Re Dog bad breath Any advice ? Would be appreciated. Older dogs - been to vet.

[BasiliskStare]

We have been to the vet about this but would appreciate any personal experience

We have two quite elderly dogs ( 13 and 14. ) Oldest dog' s teeth are not great and beforehand he has been put under general anaesthetic to clean them . Vet suggested not again because of his age. The slightly younger ones teeth are better . We have dog toothbrushes , toothpaste & a gel to put on their teeth and gums but breathe is not great ( particularly younger one. ) Vet does not know what else to suggest.

Does anyone have any advice or do we just live with it ? DH found something on Amazon which purports to work but would prefer someone's personal experience - Otherwise I will live with it because they are lovely

Thank you

Placemarking as both of mine absolutely stink!

I don't have advice but am watching this with interest.
I have heard that Plaque Off is good but we have only just settled our dogs allergies after months of itchy ears and skin so are reluctant to start throwing new stuff at her for a while.
I wonder if anyone has first hand experience of this or a similar product?

We have older dogs with a similar issue and we use drops in their water and they are very good.

@romdowa - would you mind telling me what the drops are ? Thank you

Glad , to all other posters , we are not alone Will have a look at Plaque Off. But I had heard there are some drops which help.

Our spaniel gets bad breath. I find if I brush his teeth with delicious poultry flavoured toothpaste 😂 it sorts it out immediately. Has to be done regularly though.

@RainCloude - would you be so kind as to tell me where you buy that from ? We brush the dogs' teeth - but not working thus far.

@BasiliskStare I got this from Amazon. Hadn't used toothpaste on him before so it could be it wouldn't work for you, if you've already used toothpaste?

A bit random I know but we had this issue and on the end the vet worked out it was from our dog licking her anal glands. Once they were sorted the bad breath disappeared!

Thank you everyone

Ah - thank you everyone - we have a few routes to go down - very much appreciated.

At the practice where i work we regularly do dog dentals on older dogs . If your dogs are generally quite well and active have you thought about a general health profile blood which will give a good idea as to whether they would be good candidates for general anaesthetic.
I think it is a dilemma at this age because of the increased risk , however you could have them for quite a while yet and its not much fun for them or yourself living with grotty teeth and the smell they give off .
Dentagen is a water treatment that helps prevent plaque.

Have ordered some Dentagen.

Eldest dog gets a regular check up and vet advised against a GA. I understand your point but the vet knows them so I am going with his advice. But I appreciate your advice @tsmainsqueeze

And @RainCloude - thank you - may try that

@romdowa - Thank you - could you let me know the name of the drops ? or anyone else who knows of them

So I am going to try a few more things otherwise will live with things

Will come back if something works

Plaque off on their food works wonders - I DH's it everyday for my beagle and he has perfect teeth (he had his annual check up yesterday)

If it helps at all my dog is just about to turn 16 and had a dental under general anaesthetic last week. He also has level 2 kidney disease so had fluids before, during and after to help him recover.

I was very scared about leaving him, but I can't believe how well he's come through it - he had 3 teeth removed, including one broken one, so it's no wonder the poor old boy was struggling to eat. His teeth are lovely and white now, and no more toxic breath!

He was running round the garden with me this afternoon so it does seem to have perked him up no end

OSTRICH BONES! Shouting in joy!

I gave both my girls these (they are of course, HUGE bones) but the tiny holes inside mean they grate against the teeth brilliantly. Both dogs are no longer in need of dentals. Thank god.

Thank you all - I am compiling a list

@Rapidash I am so pleased your boy has done so well. We took our two to the vet and the vet advised against GA ( both dogs have been with same vet practice since we have had them ) - so I am reluctant to do it. But it would seem you have had a lovely story with your boy

Nothing will help other than a dental if they have gum disease and tartar build up. Dental disease can lead to systemic disease as the toxins enter the blood stream. I've never heard of a vet advising against necessary treatment unless the patient is seriously unwell. Even diabetics and those with mild to moderate kidney disease can safely have anaesthetics. Like Pp I work in a vet, we do dentals most on days on elderly animals, we did an 18 Yr old cat yesterday!

There are 2 types of toothpaste. Ones that are enzyme based (and that I've never found to be that effective). Others that are chlorhexidine based, so anti-bacterial.

e.g. www.petdrugsonline.co.uk/dentisept

The second is really sticky so you just need to smear it on their teeth, rather than brush. And I've found it to be very useful for older dogs trying to hang on the last of their teeth

Similarly a daily brush with a soft, bare brush last thing at night can help dislodge food particles and prevent things getting worse. Especially for your younger dog. It takes just a few seconds and really does help keep teeth healthy and breath a bit fresher.

A teaspoon of coconut oil after every meal… freshens the breath, and has the added advantage of making their coats really super glossy and silky too. And it’s so sweet to taste, my dogs lap it up willingly as a treat.

In large quantities it can have a bit of a laxative effect, so worth building up slowly for the first week. But I buy a massive jar from Amazon for a tenner and it lasts well over a year! Never found a specific product that has the same effect on breath freshening.

We also use plaque off on their food. It's brilliant stuff and has taken our spanner's teeth from awful to really good in a few months and helps breath issues too. Fairly inexpensive and you just sprinkle it over their food.

Thank you all

Not sure why vet is against a GA but he was. I shall read through all these more properly & thank you for the post @Anonaymoose

I believe the gel we have is anti bacterial - but will check.

I may be googling coconut oil later

But in the interim - even if I have not mentioned by name - I appreciate all your advice.

Basiisk

Thank you @SirSniffsAlot

PlaqueOff hasn’t worked for mine. It lessens it slightly, but doesn’t get rid of it.

My old boy is 16 and can’t have a GA due to specific health issues. Your vet will know your dogs’ best and is therefore most qualified to judge, but if you aren’t sure you could get a second opinion or ask for a referral to a vet hospital to see their specialist anaesthetists. There are cases where it isn’t advisable, but they aren’t very common.

Essentially we have to keep his teeth really clean and keep the bacterial load as low as possible by thorough use of chlorhexidine based products.

We use plaque off in his meals, clean his teeth daily, followed by Virbac Hexarinse and apply Dentisept before he goes to bed every evening. He doesn’t have much plaque, as we’ve always tried our best with his teeth, but his two rear, top molars could do with being removed if he could cope with a GA.

The other thing is to mention though, is that he is on an extensive pain relief protocol for his other issues already, so that will be helping with any potential dental pain.

It’s far from ideal, but he seems comfortable and happy (although does hate the dentisept and we get his hard ‘Paddington stare’ when he sees us get the tube out) still eats his kibble and chews quite happily and is monitored monthly by our vet anyway.

The difference between him and your dogs is that he is really on palliative care at this point, although the above protocol has kept things stable for over a year now.

@GoodnightGrandma

PlaqueOff hasn’t worked for mine. It lessens it slightly, but doesn’t get rid of it.

Plaque off only helps if the plaque itself is removed by regular cleaning (once it’s softened you can flick chunks of plaque off with your thumbnail) and dental chews etc.

Best time to use it is after a dental, to help stop plaque forming again.