How to eliminate cat breath

To prevent your cat from getting bad breath, monitor its health from an early age and follow the preventive recommendations of experienced professionals:

Sore teeth, what to do about it and how to prevent

Notorious dental caries is rare in cats, but gum problems due to tartar and plaque are very common. Until recently, dental diseases of cats were not too popular topics, it was just somehow not accepted to pay attention to such "little things". Nevertheless, the relevance of the issue has always been at its peak. More than half of the cats in the shelter "Murkosha" have problems with teeth and gums of varying degrees of neglect. And, both outdoor and indoor cats become ill, starting at an early age.

HOW TO TELL IF A CAT HAS ORAL PROBLEMS?

2. Cat refuses to eat or eats, but little, slowly and carefully.

5. On examination, the gums are red (normally they should be pink), bleeding, plaque on the teeth or tartar. The latter is a hard build-up on the surface of the tooth.

If you see any of these symptoms, get help from your vet as soon as possible. These signs are more common in cats with advanced problems; in the early stages, you may only notice the abnormality visually. Oral exams should be done at least once a week and should definitely be combined with more frequent preventive treatments. We'll talk more about how to brush the cat's teeth a little later. First the vet specialists of the "Murkosha" shelter will tell you about the main problems with teeth and gums that can occur in cats – tartar, gingivitis, and periodontitis.

Improper cat feeding causes bacteria living in the mouth to produce insoluble minerals. It is this sediment that gradually builds up on the surface of the teeth and forms tartar. This is also the result of an impaired salt metabolism resulting from an improperly balanced diet.

Tartar buildup at the base of the gum can cause gum inflammation. Gingivitis causes the gums to bleed and hurt, and mouth odor becomes unpleasant. You may see a cat with inflamed gums refuse to eat, salivate, and have a sharp reaction to cold and hot food.

Cat oral hygiene products

Veterinary pharmacies sell special products for caring for cats' teeth and gums. Maintaining oral hygiene is a must for all pets, and even more so for purebred breeds.

If you have a British, Scottish or other breed of cat, buy a special toothpaste and brush right away. Mechanical cleaning can be combined with disinfecting procedures using special solutions.

If the cat's mouth shows signs of inflammation, the doctor will recommend the use of dental gels that eliminate painful symptoms and foul-smelling breath. These products should be applied systematically for 7-10 days. The exact prescription is given by the treating veterinarian.

Disinfectant sprays, solutions and powdered compositions are effectively used to combat bacteria in the cat's mouth.

Dental supplements and foods labeled "Dental" can help with plaque.

All these products are available at pet stores or veterinary drugstores. Treatments should be supervised by a professional.

Do I need to go to the vet?

If your cat has had a nice meal of fish, after which you can smell something bad coming out of his mouth, there's no need to go to the vet. After such a product, the stinky odor appears not only in animals, but also in people.

If the odor does not disappear within a few days, you should not put off a visit to the doctor for a long time. The sooner you identify the cause of foul-smelling cat breath, the sooner you can eliminate it, preventing possible complications of the underlying disease that provokes this symptom.

1. Dental therapy is effective if there are problems with the teeth and gums. Decayed teeth may need to be removed or tartar may need to be mechanically cleaned.
2. Odor arising from diseases of the urinary system can only be eliminated by comprehensive treatment that involves taking medications to help restore the diseased organ.
3. If a cat is found to have digestive problems, it will need comprehensive medication combined with a diet.
4. Treatment with pharmaceuticals will also be prescribed for cats with diabetes and other systemic diseases.
5. If the stench from the mouth is due to trauma, the doctor will recommend treating the mucosa of the mouth with a special gel, spray or ointment. Daily hygienic care is necessary to reduce the risk of wound infection!
6. Odor may appear in cats infected with helminths. In such cases, the veterinarian will prescribe an anthelmintic drug.
7. If tumors are detected, comprehensive therapy is carried out. Surgery may also be required.

Diagnosis of bad odor from the cat's mouth

By the specific smell emitted from the mouth of the pet, you can identify the organ that is giving the failure:

• smells like acetone: if the cat smells acetone from the mouth, and it is accompanied by abundant water consumption, the most likely cause here is diabetes mellitus. Carbohydrates are not digested, and ketone bodies, which smell like acetone, are produced due to the breakdown of fats;
• rotten odor: it makes sense to bug the cat. Also the cause may be a disease of the digestive organs. Failure may be caused by the stomach, which cannot cope with the cat's diet;
• Ammonia: problems with the kidneys or other organs of the urinary system.
• fishy smell: likely caused by poor oral hygiene and dental disease.

