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My dog has bad breath, yellow teeth, and dark gums. What should I do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Female | unspayed | 7 lbs

I’m suspecting that my dog might have some sort of gum or teeth issue or disease. Her breathe recently started to smell and when I check her teeth some are yellow and her gums seem darker than they should be. I’m worried and am not sure what to do

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Susan England-Foster

Veterinarian

Published on April 25th, 2019

I am sorry it is really hard to tell by the pictures what is going on with the teeth. Small and medium size dogs are affected with dental disease more often than large breed dogs. I would recommend taking Genesis to a vet for a good oral exam. It is important that Genesis needs a dental cleaning (like people) to remove all the dental tartar and bacteria from the teeth. The odor is caused by the tartar and bacteria in the mouth and will resolve with a cleaning. Once the teeth are cleaned I would recommend brushing the teeth daily with dog tooth paste to prevent slower build up of tartar in the future. Hope that helps

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    Answered By Catherine Stecyk

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It does look like Genesis Ramirez has some dental tartar building up on some of her teeth. This can result in inflammation of the nearby gum tissue, making it appear darker or redder in color. This is called gingivitis. All dogs will develop some degree of dental disease/tartar during their life if their teeth are not brushed daily by their owner. This causes their teeth/mouth to smell bad, since this is a build up of bacteria/tartar. I recommend asking your veterinarian about what Veterinary Oral Health Counsel (VOHC) products they offer, such as water additives and/or toothpaste to help with her dental disease. Ultimately, dogs can undergo dental cleaning procedures, which require general anesthesia, to professionally have their teeth cleaned. You can ask your veterinarian about this as well. I hope this is helpful!

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