breath mint to freshen their stinky breath, do not give them any products intended for people’s use. Breath mints and toothpaste for people often include xylitol, which is toxic to dogs. 

Use oral health care products that are safe for your pet by choosing items that have the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) Seal of Acceptance. Products that bear this seal are proven to slow plaque and tartar accumulation. Daily toothbrushing is the gold standard at-home dental care, but to help boost your furry pal’s oral health, you can also give them VOHC-approved dental chews, treats, diets, food and water additives, and oral wipes and sealants.

Unpleasant breath is one of pets’ first dental disease signs. If your furry pal’s breath stinks, schedule an oral exam and dental cleaning with your family veterinarian or with the NBVD team. However, uncomplicated dental disease may not be causing your pet’s foul breath, and if your primary veterinarian detects an oral mass, fractured tooth, or tooth root abscess, the North Bay Veterinary Dentistry team can step in for the advanced dental procedures needed.