Bad Breath

Hello,

Stanley has aquired some pretty bad breath. He eats iams hairball control. Is there anything I can do to fix this? I am hesitant on changing his food because although Sadie won't have a problem... last time I did that Stanley had a major allergic reaction and scratched behind his ears bald. I would not like to go through that again.

Would it help if I brushed his teeth? I think my sister does that with her cat... not really sure. Can you brush a cat's teeth?

Just wondering if there was anything I can do to help him

Thanks!

I wouldnt think it would be a food issue.

Here is a site that may help.

http://www.petplace.com/cats/halitos...ats/page1.aspx

One of my cats has the world's smelliest breath. Some of it comes from other problems he has, but some of it is also due to dental health. He'd never had his teeth taken care of until about 1.5 years ago, when we gave him a full dental.

I'd suggest first getting Stanley checked to make sure there's nothing funky in his mouth (like an infection, gum problems, etc). If he's all set, then brushing his teeth is definitely possible and from what I've heard, will help. Unfortunately, Teddy will bite if we try and brush him. He is still majorly stinky and in addition to another dental, he will probably have to have several teeth removed as well (he wasn't cared for well by his previous owner).

He may need his teeth cleaned professionally. If so, then after that you can brush them for him and that will help prevent it in the future.

Originally Posted by kiki_585

Hello,

Stanley has aquired some pretty bad breath. He eats iams hairball control. Is there anything I can do to fix this? I am hesitant on changing his food because although Sadie won't have a problem... last time I did that Stanley had a major allergic reaction and scratched behind his ears bald. I would not like to go through that again.

Would it help if I brushed his teeth? I think my sister does that with her cat... not really sure. Can you brush a cat's teeth?

Just wondering if there was anything I can do to help him

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Yes you can buy toothpaste at the pet store actually. It comes with a little finger-brusher but I'd dump that and go with a regular tooth brush. You'll probably have to hold him/her down while you do it. (We haven't brushed our cats teeth yet. That's next on the list though.)

Its not the food because Penelope is on that and she is fine.
Her brother had stinky breath when he first joined our home - I bought the toothpaste mentioned above, but I also bought "Feline Greenies" a breath freshening treat which helped immensely. I brush his teeth once a month and give him the treats a few times a week.

I suggest a vet check .... oh and check to make sure Iams did nt change the formula ingrediants ....

In your opinions, are the dental treats and dry food sufficient alternatives to brushing teeth?

Originally Posted by tekgrl

In your opinions, are the dental treats and dry food sufficient alternatives to brushing teeth?

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dental treats like cet chews maybe ,... Dry food and OTC stuff NO

Noel had stinky breath.. now I have her on a vet plan and since she gets her teeth cleaned once a year to remove tartar (and that, according to my vet, is what the issue is) she's not had the problem any more. Once I had her teeth done the first time, brushing would have helped, but until the tartar was removed..the vet said basically it was pointless. After her cleaning, though .. he did suggest some sort of chew that would help to keep the tartar down in between. I am a bad mommy, I admit.. and I didn't get any for her yet..so I don't remember what they were. I'm sure you could ask your vet, though.

It worried me when I found out it was tartar, because apparently, just like in humans, it leads to tooth loss, gum disease and I guess ultimately keeps them from being able to eat. I'd also heard that it can cause problems with their organs if left untreated, later in life. It was enough to worry me, hehe. So she is now on a vet plan, with yearly cleanings.