Why My Dog Breath Smell Like Fish? (Simple Tips Fix Bad Dog Breath)
Okay, so the other day, I was cuddling with my dog, Buster, and I got a big whiff of his breath. Woah! It smelled like straight-up fish. Not pleasant, not normal. I was like, "Dude, what's going on?"
First thing I did? I checked his food. Maybe he got into something weird? Nope, same old kibble he's been eating for months. No fishy ingredients. Scratch that off the list.
Then, I looked at his teeth. I've heard bad teeth can cause weird breath. I tried to pry his jaws open (he wasn't thrilled), and honestly, his teeth didn't look too bad. A little yellow, maybe, but nothing crazy. Still, I figured it couldn't hurt to do some brushing.
So, I got out his doggy toothbrush and toothpaste (chicken flavor, his favorite!). I brushed his teeth as best as I could. He squirmed, he drooled, it was a whole production. But we got it done. Did it help? Not really. Still fishy.
Digging Deeper
Next up, I did some Googling. I typed in "dog breath smells like fish," and a bunch of stuff came up. Some articles talked about anal glands (gross!), others mentioned kidney problems (scary!). I started to freak out a little.
- Anal Glands: Apparently, these little sacs near their butt can get full and cause a fishy smell. I'm not gonna lie, I was NOT excited about checking those.
- Kidney Issues: This one worried me the most. Kidney problems can cause all sorts of bad stuff, and fishy breath can be a symptom.
I made a vet appointment. I figured it was better to be safe than sorry. I described the fishy breath, the teeth brushing, everything. The vet did a full checkup – looked at his teeth, felt his belly, and yep, even checked those anal glands (poor Buster!).
Turns out, Buster's anal glands were a little full. The vet expressed them (I'm SO glad I didn't have to do that!), and guess what? The fishy smell was significantly reduced! The vet said it wasn't anything serious, just a build-up of those nasty fluids. He also gave me some dental chews to help keep Buster's teeth cleaner.
It was great and now Buster's breath is way better now. It's not perfect, but it's definitely not a fish market anymore. I'm keeping an eye on it, and I'll definitely be more proactive about his dental hygiene (and those dreaded anal glands) in the future!
