It’s not pleasant when you have to wake up in the morning from your pet’s licking, and if your dog’s breath smells like rotten meat, the greeting procedure turns into torture. It must be said that an unnatural smell from a dog’s mouth is a fairly common occurrence, some even believe that it is normal. Reasoning logically: “the dog just ate something,” the owner may waste valuable time and aggravate the illness from which the pet is already suffering.
Note! Halitosis is a concept meaning the presence of an unpleasant (putrefactive) odor from the mouth of a pet.
This false opinion is further confirmed by the fact that most owners do not consider preventive cleaning of their pet’s teeth to be an essential aspect of care. A dog whose teeth have never been brushed is expected to have an unpleasant odor from his mouth, but is this normal and what can be done to correct the situation? Veterinarians and groomers note that 8 out of 10 cases when a dog’s mouth stinks is not a cosmetic problem, but a symptom of a disease. Treatment of any ailment begins with diagnosis, which means searching for the causes of the disease.
Fish
This problem can have a number of reasons:
- If the dog just ate the fish. He can’t brush his teeth like a human, and he gives off a fishy aroma for quite a long time.
- This “aroma” may indicate gum or dental disease. For example, the majority of fighting dogs have slightly or severely deformed jaws. In this case, food can get stuck in small crevices. Therefore, you need to brush your pet's teeth from time to time .
- If the mouth really stinks of fish, but the animal has not eaten it, this may be a consequence of blockage of the anal glands . It produces bacteria, and when a dog licks its “butt,” they end up in the mouth. As a result, an unpleasant odor appears.
- Problems with the gastrointestinal tract and metabolic disorders can also manifest themselves as a fishy “aroma” from the animal’s jaws.
Why your dog is itchy and smells like fish from under its tail: harbingers of illness
If any signs are observed, especially signs 3 and 4, then you should definitely show the dog to a veterinarian.
Harmless reasons
The main source of dog odor is specific secretory sebaceous glands located in the dermis. The intensity of their work depends on age, emotional state, individual, physiological characteristics of the body, conditions of detention, and climatic conditions.
Important! Males emit a stronger odor than females. The reason is the increased production of hormones, which, unlike female dogs, are constantly produced.
A dog may smell fishy due to the presence of a large amount of fresh river and sea fish in the pet’s diet. An unbalanced diet, violation of the daily routine can also cause this phenomenon. By adjusting the diet, after normalizing the metabolism, the problem of fishy odor, if the dog does not suffer from chronic gastrointestinal diseases, will be solved.
A not-so-pleasant smell from a dog may be due to breed and genetic characteristics. For example, basset hounds, American cocker spaniels, pointers, and Newfoundlands can emit odors that are unpleasant to humans (the smell of fish, dog) during certain periods of life (sexual heat, puberty, excessive physical activity).
A fishy odor from dogs can also be caused by seasonal shedding, poor hygiene, improper coat care, and age-related changes in the body.
Rotten meat and rot
Causes:
- Dental problems. The first association with an unpleasant “aroma” from a pet’s mouth should be problems with the teeth or the oral mucosa. To verify or refute this reason, you need to conduct an independent examination.
Healthy mucous membrane is pale pink; there should be no scratches, cuts, or ulcers.Then you need to examine your teeth to see if they have caries or not. If plaque is found in the mouth, it must be carefully removed. Also, bad breath for this reason is a signal to review your diet .
If you still smell rotten, most likely there are more serious reasons (below) and you need to go to the doctor.
- Diseases of the kidneys and/or urinary system . Most often, older dogs (more than 10 years old) suffer from this problem. The dog drinks a lot and, as a result, often goes to the toilet. This happens much less frequently, but sometimes it still happens that these urges are not always accompanied by urine discharge. The general condition is most often sluggish.
- Digestive disorders .
If a dog’s mouth suddenly begins to stink very strongly of rotten meat, then this may be one of the symptoms of the onset of gastritis or intestinal obstruction, as well as stagnation of semi-digested food in the intestines. Also, low-quality, cheap food may well be the cause of the unpleasant odor. Try feeding the animal natural, high-quality food for 2-3 weeks, walking it for min. 30 minutes 2 times a day, then most likely, digestion will improve, which means, as a result, the stench will disappear. - Respiratory problems . If a dog has become infected with an infection, and this infection is in the respiratory tract, then there may be a “rotten” smell from the mouth. Additional symptoms are most likely a cough and fever, possibly a runny nose. It is important to remember that this can be a symptom of distemper, which can be fatal.
