# BAAAD breath



## glm777 (Jul 25, 2011)

My 4 yr old Aussie has stinky fish breath which gets worse as the day goes on. The vet says her teeth are not bad - just a little tartar but she did recommend I brush or wipe her teeth more often. Can anyone recommend a decent dental wipe? She HATES to have her teeth brushed with a toothbrush or finger brush. We usually manage to get it done about once a week but it is traumatic for all of us! I have tried three different wipes but the texture of all three were very smooth - like a baby wipe. I'm looking for something with some abrasiveness to it to really remove the tartar/plaque. 
We have also tried the water additive for bad breath - she won't touch the water. . 
We feed her Iams mini chunks as that is the only food she will actually eat (we've tried Blue, Nutro, Taste of the Wild and Chicken soup- either she wouldn't eat them or they gave her diarrhea). Her breath doesn't seem to smell when she licks us - mostly when she breaths on us or pants in our face. I was thinking about getting a probiotic for her - perhaps it is her stomach rather than her mouth? Thanks for any advice.


----------



## Foxes&Hounds (Jun 7, 2014)

Fish breath.... have you had her anal glands checked?


----------



## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

Why don't you try a silicone finger brush? The bristles are soft, but abrasive enough to brush off plaque/tartar. I use one w/ PetzLife oral care gel and I do find it helps with plaque/tartar build up as well as bad breath.

There are also terrycloth finger brushes that might work too.


----------



## sydneynicole (Apr 2, 2015)

I agree with having her anal glands checked...could be the culprit. Also would be a good idea to offer her more chews to help reduce tarter - I prefer raw recreational bones. If you aren't comfortable with raw, I would look for some beef trachea, pig ears, antlers, etc - just not those big smoked bones they sell at the pet stores, and rawhides are a known safety hazard to dogs.


----------



## Dog Person (Sep 14, 2012)

Although I have just found out that rawhides are 100% not digestible, I still give them to Zoey. 1000's of dogs do eat them probably daily and I'm sure dogs do have issues with them. I do buy American made ones (Good Buddy brand) and I'll have to see what happens now that they're owned by Purina. I have always given my dogs rawhides, our last dog would cry for Dingos but since they make a lot of their stuff in China I no longer use them.


----------



## sydneynicole (Apr 2, 2015)

Dog Person said:


> Although I have just found out that rawhides are 100% not digestible, I still give them to Zoey. 1000's of dogs do eat them probably daily and I'm sure dogs do have issues with them. I do buy American made ones (Good Buddy brand) and I'll have to see what happens now that they're owned by Purina. I have always given my dogs rawhides, our last dog would cry for Dingos but since they make a lot of their stuff in China I no longer use them.


My dogs all got rawhides for years without any problems as well. I just figured it should be pointed out since I suggested giving more chews that while a lot of dogs do fine with them they do have a risk involved and have been known to cause blockages. Where I am at least, beef trachea (the dried/smoked one) is about the same price and it's a safer/more natural alternative. Also seems to give their teeth a better scraping and lasts longer.


----------



## Dog Person (Sep 14, 2012)

sydneynicole said:


> My dogs all got rawhides for years without any problems as well. I just figured it should be pointed out since I suggested giving more chews that while a lot of dogs do fine with them they do have a risk involved and have been known to cause blockages. Where I am at least, beef trachea (the dried/smoked one) is about the same price and it's a safer/more natural alternative. Also seems to give their teeth a better scraping and lasts longer.


You're right, it should be pointed out although it would be interesting to see the actual percentage of dogs that have eaten rawhides and had issues. I wonder if it is more sensationalized about blockages or choking (not talking poisonings or other bad stuff happening). On Chewy, the beef trachea seems to be about the same price as bully sticks which aren't all that bad for a once in a while treat; I'll give them a try. I do usually get a few bully sticks whenever I order from them. The Good Buddy mini rawhides are about $4.50 for 10 when on sale so that's a little cheaper and more do-able then other forms of chew sticks. Zoey also has her choice of the backyard with all the branches and sticks and I'm sure she has eaten a bunch of them as well.


----------



## Sarah101 (Jun 27, 2015)

Deleted I am leaving this forum.


----------

