Smelly Breath and Dirty Teeth in Dogs and Cats

Why does my dog's breath smell so bad?

Pets have the same issues with dental disease that we do. The only difference is, without opposable thumbs they can't brush their teeth every day! So it is up to us to look after their oral health and make sure they don't develop bone loss, infections and pain.

What should I do about my pet's bad breath?

If you are concerned about your pet's breath and teeth, the first step is to call us to book an appointment with one of our vets or nurses, who can have a look at them and advise further what to do. This advice may include how to brush your pet's teeth, recommendations on diets that can help, or in some cases, if the problem is advanced, dental cleaning and x-rays under anaesthetic.

Why does my pet need an anaesthetic to have their teeth cleaned?

When it's time for your cat or dog to have their teeth cleaned, it is just like going to the human dentist, except they will need an anaesthetic to properly examine and clean the teeth right up the back and inside of the mouth.

Is anaesthesia safe for my dog or cat?

A lot of pet owners are concerned about anaesthesia for their pets. We understand these concerns, but you can be reassured that pet anaesthesia with modern drugs and monitoring is very safe. We use the following techniques and monitoring to improve patient safety:

• Intravenous catheterisation and fluids in all patients to ensure venous access for emergency medications and to maintain blood pressure.
• We strongly recommend pre-anaesthetic blood testing, which we do on the day on our in house machines. This helps us to pick up any underlying diseases which may make the anaesthetic less safe.
• Monitoring of blood oxygen, expired carbon dioxide, blood pressure, heart rate and respiration rate, and for some pets such as greyhounds, electrolytes during surgery to ensure that the anaesthetic is going well.
• We keep up to date with the most advanced anaesthetic drug protocols, meaning our patients are bounding out the door after their procedures!

Why do pets need dental x-rays?

X-rays are important to find issues below the gumline and inside teeth that are not visible from the surface. If enough of the bone around the tooth is missing, or there are holes in the teeth, we may recommend extracting them. At the end of their procedure they will have lovely white teeth and fresh breath.

The overall aim of our dental service is to maintain oral health through regular maintenance so that extraction of teeth is avoided.