- Diabetes . Yes, it affects not only people, but also dogs. Associated symptoms: sudden weight loss and constant thirst.
Associated symptoms that should alert you
Along with stench from the mouth, the dog may be bothered by:
- Toothache. In cases with tartar and periodontal disease, the animal will experience discomfort in the gum area. The dog will scratch its mouth and try to reach its gums and teeth with its paw. Decreased appetite and apathy indicate pain that the animal is experiencing. The dog will not allow you to touch its face and put on a muzzle.
- Problems with gums. If they are pale, swollen, with obvious signs of inflammation, this indicates stomatitis, mechanical damage or inflammation.
- Fever, increased body temperature. Such symptoms are characteristic of any inflammatory processes in the body. Regardless of the location of the inflammation, the animal’s general condition will be painful - weakness, loss of appetite, refusal to play and walk.
- Itchy skin, spots on the skin. They will accompany allergic reactions.
- Hair loss in the pelvic area. This is a clear symptom of hormonal imbalance.
- Bloody discharge, cloudy saliva, purulent clots from the dog’s mouth. This is a sign of oral problems. There is an open wound in the animal’s mouth, which may even have festered.
The general condition of the dog will be painful.
The smell can be only one of the symptoms of the animal’s pathology. But you should also not neglect it if the dog looks absolutely healthy.
Urine
If your dog smells like urine coming from his mouth, he needs to see a veterinarian very urgently . Because, most likely, the smell of ammonia is associated with kidney problems. But there may also be liver problems: one of the most serious consequences is Cushing's syndrome.
How are kidney or liver problems and bad breath related? Slowing down the removal of metabolic products from the body leads to the formation, even increased release of ammonia by tissues.
Read more about this and other problems in the article “Why does a dog smell like dog, fish or rotten meat: we solve problems quickly”
Acetone
This problem most often occurs with diabetes mellitus . Associated symptoms include severe thirst, changes in body weight, and symptoms such as itchy skin and fatigue may also be present.
Sores may appear on the skin, and the animal itself is most likely lethargic. This disease must be treated throughout life.
You need to consult a good doctor, because... this pathology is very dangerous due to its complications.
A mature dog smells bad
Why does one house smell like cats, but not another?
Adult four-legged animals suffer from the problem in the presence of the following sources:
- Diseases of the nasopharynx - occur with severe hypothermia.
- Dental pathologies – with gingivitis, stomatitis, glossitis, caries and tartar.
- Diabetes mellitus - the smell of acetone is mixed with the main aroma.
- Carbohydrate imbalance is formed due to an incorrectly selected diet, with an excess of carbohydrates.
- Gastrointestinal diseases - in addition to the repulsive aroma, symptoms are accompanied by flatulence, diarrhea, and change in the color of stool.
- Malignant tumors in the mouth - may be a sign of cancer of the gums or tongue.
- Lesions of the biliary tract and liver - present in hepatitis, cirrhosis, necrosis or dyskinesia.
- Disorders of the genitourinary tract - glomerulonephritis is accompanied by shortness of breath and wheezing.
Important! The most harmless reason is the lack of regular brushing of the entire dentition.
Badly
The most likely reasons:
- Most often, bad breath occurs due to tartar . This is not a life-threatening problem, but plaque on teeth is not as harmless as it seems. Yes, this health problem will not take the dog’s life. But it can ruin it.
- A malignant tumor is another reason for the unpleasant odor from the mouth. Most often, dogs of the Boxer breed and others with a short muzzle get this disease. But this does not mean that owners of dogs of other breeds should exclude this reason.
- Maximum protein content in the diet.
- Putting food behind a dog's jowls if the animal has a short muzzle. Often, food that gets into the cheek space begins to smell very bad after some time and it seems that the aroma comes from the mouth.
- If your dog has to drink chlorinated water.
- Lack of balance in the diet.
- Your carelessness while walking
