Bad Breath -- What can I do?

Stogie has TERRIBLE bad breath... what can I do to help with this?

There are LOTS of options! =]

Brush teeth daily, Raw meaty bones, better food (I definitely feel quality of food is connected to breath/dental health), healthy store-bought chews, & some people add baking soda or other breath products to their dog's water.

I would try the Raw Meaty Bones for a start. I tried brushing Foxy's teeth when we had them and it didn't make much of a difference to his breath but changing to a better quality food and also the raw bones helped. I believe Stogie's already on Innova (or is it Evo that he's on) so that shouldn't make his breath smell it should help. I would try with the bones and maybe ask your vet his, or her, opinion.

Herschel is JUST growing out of his terrible breath at 10 months.

Better food (I thought you were feeding EVO?), raw meaty bones, and brush his teeth.

those bones give such a cleaning to their teeth! I've never experienced 'doggie' breath, mine aren't keen on the brushing idea....lol...they'd rather play with it. but their teeth gleam from bones. and they love the fun! I also agree...diet is everything.

Thank for the replies. As a couple of posters have pointed out, Stogie eat's Innova... He's been on EVO and EVO RM, and this is the first time we're trying regular Innova... So his diet is already premium food.

We've tried brushing, and its kinda funny... Its pretty much a waste of time, unless you want to crack up laughing. He's not to enthusiastic about brushing - to say the least.

Bones, I've not tried. Are we talking about a bone like from the butcher? or a product that I'd buy from a pet store? Simple Specifics People, remember - I'm a stoopud head!

Raw bones from a butcher (NOT the ones from a pet store).

Try desensitizing him to the toothbrush. It takes work, but it is worth it. http://www.placervillevet.com/dog toothbrushing.htm

Good raw bones for Stogie would be chicken wings, chicken thighs, chicken legs, turkey necks & pork ribs. I wouldn't feed anything much bigger/heavier than those to a little guy.

I would definitely work towards getting him used to a toothbrush. Start by letting him lick yummy-flavored dog toothpaste (I have chicken & mint flavors) from your finger, then from the brush, then have him "stay" and start gently brushing his teeth. Small dogs are sooo predisposed to dental issues & plaque build-up, it might prevent extractions & lots of dental cleanings in his future.

Probiotics help with bad breath. Infact, many of the oral health "natural" products you can buy have probiotics in them.

I noticed a huge improvement in Joey's breath after I switched to Nature's Logic, which contains alot of probiotics and digestive enzymes.