Whatever cat's breath stinkWhatever it is that's causing the cat's breath, your veterinarian can identify the underlying cause and treat the problem, not the symptom.

Veterinarian reviews of halitosis

Veterinarians often encounter unpleasant odor from the cat's mouth during appointments. A pet's improper diet is often to blame, leading to stomach, liver, and kidney disease, and poor oral care for the animals.

The owner will definitely be advised on the correct diet of the cat. If the cause of the stench appears to be poor hygiene, the specialist will recommend brushing the cat's teeth regularly.

Diagnosis of halitosis

Diagnosis of halitosis is made by a veterinarian. During the examination, the specialist examines the animal's mouth for inflammation, ulcers and other abnormalities, weighs it, measures its temperature, examines the ears and eyes and palpates the abdomen. This is to assess the pet's condition and rule out dental disease.

If a dental problem is suspected, the veterinarian will perform an oral examination. The initial examination is usually done without anesthesia, but there are exceptions. More complicated manipulations, such as periodontal testing and x-rays, are always done under anesthesia. Anesthesia involves sleep, myorelaxation, and anesthesia, which together ensure a calm and painless examination.

If there is nothing wrong with the mouth, but the bad smell persists, the veterinarian will ask about the pet's condition and behavior, vaccinations, deworming and diet. He may also prescribe urine and blood tests, ultrasound and X-rays of the chest and neck. In this way the doctor will be able to assess the condition of the internal organs and identify abnormalities. Depending on the results, other tests may also be necessary.

The owner should also examine the oral cavity. This way the cat will be more relaxed about the procedure during an appointment at the veterinary clinic. A healthy cat's mucous membranes should be pink, the tongue should be pink and flat, the gums should be smooth, without lesions or growths, and the teeth should be white and without yellow plaque. Regular oral check-ups will help to detect dental problems in time and prevent their development.

Preventing bad breath

To prevent unpleasant odor, you should regularly show your pet to the vet, self-examine his mouth and monitor his diet. Also attention to the pet's behavior will help in time to diagnose diseases of internal organs. Don't forget about regular dental hygiene, either: Proper oral care reduces the risk of dental diseases.

To get rid of bad breath, you must look for its cause. If the halitosis is caused by a foreign object, poor hygiene or poor quality food, the owner can take care of the problem himself. If the measures taken do not help, you cannot do without the help of a veterinarian.

The pet may need dental treatment or antibiotic therapy. Ointments and gels for pain relief may also be prescribed. If the problem lies in diseases of internal organs, intensive therapy – IVs, injections and outpatient treatment may be recommended. The main thing is that the medication should be prescribed only by a veterinarian, and that treatment should be under his close supervision.

Attention to your pet's behavior, regular oral hygiene and a proper diet will help reduce the risk of developing halitosis. If the odor does not go away with proper care, contact a professional: they can help diagnose dental and organ problems in time and keep your pet healthy.

Diagnosing Bad Smell from a Cat's Mouth

Domestic cats live in better conditions than their ancestors and wild brethren. On the one hand, this has benefited the quality and longevity of the pets, on the other hand, the home keeping of animals has contributed to the emergence of a number of diseases. For example, unbalanced diets often result in metabolic disorders in domestic cats, digestive system diseases, including oral diseases.

Diagnosing the causes that might have caused bad breath in a cat is done in two steps:

1. ruling out lesions of the mouth and teeth. The veterinarian examines the animal to determine if an oral lesion is the cause of the odor. If there are no obvious signs of a lesion, the second stage of diagnosis is performed.

2. Detection of common diseases.In this step, the pet is examined for common diseases that may have caused the pet's bad breath.

Oral examinations of the cat can and should be performed regularly, especially if there is severe breath odor. This manipulation can be done by the owner if the pet is not aggressive, or by a veterinarian.

Examination by the owner

In order for the cat to accept examinations of the mouth and teeth calmly, owners should be advised to accustom the cat to this procedure from an early age. The examination should be performed in a calm environment. Gently place the palm of your left hand on the cat's head in the forehead area, as if the owner wants to pet it. Place the thumb under the left cheekbone and the index finger under the right one, then gently lift the head up, tilting it slightly. The index finger of your right hand should be placed on the lower incisors and gently press to make the cat open its mouth.

