Hi all...

What do y'all use to combat bad breath for your dogs? I just got back from the vet and she gave me a solution to put on Oreo's teeth..I just did this and Oreo wanted to have NO part of this...she started foaming at the mouth then tried to yack it up...So, I don't think we will be using that again! UGH!!!  $15 at the vet down the drain...anyways....I was going to go run to the pet store and get some tooth brushes and paste. 

Also, Oreo's back teeth look very odd...they are green and black?  Could this be a sign of bad teeth?  I swear they were fine the last time I looked at them...Maybe its plaque?  I'll brush them and see if they get any better.  If not, back to the vet.

UGH!!!!

Thanks for help!

Along with brushing there are also some water additives you can buy at the petstores. They keep the bacteria down in the mouth. I use them for Jack who has ulcers. If they are actually black and green though and it's not something he ate, I would definately go back. Plaque is yellow.

I brushed my dogs teeth for a little while, but they only tolerated it and I didn't enjoy it so I had to force myself to do it.  Needless to say it didn't last long.  I found that giving them soup bones from the grocery store meat department was far more enjoyable for them and for me.  I just freeze them for a day or two (or more) before I give them to them. They go nuts for them, get their teeth cleaned and it only costs me a buck or two per bone, depending on the size.  I like them to be 1 or 2 pounds.(usually bigger than their heads) They grip them in their paws and work them from every angle.

When I got Oscar, I started giving him probiotics, which established good bacteria in his intestinal tract and improved his breath.  He also gets soup bones, of course, it's hilarious to watch a 7.5 pound dog try to sneak a 2 pound bone into the house.  I would recommend the human type probiotic product, however, because the dogs gut is very acidic and you need to supplement a large number of CFU's to make to make sure enough survive the harsh environment.

If you do decide to brush, I would recommend a soft bristled brush.

This sounds very familiar.  Our older boy, Rattagan, had the worst breath and his teeth weren't looking so good.  At his first visit to his new vet here she suggested an office cleaning.  We had tried all kinds of stuff for his breath, and it kept getting worse and worse.  We could smell it when he was sitting beside us.  We took him for the cleaning, and while Janie was in the dentist chair herself, we got the call from the vet that several of his teeth were severely infected and had to be removed.  When he came afterwards we noticed that his face had gotten thinner and we realized that the infection had swollen his face.

You might ask your vet if he does teeth cleaning, and if not, find a different vet.  If there is an infection it will continue to spread and it will become life threatening.

Our vet has tooth cleaning kits from CET Home Dental Care.  The brush fits on your finger tip and is very soft with small bumps for bristles.  We looked at the kits at Petco and they seemed like they would be too rough.  The CET kit we got is chicken flavored. Even Rattagan likes to have his teeth brushed with this stuff.  We also started putting some on our puppy Cameo's rubber chew toys to keep her interested in the toy and not chewing on us.

Please don't let this go unattended, in my opinion, and I'm no expert, but I believe Oreo really needs professional care.  Let me iterate, if we had not taken Rattagan in for the cleaning and ultimate removal of the infected teeth the vet said it would have killed him in a week or so.  If Oreo's problem is this it is very serious.

I really hope it is just something she ate, but having that vet checkout will be well worth it.  Keep us posted, OK?

Keep those teethers clean and she'll be fine then. Glad to hear it is not something more serious.