Gum Disease

Dog's, tears, and chews its food. Pet dogs just swallow. The result is a buildup of slime on the teeth where bacteria multiply, causing gum inflammation and bad breath.

Gum infection and associated bad breath will eventually occur in almost every dog, although toy breeds are at more risk than large and giant ones.

Treatment and Prevention  
Tooth scaling and polishing are important and are not done simply for esthetic reasons, or to make your elderly dog more socially acceptable. Every time a dog with gingivitis eats, bacteria get into the bloodstream.

A young dog's efficient immune system kills these bacteria within 30 minutes. In older dogs with a less efficient immune system, bacteria can spread to heart valves, joints, and elsewhere, causing serious infection.

Your older dog benefits medically provide this by giving rock-hard biscuits and rawhide (especially enzyme-treated rawhide) to chew on.

You can also brush your dog's teeth and gums regularly with a toothpaste that has been developed for dogs. Oral antiseptic is useful for reducing the numbers of oral bacteria.