Bad breath in a dog or cat is treated as normal by almost everybody, and it isn’t. Healthy mouths do not smell. What you’re smelling is bacteria living in inflamed tissue around the tooth roots.
What’s actually happening
Plaque hardens into tartar within days. Tartar sits against the gum, the gum becomes inflamed, and the attachment between tooth and bone starts to break down. By the time you can see brown deposits, the process has been running for a while, and most of it is below the gumline where you cannot see anything at all.
Why they don’t seem to be in pain
Animals with painful mouths usually keep eating. Showing pain is not a survival strategy, so they adapt: chewing on one side, swallowing food whole, becoming slightly less interested in toys. Owners very often only recognise it in hindsight, once it has been treated and the animal is visibly brighter.
Signs worth a call
Breath that has changed or got worse
Dropping food, chewing on one side, or eating more slowly
Red gum margins, or visible brown deposits
Pawing at the face, or rubbing the mouth along furniture
A discoloured or broken tooth
What we can do about it
A dental assessment under general anaesthetic with full-mouth x-rays, because there is no way to assess or clean below the gumline in a conscious animal. Cleaning, polishing, and extraction of teeth that cannot be saved. Most of the improvement owners notice comes from removing sources of pain they didn’t know were there.
Not sure whether this needs a visit?
Call us on (555) 018-4400 and describe what you’ve noticed. Our nurses triage these calls all day and there’s no charge for asking. If it’s outside our hours and you’re worried, call [emergency hospital name] on [number].
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. Nothing here replaces examining your specific animal.
Related service
Dental care