A healthy cat should have no foreign objects in its mouth and its tongue should be pink and smooth. The gums should normally be pale pink, smooth, without lesions or growths. The teeth are white, with an even surface. The edge of the gum adjacent to the teeth is visible.

The main causes of bad breath in cats are

Changing Teeth

The change of teeth in kittens begins at 4 months of age. Milk incisors first fall out. The gum becomes inflamed, and a red border appears around the tooth. Inflammation leads to increased reproduction of bacteria, which are always present in the oral cavity. The increase in bacteria causes bad breath. After 6 months of age, it is recommended to examine the kitten's mouth: if the teeth have changed, but the gums are still red and swollen, then it is advisable to examine the pet. The veterinarian should continue to see if the inflammation persists. It is also advisable to see the veterinarian if the kitten is having trouble changing teeth.

Bad food

Bad food, faulty feeding, eating stale food, rotten fish is accompanied by the appearance of repulsive cat breath. Cats that walk freely in the street are more prone to this. A domestic cat may find rotten food in the trash and eat it. If this becomes a habit, it can be dangerous to your pet's health, as it not only causes bad breath, but much worse, it can cause severe poisoning to your pet.

Stuck objects in the mouth

These are usually small fish bones that get stuck between the teeth or in the throat and can stand up like a spacer, causing chronic inflammation, erosions in the areas of contact with the mucosa, the appearance of mucopurulent discharge if the foreign body is in the mouth for a long time. In this case, the cat wants to eat, but can not take food or swallow it, begins to choke, there is salivation, the pet quickly loses weight.

Viral diseases

In cats, calicivirus infection, viral rhinotracheitis (to a lesser extent) can cause inflammation of the mucous membrane of the oral cavity. With kalitsivirosis, stomatitis develops and ulcers form on the mucous membrane, more often on the tongue. In rhinotracheitis – stomatitis, an inflammatory process with bacterial reproduction leads to halitosis (bad breath).

Prevention

To reduce the risk of your pet's bad breath and prevent a recurrence, simple guidelines should be followed:

• Regularly show the cat to the veterinarian, so that he or she can assess the state of its health and prevent the occurrence of unpleasant consequences in a timely manner.
• From birth, accustom your kitten to dental brushing and oral hygiene procedures so that he becomes accustomed to them and is not afraid of them. This will make it easier to take care of him.
• Make sure that the pet has a proper and balanced diet. His diet should include soft and hard foods.
• Get special toys that help get rid of dental and oral problems. The cat will chew them and clean the gums from stuck food.
• Give your cat anti-parasitic treatments at least twice a year.

Following these rules is easy and will result in excellent health and well-being for your pet.

Why does a cat have bad breath

Bad breath in cats (halitosis) is a sign of pathological processes that can develop in the cat's mouth, upper respiratory tract or internal organs.

If the odor is coming from the mouth, look for the cause in an imbalance of microflora. Normally, a cat's mouth is populated with safe microorganisms (aerobes). Therefore, the odor from the mouth remains neutral or has a tinge of recently eaten food. When pathology occurs, the safe aerobes are replaced by pathogenic anaerobes. And then from the cat's mouth begins to smell of rotten meat, fish, eggs, cabbage, feces or spoiled cheese.

If you can smell it only when exhaling through the nose, examine the internal organs. Affected tissues begin to release volatile toxic compounds, which are expelled from the body through the blood and lungs. And then the cat's breath takes on the smell of urine, acetone, gasoline or sulfur.

Note. If a cat is predisposed to nasopharyngeal diseases, improper bite, inflamed gums, or the release of caustic gastric juice by nature, the likelihood of bad breath increases.

Maine Coons, Sphynxes and Abyssinians, as well as Brachycephalic (short snouted) breeds such as Persians, Exotics, British, Scottish and Himalayan cats are predisposed to bad breath.

The main causes of foul odor.

Changing teeth. If a cat has bad breath before one year of age, the cause may be due to a change in milk teeth to molars. Typically, milk teeth begin to fall out at 3-8 months of age, depending on the breed and type of food. During this period, the cat experiences painful sensations when chewing food, and wounds and inflammation form in the place of the fallen tooth, which leads to the growth of pathogenic flora, the source of unpleasant smells of rot or rottenness.
What to do. Getting rid of bad odor before the first set of teeth has completely changed is not possible. However, you can make it easier and speed up the process of loosening the old teeth and the eruption of new ones. It is enough to give the baby chew toys and special dental treats.

