Does Suzies tartar liquid help with my dogs bad breath?

Our question this week was:

Dr. Debra -My dog has bad breath…her teeth have been cleaned and I am brushing them. I don't know how often to brush them and am interested in your opinion. Also, I would like to know if are you familiar with a product called Suzies tartar liquid. You put it in the dogs water and it's suppose to break down tartar and take away any bad breath. You mix 1 tablespoon to 1 qt of water and let the dog drink this on a daily basis. How do you feel about this? Can it harm the dog's health?

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Delores Mestas

Answer

Hi – thanks for your email Delores. You wrote that your dog has bad breath and that her teeth have been cleaned and you are bushing. If you are brushing at least every other day (ideally every day), then you are eliminating the tartar and plaque.

Some pets have bad breath. Just like some people. If the teeth are all in great shape and your brush regularly, it could just be her or it could be her diet. Make sure you are feeding a good quality food. If you are feeding canned food, try gradually changing to a good quality dry good.

There are several products on the market that are available to add to water to minimize tartar or bad breath. In my opinion and experience, they have not worked for my clients.

If you think about it – if there was a product for humans that we could add to our drinking water that would allow us to not get tartar and eliminate our bad breath, that company would make a fortune! I don't know if any long term studies on these products that indicate safety.

An article that might be helpful to you is Halitosis (Bad Breath) in Dogs.

Best of luck!

Dr. Debra

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