Bad breath is Dogs; it is a lot more than just a stinky mouth.

Bad dog breath is one of the most common problems in dogs nowadays, pick any dog off the street,

chances are four of them will bite you on the nose with their dog bad breath. Being such a common

condition it’s understandable why so many dog owners accept it as being normal and why such few

think about it. Your dog’s bad breath is also called canine halitosis can be an early alarm bell altering you

of a more sinister hidden disease.

First of all you should run an online search for causes of dog bad breath and you could be forgiven for

thinking that all the halitosis arises from our fundamental source which is poor oral hygiene which is

mostly true, in most of the cases its due to oral bacteria and yes these bacterial functions are in the form

of tooth decay and gum disease can give rise to more serious conditions. Yet for 1 in 10 dogs with bad

breath the source of foul odor arises beyond their mouth. Consequently by applying the blanked

diagnosis to your dog’s bad breath you run the risk of overlooking a potentially harmful underlying

condition and in the process inadvertently delay critical early diagnosis and treatment.

What do you think is the reason behind your pet’s bad breath other than the usual dental diseases?

In essence, there are two broad categories of non-dental causes for bad-breath: gastro-intestinal

conditions and non-gastro-intestinal causes.

Gastro-intestinal conditions comprise the most common non-dental causes of bad breath. Of these the

most common odor-producing diseases include:

Foreign bodies lodged in the oro-pharynx

Food allergies;

Poisoning;

Stomach ulcers;

Esophageal / stomach cancer

Parasites

And now coming to the non-gastro-intestinal conditions, while these are much rarer causes of bad

breath they are definitely they can get more serious conditions to diagnose early and accurately. The

most common of these conditions can consist, Diabetes, Kidney failure, Liver failure, Lung cancer.

Now having a look at this long list of diseases it should be clear that dog bad breath is not simply a

reflection of poor oral hygiene. Rather, bad breath in dogs is a non-specific symptom of a wide range of

harmful and even potentially fatal conditions. In essence dog bad breath is Natures' way of telling you

that your dog is unwell without telling you exactly what's wrong with them.

Now the question that comes in to everybody’s mind is that "How can I tell if my dogs' bad breath is due

to poor oral hygiene or if it's due to something much more serious? “Unfortunately there is no simple

way to diagnose the cause of dog bad breath. It is better to get your dog checked by the vet before the

problem gets bigger.