Note. If his gums look inflamed, or his teeth are changing too slowly, he needs your veterinarian's help. Stalled baby teeth can interfere with the normal growth of permanent teeth and lead to an incorrect bite formation. In this case, bad breath will accompany the pet for the rest of its life. After all, improperly positioned teeth often lead to pieces of food getting stuck between them and the deposition of tartar.

What to do. You can reduce odors from the mouth by restructuring your feeding regimen. Cats should eat at least twice a day and be fed at the same time.

• Wet food. If a cat eats only wet food or natural food, protein plaque remains on the teeth, provoking the reproduction of pathogens. As a result, the cat's breath smells like rotting food and the gums become swollen and red.
  What to do. Special solid foods with abrasive particles, dental treats and regular dental hygiene at home or at the dentist are needed to remove plaque from the tooth surface.

How does a cat's breath smell normally?

The mouth is part of a cat's digestive system. It is limited to the lips and cheeks; inside the oral cavity it is formed by the palate, gums, teeth, tongue, and tonsils. Its surface layer is the mucous epithelium, which covers all areas except the teeth.

There are always aerobic bacteria in the mouth of every animal, just like humans. A healthy cat's mouth should not smell anything. However, when harmless bacteria are joined by pathogens, there can be a specific smell.

Brachycephalic cat breeds are an exception. Their skull has a specific shape, so the animals are prone to develop halitosis. Representatives of such breeds often have an odor in the mouth without any obvious pathology.

Unpleasant odor is a signal to the owner

When pathological microflora multiply strongly, the smell can be felt even when the cat is just lying around. In veterinary science and medicine, this phenomenon is called "halitosis". Smell is usually not dangerous, but it is always a sign of some health problem in the pet. Oral odor is often one of the symptoms of internal diseases, bacterial or viral infections, systemic abnormalities or inflammation in the mouth.

If an unpleasant odor appears, your pet's behavior should be closely monitored. If the stench is caused by some disease, other symptoms join halitosis, such as:

• Loss of appetite or complete refusal to eat;
• Digestive disorders such as diarrhea, vomiting or constipation;
• Increased fluid intake;
• General weakness, decreased activity, apathy;
• craving for solitude;
• Frequent urge to urinate;
• increased body temperature;
• weight loss.

Read also: Symptoms of renal failure in cats and prognosis: what to do if a cat has kidney failure, can it be saved?

Mucous membrane diseases and dental problems can be detected by the cat's owner. To do this, it is necessary to carefully inspect the cat's mouth and observe him while eating. As a rule, eating in such cases causes discomfort. The animal tries to chew food on one side of the jaw, eating not as actively as before.

Pathologies of internal organs and infectious diseases can not be identified by the owner. To establish the source of the problem, a veterinary examination and a number of tests will be required.

What to do if my kitten's mouth smells bad?

If the bad smell is persistent and persists for several days, the first thing to do is to examine the mouth thoroughly, and it will be better if the vet does this. In some cases, he may put the troublesome patient to sleep in order to have a professional cleaning or diagnosis done.

For chronic diseases or serious injuries, veterinarians provide inpatient treatment with further therapy at home. The table shows the main groups of pathologies with a description of the specifics of the smell and accompanying symptoms.

Read also: Why a kitten can not go to the toilet for a long time, what to do at home: causes and treatment of constipation

Prevention of halitosis in kittens

The ideal prevention plan is daily brushing of the mouth, especially thorough during the period of changing teeth. A kitten should be taught from an early age that the owner inspects and takes care of his mouth with a brush and paste.

• While holding the kitten in your arms, start by gently pulling the lip to examine the outer surface of the gums and teeth;
• increase the length of the procedure gradually, rewarding the kitten for its patience with a treat or toy;
• Train the kitten to open its mouth calmly, smearing chicken or fish broth on its finger;
• carry out procedures when the baby is tired after active games.

Special gummies, water-applied substances and other products can also be used to maintain oral hygiene. Periodic dental checkups and professional cleanings by the veterinarian are recommended. Proper diet and attention to pet safety are two more factors that will keep your pet healthy and breathing clean.