Yorkie bad breath: Everything You Need to Know

Even though your Yorkie is well groomed and perfectly clean, he might have a bad breath or Halitosis. It is a common issue associated with the canines and may turn off people when the dog comes close to the face.

There are a few health issues which can cause bad breath.  Some of them can be caused due to natural behavior or carelessness by the owner. Fortunately, there is a home remedy for most of the bad breath issues that can be performed at your home. There is so called “brushless toothpaste” that not only brushes your yorkie’s teeth but also prevents from plaque & tartar. One of my favorite is this one: ARK NATURALS Protection+ Brushless Toothpaste

Another point to note is that many people think that bad breath is normal. However, it isn’t normal for Yorkie’s to have such a stinky odor. You should always talk with your veterinarian.

So now let’s uncover some of the root causes of the halitosis and move across some of the potential options to avoid bad breath. Don’t you want your Yorkie to smell as good as they look and give them love?

Most common reasons for Yorkie’s Bad Breath

It is imperative to know and diagnose any development of potential health issues and negotiate them. Also, as bad breath can act as symptoms of the disease, it is vital to know the possible causes and enlist them.

Disease Symptom Related Causes:

• Respiratory Diseases: Any health issue related to respiration and lungs, can cause bad breath. These may include viral infections, cold, asthma and other signs being coughing, sneezing, heavy breath while exercising and wheezing.
• Digestive Issues: If the Yorkie has got an upset stomach it is more likely to cause bad breath. This causes the stomach acid to regurgitate producing sour and acid like smell. Also, some obvious signs of vomiting and diarrhea can cause foul breath being produced. Upset stomachs are usually caused by high chemical food ingestion and worm or bacterial infection.
• Kidney Issues: Due to improper functioning of kidneys, the breath might smell like urine or pungent smell like ammonia. Now these may have serious implications of urine discoloration, kidney stones and back pain caused to the Yorkie.
• Diabetes: High ketone levels in the body of Yorkie can also influence a bad breath. The smell is odd, fruity kind of smell (like smelling a pear). If the dog has encountered with diabetes, it is likely to affect the blood flow to the gums. Odds of developing periodontal disease increases. Canine diabetes is well known to cause halitosis.

Natural and Induced Causes of Bad Breath

• Periodontal disease or Tooth Decay: It is one of the most common and number one cause of mild to severe bad breath as most of that is connected with the teeth. While, all dog breeds are likely to have a dental decay but Yorkshire terrier breeds are more prone to this. In fact, even if you daily brush the teeth of your Yorkie, it is highly unlikely to remove the all the plague. The deposited plague is transformed into tarter. If went unnoticed, this can grow under or at the gum line and can cause tooth infection but also has the potential to travel to sinuses causing sepsis and eventually necrosis. Some of the common reasons for overlooking of halitosis that most of the time owner assumes that the dog is just being picky about the food instead it is in grieve pain. With dental cleanings done at home, the owner presumes that it has nothing serious to do with teeth. In fact owners may believe that bad breath can’t be caused by tooth decay and it must be noted that infection can affect the adult teeth too.

• Teething: On the onset of permanent teeth and decay of milk teeth usually at 7 months mark, the bad breath will be encountered by the puppy and subsides after all the milk teeth are shed. If the bad breath persists, it can be a matter of concern that has to be treated.
• Foreign Objects: Often Yorkie’s have a habit of mouthing many objects which can get stuck, on the teeth or pierce the cheek or tongue. These may cause bad breath being produced and development of an infection.

The causes range from medical symptoms of the diseases to severe onset of tooth infection that can be fatal and cause a lot of foul breath. Hence inculcation of good hygienic habits is necessary to save the Yorkie from future consequences.

How to keep Yorkie’s Breath Fresh?

It is important to have timely health check-ups annually with all the measures being covered. Even if the breath of the dog is perfect, go for a full dental appointment to ensure avoiding any decay and infection that can lead to bad breath. This will also ensure professional cleaning and scrapping of the teeth. Sometimes, use of different products or brushing habits of the owner may cause bad breath in that case, it is highly recommended to have a change. If the Yorkie isn’t drinking sufficient amount of water, that’s a matter of concern and may lead to foul odour being emitted. Hence, ensure adequate water intake and use of canine water fountain can greatly help this cause because it stimulates the dog to take notice of the water and thereby increasing the intake and reward by offering a flavoured ice cube after meal.

• Brushing of Yorkie’s teeth daily using the right products
  • This is by far regarded as the most efficient and important prevention method for treatment of not only halitosis but also helps in preventing tooth decay or infection. Usage of right sized brush with quality bristles is crucial.
  • Usage of human paste which contains fluoride is toxic to canines and hence shall never be applied. Look for the appropriate dog paste for the pet with all the natural ingredients and tea tree oil promoting healthy gums.
  • Make sure that the paste does not foam as dogs might sometimes swallow the paste and the foam can make it really awful for them. Scrub or brush the teeth for a minimum of 3 minutes.
  • Get something like Vet’s Best Enzymatic Dog Toothpaste + toothbrush and you’ll be all set.
• Use of the Chewing toys:
  • The chewing in and out of the substance cannot help curb the bad breath and will not clean its tooth. But, it can be used to increase the saliva production which can help reduce the odour by some margin.
• Canine Mouth Wash Water Additive:
  • As specified by the name, these so called mouth washers act as liquid supplements that are added to the dog’s water and on consumption, it destroys the bacteria present in both mouth and the bowl and thereby leading to a better breath.
  • Some of these can actually halt the advancement of any further periodontal issues and helps in getting rid of the plague upon the teeth.
  • It is a great value addition to the overall dental care of the Yorkie and unlike human products, these are finished quite rapidly and thus require expert advice on what type of product shall be used for your Yorkie.
• Premium Canine Dental Chews:
  • It is necessary to include a dental treat as one of the daily snack which is affective in removal of plague, strengthening of the teeth and the jaw and most importantly wipes out bad breath. It is advised to opt for natural ingredients made product. This one is by far the most liked by my yorkie: Pedigree DENTASTIX/strong>
• Doctor Assistance:
  • It is important to note that if the home remedies employed aren’t producing results to lower the bad breath, then it’s high time to go for a full check-up to the veterinarian for complete assessment and recommendation of proper treatment in place with appropriate medications.
• Hygiene:
  • Perhaps, the most important of all the advices listed above, hygiene can contribute to absolute perfect habits and reduce the chance of encountering bad breath via external or internal factors.
  • The lifestyle and habitual routine inculcation by the owner on the Yorkie eventually determines the state of health of the pet and periodic assessments is highly recommended.
  • Shifting to proper medication and vaccination from time to time also eliminates the emergence of bad breath being broadcasted.
  • If the Yorkie has mistakenly mouthed a foreign object that is stuck in the dog’s mouth can be eliminated via toothbrush or in case of something that is hard to remove, it is better to consult a vet for removal of the object. Post, an antibiotic medication has to be injected if needed.