It makes it hard to get close to your dog; doggy kisses are out of the question, let alone snuggling up at night with your dog that you love so much.
After all, your dog would love you just as much if you had bad breath.
When our dog has dog bad breath we want to run to the store and buy dog breath mints, but please don't, save your money: bad dog breath is a warning sign that there may be something wrong.
Dog bad breath can be caused by a number of things.
It could be as simple as something nasty that your dog ate.
Dogs have been known to roll around in, play with and eat some pretty gross things.
However, bad dog breath is often a symptom of a more serious problem.
Dogs at any age over two years old, can suffer from periodontal disease which is bad teeth, and gingivitis which is an infection of the gums.
In a healthy dog the gums are a pinkish color and the breath is not offensive.
In the early stages of gingivitis you will notice brownish colored deposits on the back of your dog's teeth and may also notice a thin red line running along the gums.
Inflammation of the gums can destroy that support system that locks the bones and the teeth.
This makes it difficult for your dog to chew and this makes the problem even worse.
Left unchecked it promotes tooth decay and produces bacteria that enters the dog's bloodstream and can cause damage to your dog's vital organs, like the heart, kidneys and liver.
Veterinarians report that many dogs by age nine or ten will have significant tooth decay, so get your dogs teeth cleaned annually to remove excess tartar.
Dog bad breath that develops from gingivitis or periodontal infection; if caught early can usually be resolved with a good cleaning and the vet can apply a special antibiotic gel under the gums where the bacteria is breeding.
After the antibiotic gel solidifies, it dissolves over a two week period allowing the antibiotics to release into the dogs gums.
Depending on the advancement of the disease, it may take several treatments.
Left untreated, as the dog gets older, there is not much hope of getting your dog's mouth back to normal.
Advanced periodontal disease causes your dogs teeth to get loose and eventually fall out; not to mention that this is very painful for your dog.
At this point your dogs bad breath is very foul and fixing the problem will probably mean surgery for extractions.
This option is expensive so you would be wise to treat it early.
A healthy mouth will help your dog to live a longer and have a happier life.
Now, you've checked your dog's teeth, or had them cleaned recently, and all looks well: now what? Often bad dog breath can be related to stomach and digestive issues.
The mouth odor may be abnormal bacteria resulting from food not being adequately digested.
Symptoms could include gas, diarrhea and constipation.
Dogs need enzymes and beneficial bacteria that help him to digest the food he eats.
Upgrade your dog to a premium dog food, give him rawhide chews, large dog biscuits and chew toys.
I like to give my dogs raw meats and safe bones.
Chewing is good for your dog and will not only help resolve dog bad breath, but will improve his overall health.
Adding digestive enzymes helps your dog digest and absorb the nutrients in his food.
Probiotic's will help restore the good bacteria in both the mouth and the intestinal tract, and are available in powder or pill forms.
If you can not identify the problem check with your vet.
The best cure for bad dog breath is a healthy immune system, which means that you can get back to doggy kisses sooner.