How to Clean Puppy's Bad Breath
Easy
5 - 10 Minutes
1 Day
Need regular grooming services?
Introduction
Your puppy’s sweet puppy breath has changed to dog breath. It doesn’t take long for this transition to happen and for your dog to go from cute, cuddly, sweet smelling pup to stinky dog breath. His dog breath is directly related to the food he eats and everything else he chews on, along with how well you are caring for his oral health. Keeping his teeth and gums clean will help with overall puppy breath. You’ll also want to consider the foods you give him as he transitions from mother’s milk to kibble.
Dog's Perspective
Your puppy is not going to want to brush his teeth all the time. There will be moments when this puppy breath needs to be handled right away without time to waste. You can bet your puppy probably doesn’t care what his breath smells like. But he may enjoy a treat every now and then.
The Keep ‘Em Clean Method
Effective
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Toothbrush
Step
1
Brush
Brush your puppy’s teeth often. If your puppy is a breed with a smooshed face, you’ll need to clean more often. Daily brushing will help control bad breath. Choose a toothpaste that smells good. A meat-flavored toothpaste might not leave the best breath even though your puppy might enjoy it. A minty or herbal flavored paste will be better for his breath.
Step
2
Chews
Give your puppy dental chews to chew on daily. This will help remove plaque and tartar buildup that causes bad breath. Many of these dental chews are also made with breath fresheners to assist in better breath for your puppy.
Step
3
Lots of water
Be sure your puppy has drinking water readily available. While he’s potty training you might want to limit his intake if you are away from him for long periods of time, but when you are around, make sure he has plenty of fresh water to drink.
Step
4
Foods
Try to give your puppy as much natural food as possible. Processed foods are culprits of horrible dog breath. His breath will change if his diet switches from highly processed to a more natural diet. As the food he takes in changes, the enzymes in his mouth will also change causing better breath.
Step
5
Gum health
While you are brushing your puppy’s teeth, pay attention to his gum line. Puffy, red, and swollen gums are a sign of gum disease. Though your puppy might not be old enough to have gum disease just yet, plaque and tartar buildup doesn’t take long to occur and can cause bad breath.
The Natural Remedies Method
Effective
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Step
1
Coconut oil
Add a teaspoon of coconut oil to your puppy’s food each day. Not only will coconut oil help his gut, but it will also kill bacteria in his mouth. You can even use coconut oil to brush your little guy’s teeth.
Step
2
Probiotics
Sprinkled on his food or given as a crunchy treat, probiotics change the makeup of bad bacteria in your puppy’s body. Probiotics add good bacteria to the mix of bad bacteria in the gut and mouth, helping your pup with his breath.
Step
3
Cinnamon
Sprinkle a dash of cinnamon onto your puppy’s meals each day. Only a dash is needed. This will add natural flavor to his meals as well as sweeten his breath.
Step
4
Wheatgrass
Your puppy may have discovered the joy of chewing on your lawn. However, this almost never ends well. Let your puppy chew on wheatgrass instead of your lawn grass. Wheatgrass will sweeten his breath and add good enzymes to his mouth. He can chew on some as a treat, or you can add some to his meal.
Step
5
Neem oil
Many people use neem oil in their gardens to assist in ridding the garden of pests and fungus. Neem oil can also be used on your dog’s food. Neem comes from an evergreen tree and is safe for dogs. This oil has been used for oral health in humans and animals for years.
Caution & Considerations
- Your puppy’s breath will likely change as he moves from milk to kibble. Even the best of kibbles won’t stop this from happening. A diet of milk is sweet, unlike a diet of kibble or regular food.
- You can help your puppy’s breath by offering a more natural diet. Whole foods will affect his overall health which, in turn, will affect his oral health and his breath.
- Natural foods such as carrots are hard enough to give your puppy something to chew on while chipping away at built-up tartar.
- Training your puppy to accept tooth brushing is easier to do now when he is young rather than waiting until he is older and is used to not needing to brush.
- If you give your puppy bones to help with teeth cleaning and better breath, be sure to give him raw bones. Cooked bones tend to split and could cause internal injury.
- Dental treats might help freshen a puppy’s bad breath, but be sure you are choosing one meant for breath and teeth cleaning and not only teeth cleaning.
- Your puppy’s diet is a great way to attack bad breath from the inside. Adding coconut oil and probiotics will help keep his gut healthy, which will affect his breath as well.
Conclusion
You might not be able to simply clean your puppy’s breath, but you can try to bring back a sweet puppy breath with some natural tricks and puppy maintenance such a tooth brushing. Adding healthy food to your pup’s diet will help create a fresher mouth. Don’t let your puppy’s breath end all those sweet puppy kisses.
