My senior dog has bad breath. Is dental cleaning safe with trachea?

Question

My 11 year old Maltese still has bad breath & I have been feeding her a mixture of her regular science diet hard food mixed with the canned food that is for digestive health. She refuses to eat hard food & is now refusing treats that she used to love. I have postponed dental xrays due to her having to be under fog this procedure, & she was just put under beginning of Aug for cleaning & 1 tooth xtraction. She has collapsing trachea so this won't help matters + $ cost. What do you think I should? Pet's info: Dog | Maltese | Female | spayed | 8 lbs

Ann Dion, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Once dental disease and tartar is present, it is very difficult to remove the smell without a dental procedure to clean the teeth. With the collapsing trachea this does increase the risk of anaesthesia, so you should discuss this risk with your vet. You can try Hill's T/D dental forumula, it works very well at preventing more tartar build-up but won't help what is presently there. It might help with the breath a bit as it has some enzymes present that help. There are also water additive products that help with the smell of the mouth, and you can ask your vet about these products and what is available in your area. I think you should talk with your vet about the risks of anaesthesia, and also try the other methods to see if you can get the dental disease under control. It might be better to have another cleaning now however, before Rudy Sue's collapsing trachea gets worse. I would discuss this aspect with your vet as well. Best of luck with Rudy Sue!

My senior dog has bad breath. Is dental cleaning safe with trachea?

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