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Bad Dog Breath Remedies – The Facts and the Myths

Most people aren’t too sure which bad dog breath remedies really work and which are old wives’ tales. Let’s take a look at some common remedies and explain which ones work, which ones don’t, and why.

The Trouble with Mints

Lots of people use mints to try to deal with their dog’s bad breath. While these kinds of remedies can work for a little while, they aren’t long-term solutions because they don’t address the underlying cause of the bad breath: bacteria in the dog’s mouth. If your dog pooped on the carpet, you wouldn’t just spray air freshener and then wonder why it still smelled like poop, would you? You have to eliminate the cause of the smell as well as freshening the air and making it smell nice. The same applies to dog breath – have to remove bacteria as well as adding fresh smells to your dog’s breath.

Natural Bad Dog Breath Remedies

The good news is, you don’t have to look to unnatural chemicals just to get rid of your dog’s bad breath. Research has shown that various natural oils blended together can work well for solving the bad dog breath problem. To understand why these natural substances work, you first need to know about the two elements of freshening a dog’s breath.

Bad Dog Breath Remedies: Bacteria Killers

Bad breath in dogs is caused by the existence of certain bacteria in the dog’s mouth. The first part of dealing with the bad breath issue is finding a way to eliminate these bacteria. Neem oil, grape seed extract and thyme oil have all been shown to have the effect of killing off the bacteria responsible for bad breath in dogs. The best thing about these ingredients is that while they kill off bad bacteria that cause the problem, they don’t kill the good bacteria that play an important role in keeping your dog’s teeth and gums healthy. Many artificial chemical ingredient kill off both kinds of bacteria, which means your dog may have fresh breath but it’s more vulnerable to developing disease.

Breath Fresheners

Once the bacteria have been killed off, half the battle has been won. You’ve eliminated the bad smells from the dog’s mouth – but now you need to replace them with good smells. That’s where natural ingredients like rosemary oil and peppermint oil become useful. The best dog breath freshening products contain a mixture of the bacteria killing ingredients as well as these breath freshening ingredients.

How to Apply These Ingredients

There are two main ways to get these important breath freshening ingredients into your dog’s mouth. One is to buy a gel containing these ingredients and use it to brush your dog’s teeth. The other is to use a spray. Sprays make it easier to eliminate your dog’s bad breath quickly, although they won’t clean your dog’s mouth out as thoroughly as a good brushing. Brushing helps remove the food particles that get stuck between a dog’s teeth and contribute to bad smells.