Can anyone help?  My 7 month old cocker spaniel has recently developed the most horrendous smelly breath.  Her teeth are lovely and clean, she was wormed a month ago, and her diet of JWB hasn't changed, so I'm at a loss to understand why her breath is so bad.  To describe it, it smells sort of bitter.

Being 7 months old we are expecting her first season any time - can this have an effect on her breath?

Any ideas would be greatly welcomed.

I cant think of what this could be, My dogs used to have quite bad breath,infact it got so bad that each morning I had to brush my bitches teeth, (With a special doggy Toothbrush, which seemed to help) but Now I give them Pedigree, Dental Bones, one every week or so.

This could also be down to what food she eats. I give mine Pedigree Pouches.

I hope this helps,
Vicky x

I have no idea if halitosis may accompany seasons in bitches, I cannot see why this would be so and have had no experience with this myself, but who knows?

It can be a symptom of an underlying medical condition (other than eating smelly food or having an oral condition/disease etc), or fungal/bacterial infection etc etc etc.

I would suggest that you take your dog for a check  up at the vet to rule out anything untoward.

Clean teeth and healthy gums can be ensured by providing raw meaty bones, however if you don't feel you can do that then regular brushing with a pet toothpaste or using fragaria can help prevent build up of plaque/tartar etc.

Beware the commercial products that are sold as dental care, if you look at the ingredients the majority contain sugars, milk and starches, all of which leave a film on the teeth and actually promote dental decay........... :rolleyes:

Thanks Vicky, Thanks tohme

I think a visit to the vet is in order.  I feed her on James Wellbeloved which she has always had, so nothing has changed there.  I have some doggie toothpaste and a doggie toothbrush which I have used a few times to try and get her used to it, but its been a slow process, and she always has hide chews and the occasional Pedigree Dentastik to chew on, so I don't think its her food or her teeth.

Perhaps she has an upset stomach??  Her appetite this last week or so has been quite up and down.  Is there anything you can give dogs to relieve an upset stomach (I've heard garlic tablets are good!!)

Hi Claire,
how is she generally? Have you noticed a change in her behaviour, is she listless, lethargic etc? I don't know if you read my topic posted the other day, but my Ellie started to be a bit 'off it', then started with this really offensive smelling breath. It was totally rancid. She ended up at the vets and after loads of investigations we think she's had some sort of virus resulting in inflammation of her wind-pipe(she had x-rays). She was really quite poorly( she's an oddity anyway so tends to have extreme reactions to things- and she's a lot older than your dog, so don't be alarmed), but after antibiotics the smell went. 

Does she have folds in her lips? It could well be an infection in the lip folds that smells rather than her actual breath. If the smell is a bit fishy, then this could well be the cause.
Abby

Hi
My little yorkie who is 8 months old had bad breath a few weeks ago. Her teeth are lovely and clean and I couldn't understand why. After a closer look (which is quite difficult with a young pup who hates her mouth being touched!) I found she had something that was wrapped around one of her teeth, I think it was from one of her toys or something she had picked up in the garden. The smell improved once it was removed.
jane

This could be Spaniel mouth (lip fold dermatitis) an infection of th4e mouth because spaniels have are so choppsy, bacteria gets into the mouth folds and casues an infection.

See the Vet asap, as it can becoem a real problem, with some dogs needing removal of some of the tissue.

A description can be foudn here: http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/24001.htm

Hi All

Ten out of Ten to Abby and Brainless!!  I had Maddy to the vet yesterday and it is in fact "lip fold dermatitis" which is caused by a build up of bacteria in the folds of her mouth.

The vet tells me that a short course of antibiotics and bathing the lip folds twice a day with salt water will do the trick. We have to go back to see him next Wednesday to check its gone, as he says he may have to clip back the fur from the affected area if it isn't clearing up very well (which he would prefer not to do as it can make the area a bit sore) but touch wood it seems to be clearing up nicely. Already the smell has completely gone (thank God!!) and she's tucking into her food much better again.

Many thanks for all your suggestions, and a Happy New Year to you all and your pooches from me and Maddy

xx