Don’t ignore the condition of your dog’s mouth
If your pet has bad breath, it is not necessarily a sign of ageing. Continual presence of bacteria and their associated toxins have a daily impact on your pet’s health. You need to think: “How would I like that pathology going on in my mouth?”
Partly because the mouth is a warm, moist environment and has significant nutrients present for organisms to grow on, the oral cavity of pets is a perfect incubator for all kinds of bacteria, some that are good but also some that cause bad breath and gum disease. Most are normal and natural but once plaque and calculus form on the teeth the normal microbial flora get out of balance and if pathogenic organisms proliferate, trouble arises.
Far too often veterinarians discover during the physical examination that their four-legged patient has a foul odour to the breath as a result of generalised periodontitis. But foul breath is merely a warning sign that there is a disease process far more serious currently active in your dog’s mouth.