March 23, 2007

Pets Bad Breath


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Almost anyone who has dogs or cats will sometime complain about their unbearable breath. The reason for your pet having this problem is in fact the same as for humans: they don't frequently brush their...


Almost anyone who has dogs or cats will sometime complain about their unbearable breath. The reason for your pet having this problem is in fact the same as for humans: they don't frequently brush their teeth. In fact their breath should be fresher than human breath, because they don't prefer eating garlic or onions. If your pet was able to brush their teeth twice a day, you would probably find their breath was reasonably sweet. Cats don't seem to have the same problem with bad breath as do dogs; however some of them still on occasion suffer problems with halitosis or bad breath.

Pets often have bad breath when they start to get old. Sometimes this problem appears earlier because many dogs and cats have depositions of tartar on their teeth. This is formed by minerals, particles of food, proteins and bacteria. You may see a grey or brown color surface on the back of their back molars. This is tartar and the cause of the terrible smell. So, if the dog or cat breath is bad, check their back molars to see if they need descaling.

Bad breath has the same origins for pets as for humans: bacteria that spreads in non oxygenated places, like the back of the tongue. These bacteria feed on decomposed particles of food, or by saliva proteins, and settle between the mineral fascicles of the teeth, on the tongue or gums. Remember that your pet may have also eaten something that we as humans would find rather disgusting; this could also leave a terrible smell from their mouth.

The same bacteria in pets can also produce the same type of problems such as gum disease and abscesses. They help other organisms' access into the mouth which may cause future problems. If infection is ignored in your pet's mouth, they could contract septicemia which is a serious infection in their bloodstream and can cause infection to be carried to other parts of the body. This could ultimately result in the death of your pet; the bad breath of your cat or dog is more than a cosmetic problem and must not be ignored.



Your can avoid the development of bad breath in your pet because there are very good products on the market to help you keep their teeth clean and healthy.
You may have a problem keeping your cat's teeth clean and healthy as cats do not cooperate as well as dogs do, but it is important that your cat's teeth are kept healthy as well as a dogs.

When dealing with the bad breath of your pet, you can use special toothpastes especially formulated for animals which contain enzymes that remove the tartar on their teeth.

Try brushing their teeth by using these toothpastes; you should be really pleased with the results. If you don't have toothpaste you can try the brushing without it, (it's better than doing nothing at all to help them). If you do have difficulty in brushing your pet's teeth, make an appointment to see your vet, they will be happy to do it for you though of course in that instance there will be a charge.

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