Answer 1:
This is up for debate – lots of people complain
about their dogs’ breath and many humans work hard
to keep their breath from smelling bad. The
smells coming from both dogs’ and humans’ mouths
are both caused by certain bacteria that eat food
residue off our teeth, gums and tongues. As
they eat the residue, they release smelly gas and
build hard shells on our teeth, called
plaque. If lots of bacteria live our mouth
for a long time, they can irritate our gums
(causing gingivitis), cause bad breath (halitosis)
or even eat through our teeth (causing cavities).
Brushing, flossing and using mouthwash removes a
lot of the bacteria that cause these problems and
keeps our mouth healthy – and less smelly too!
Your dog can’t brush his own teeth, which
could lead to bad breath, but can cut down on the
amount of bacteria in his mouth by drooling and
chewing on fiber (like rope toys). Some people
also brush their dogs teeth themselves or with the
help of a veterinarian.
One reason your dog’s breath may
smell better than yours is because dogs eat less
sugar – the bacteria in your mouths’ love sugar
and produce more gas when they eat it. Also,
you many not be able to smell all the chemicals
coming out of your dogs’ mouth. Your nose is
only able to detect a specific set of chemicals
and we are particularly sensitive to our own “bad”
smells. We humans use these smells to stay
healthy your bad breath tells you to brush
your teeth, your stinky feet tell you to wash and
air out your toes, etc. We’re less aware of the
different ways that dogs smell because we are not
dogs. Dogs, however, have both a more
sensitive nose and can detect a larger number of
chemicals. A dog’s breath and sweat tell other
dogs many things about who they are, where they’ve
been and how healthy they are.
So, you may think your dog’s
breath smells sweet just as your dog wishes he
could tell you to brush your teeth.
|
