# 8 month old..bad breath, bleeding gums...still teething?



## kaysy (Jan 9, 2010)

Marty has had bad breath since day one. First it was the love/hate puppy breath, this is different. I brush his teeth 3-4 times a week and am finding bleeding gums. Vet checked when he was neutered 2 mo ago and saw nothing unusual blamed it on the teething process. Are they still teething at 8 month? Going to the vet tomorrow for heartworm blood test and will re-visit the breath matter.
Any ideas? Thanks.


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

I am glad you are taking him to the vet. At 8 month I would think he is done with the teething. Maybe you can cut back on the teeth brushing some.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

there could very well be two separate issues. 
The bleeding gums which could be from exuberant brushing.....
and bad breath which can be an indicator of other health problems...
Glad your seeing the vet....


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## Bell (Jan 23, 2010)

I would say you're hurting his gums in your effort to care for his mouth hygiene..His teeth do not need to be brushed so often.


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

Dental hygiene is important, glad to hear you're brushing. Something you can do instead of using a brush is a piece of gauze. It isn't an abrasive as bristles on the gums. You can put the paste on the gauze and rub it on the back teeth. 

Breath can be indicative of other problems, so definitely get it checked out.


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## kaysy (Jan 9, 2010)

Our vet clinic was started by a vet who is now at UW Vet school assistant dean and head of their dentistry dept. That's why I brush, do my 2 cats also. Breeder recommends dry food only. That's what he gets along with about a tsp of frozen wet in his kong at bedtime and a few treats during the day.


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## IowaGold (Nov 3, 2009)

Daily brushing is fabulous! Glad you are doing it. Your cats too? Wow, I bow down to your superior talent! What kind of brush are you using? Doggy brushes should be really soft. He should totally be done losing teeth at 8 months.

Where is the blood coming from? The same place all the time? Multiple places in the mouth? Does it seem like he's bleeding all the time or just after brushing?

Is Marty a big chewer? It's not that uncommon for my girls to get abrasions on their gums after spending some good quality time with an extra hard chew.

So here's my thoughts: abrasions from chewing, maybe his teeth don't line up exactly right and irritate his gums, a bleeding disorder (this is a VERY long shot)


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## kaysy (Jan 9, 2010)

Vet looked and his gums are fine. The reccomend daily brushing, if possible. I'm using a dog toothbrush, will try the smaller cat one. Breath (of course) wasn't that bad today. I'm going to cut out the wet food in his kong at night and see if that helps. Yes he's a chewer, but outside we try to get sticks, bark whatever out of his mouth before he gets too into it. It's a small amt of blood mainly bottom back, I tried massaging with kleenex at the vets and there was no blood.


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## ggdenny (Nov 2, 2008)

I hope this gets better for you and Marty. The UW VMTH is top-notch!


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## Langdon's Dad (Feb 16, 2010)

Glad to hear as well! Also glad to see so many Madison/ Wisconsin folk on the forum!!


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

If the blood is localized and there's a strange smell (not just doggie breath), there could be an abscess in the gum.

At 8 months, he could be going through the second teething phase, where the teeth set into the jaw, but I've never had dogs that bled or had different smells in their breath during that time. I've only seen the standard increase in desire to chew. Your situation makes me think there's something odd going on.


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