<p>This is a link to a site where a veterinarian discusses bad breath and dental hygene for small animals...</p>
<p>http://www.2ndchance.info/badbreath.htm</p>
<p>I agree with all that he says execpt for where he mentions using baking soda to help with odor... Baking soda has caused CHIHUAHUAS to go into a state of unbalanced blood levels of sodium and is the same reason you are not supposed to use human tooth paste for our pets. If your Chihuahua has bad breath because of a problem with it's liver or kidneys... the amount of sodium in baking soda can cause a CHIHUAHUA to go into a CRITICAL HEALTH CRISIS... so please don't use the baking soda. Use some sort of enzyme based product to help keep your dog's mouth clean smelling and if the problem persists ... examine the mouth for bad teeth which may need to be removed or for small particals which may be stuck between teeth.</p>
<p>One of my dogs was drooling really bad and was not eating or drinking well, and had really bad breath... it turned out she had a small fiber from my kitchen broom (nylon) that was stuck in her back teeth... I had looked several times but it wasn't discovered until I took her to the vet and she was under anestetic for her dental.... it was so small, you would have never even guessed it could have caused such an aweful problem.</p>
<p>A diseased mouth is just the begining of many health problems as the mouth "feeds" the rest of the body... If problems persist, it is very important to seek medical assistance from your vet.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>