You love your Chihuahua, but you can’t stand their breath! It’s a problem many dog owners face, and here are some simple answers to help you combat your dog’s bad breath.
First, it is important to rule out any dental issues with a veterinary check up. Chihuahuas, like other small breeds, have a LOT of teeth in their tiny mouths. This can cause crowding and therefore allow for an increase in plaque and gingivitis. Too much bad bacteria in the mouth will lead to infections. These infections will not only cause your Chihuahua to have bad breath, but they can also cause tooth loss, bone loss, and even death (this occurs from a severe infection caused by periodontal disease in the form of sepsis – a bacterial infection in the bloodstream)!
In between check-ups with your veterinarian, you can combat bad breath (and plaque and bacteria) by brushing your Chihuahua’s teeth at home. Simply purchase a toothbrush and toothpaste and brush at least once daily. We also have a FREE download with FIVE easy recipes to make your own doggie toothpaste:
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Something else to consider, is what you feed your Chihuahua. While your Chihuahua might prefer wet or canned food, softer foods do not help scrape off plaque or stimulate the gums as well as dry foods. If you do not want to switch foods, then try adding raw baby carrots to your Chihuahuas diet to help keep their teeth and gums healthier. Allowing your Chihuahua to chew on natural bones and chewies can also help promote healthier teeth and gums.
Lastly, you can try adding probiotics to your Chihuahuas diet to rule out any digestive issues that may be contributing to their bad breath. Another simple addition for occasional bad breath is doggy breath mints!
Of my three dogs, one of them has bad breath. She had a dental not that long ago, so I don’t know that it is her teeth. I will try probiotics with her and hope that helps. I would have never thought of that!
Great suggestions – especially not to rule out medical issues. We use a water additive and LOVE how it helps fight bad breath and cleans their teeth.
I brush Mr. N’s teeth religiously. And the vet still wanted to pull teeth during his dental. Small dogs and teeth!
Even with 2-3 times a year anesthetic free dental cleaning. Twice a day brushings (we use that toothpaste! it’s the best!) and very carefully, made at home, organic, non GMO food… it’s still a struggle. We seem to have managed to keep it all good so far …
Great tips. I am good about brushing Murray’s teeth, but didn’t really know about/think about brushing Henrietta’s when she was a puppy and now she will have nothing to do with it. I am going to download the recipes and try them out on Murray! I also need to brush my kitty’s teeth… wish me luck!
No one likes a dog with stinky breath – it makes it no fun to give them kisses! These are all great tips. Thanks for sharing.
Great information, thanks for sharing! Doggy bad breath can be a real problem. I hadn’t thought about trying probiotics, but that’s definitely a great suggestion! Happy New Year!
We love that you included 5 DIY dog tooth paste recipes! Dogs are funny about toothpaste – some like beef or liver and others like mint! Like people I guess! Great piece!
Dachshunds are also notorious for bad breath and dental problems. Some of it has to do with the small mouth lots of teeth thing too. Chester and Gretel’s bad breath definitely seems to originate from their gut though. I think it might have something to do with the size fo their innards compared to their bodies because they are dwarves. Just my totally unscientific guess 🙂
There’s hardly anything worse than bad dog breath. Ugh. We don’t have dogs anymore, but I do remember a few with awful-smelling breath. It must be quite difficult to brush a little Chihuahua mouth. I imagine it’s best to start a brushing routine when they’re still young. Anyway, I enjoyed reading your post. All the best to you.
This is the same for cats. Cats can have fishy breath from eating too much fish but chronic bad breath should be checked by a vet. I have found in my research that as far as cats are concerned, eating dry kibble to help a cat clean tooth plaque is a myth.