New wet food causing bad smell

Hi there everyone, new to the forums here. So my cat Piper is an old girl, about 20 years. She's been on dry food all her life, I had her on Orijen for several months and she loved it. Recently though, she hasn't been eating as much and the vet said her teeth were getting worn down and that it was best to switch to wet food. There's a pet food store near me with very top-quality brands (Orijen, Weruva, Acana, etc.) and no cruddy store-brand food, but they're pretty limited on their cat food brands.

So I tried putting her on Diamond canned food, and now she smells awful. I don't mean just her litter box - I mean she HERSELF smells bad. Her breath is terrible and her fur just gives off a bad odor whenever she's near. I've never fed her Diamond before so I can only imagine that's what's causing it. Do you guys have any good recommendations for another wet food brand? As I said, the store I buy from is fairly limited - some brands I remember off the top of my head are Weruva, Tiki, BFF, Taste of the Wild, and of course Diamond.

Thanks for any help you can give me!

Did the vet say anything about your cat's overall dental health other than the teeth are getting worn down? Poor dental health is often the cause of really bad breath. Sometimes food makes the breath smell even worse. Canned food is moist so it tends to stick to the teeth more than dry food and that attracts bacteria which will make the breath smell. Many vets don't know the signs of dental disease so seek out a veterinary dentist or at least one with experience in dentistry. I would think a 20 year old cat who has never had any of dental care (I'm assuming) will have some sort of dental issue, whether a bad tooth or plaque build up or something.

Can you try a home dental regimen? That will help keep the teeth clean and keep bad breath to a minimum.

You can give other brands of food a try. Maybe another brand won't make the breath so stinky, although dental care will probably still be needed. Is ordering online an option? Many people can only get a variety of high end brands online because the local stores don't sell them.

She only briefly looked at her teeth and all she said was that they were worn. It's very possible she has something else wrong with her teeth but I didn't notice the bad smell until I switched to Diamond. I'll try another brand and see if the problem persists

I wonder if it's something having to do with indigestion? Switching the foods might be causing something in the tummy? That can cause bad breath, just like with people.

Come to think of it, my little guy has smelly breath and he's only six months old. Great teeth, aside from losing a few lately due to teething lol. But otherwise, knock on wood he's healthy. But he meows in your face and oh. Wow. Uhm back off a little buddy.

Maybe some cats just have smellier breath??

StephanieM said:

She only briefly looked at her teeth and all she said was that they were worn. It's very possible she has something else wrong with her teeth but I didn't notice the bad smell until I switched to Diamond. I'll try another brand and see if the problem persists

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Hi. Not sure if you have an update at all on the stinky breath but I saw my vet today to have my little guys teeth checked. He said they are in great shape. Had a full physical checkup and he's doing well knock on wood. He didn't really have an answer as to the bad breath. The vet tech was there at the front desk later on and said sometimes it's just simply the food they eat will cause their breath to smell. I guess just like when we drink a beer or eat onions. It stinks. Lol