Does Parsley Help With a Dogs Bad Breath?

Parsley is an inexpensive herb that can do wonders for your dog’s bad breath. Parsley has high levels of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll has antibacterial and deodorizing properties, making it the perfect contender against the odor-causing bacteria living in your dog’s mouth.

Few smells are worse than a dog’s bad breath. You may enjoy cuddling, petting, and receiving kisses from your pup, but bad breath is a potent deterrent. 

Dogs don’t think about brushing their teeth or using products to freshen their breath. They don’t even notice that their breath smells terrible! 

But lousy breath does bother humans, so something needs to be done about it.

The good news is that you don’t have to tolerate your dog’s bad breath anymore. Many products on the market can neutralize your dog’s breath. 

A natural and cheap ingredient that freshens a dog’s breath is parsley. This subtly bitter herb is a popular folk remedy for bad breath and is safe to give to dogs. 

This article will discuss what causes bad breath in dogs and how to freshen that bad breath with parsley.

Why Does Your Dog Have Bad Breath?

So why does your dog’s breath smell so bad? Though bad breath is often attributed to just eating something gross or stinky, chronic bad breath can be a symptom of other issues. 

Some issues are easy to fix, such as a poor diet. However, persistent lousy breath is a sign of something more serious. Below are some common causes of bad breath in dogs.

Bad Oral Hygiene

This may seem obvious, but if you are not taking care of your dog’s oral health, he will probably have stinky breath. 

Dogs develop bad breath when plaque and tartar build-up. The harmful bacteria living in your dog’s mouth emits an odor. The more bacteria present, the stinkier your dog’s breath will be. This can be easily cured or prevented by brushing your dog’s teeth often.

Smelly Food

Your dog can also have bad breath because he ate something smelly. As we all know, dogs don’t have as much discernment as humans do when it comes to food. Dogs are known to eat some interesting and disgusting things. 

Some dogs love getting into the trash and will eat old food and other smelly products. No animal could get away with fresh smelling breath after eating roadkill, cat poop, or even his own poop.

If you have a dog that does any of these things, then his bad breath is probably because of the gross stuff he is frequently eating.

Disease/Health Conditions

In some cases, bad breath can be a sign of an underlying condition. Conditions such as diabetes, gum disease, liver disease, and kidney disease can cause terrible breath in dogs. All these issues affect your dog’s breath in unique ways.

Gum Disease

Gum disease is the most common cause of bad breath. A buildup of plaque and tartar, which are fuel to odor-causing bacteria, cause gum disease. 

Gum disease can begin with a diet deficient in various vitamins and nutrients. Gum disease gets worse when there is a lack of proper dental treatments such as brushing your dog’s teeth or using products to fight plaque and tartar. 

Brushing your dog’s teeth or giving them a chew toy are great ways to keep your dog’s dental hygiene in check and prevent gum disease.

Diabetes

Diabetes occurs in a dog when sugar and ketone levels are high. The extra sugar in a dog’s system ends up in his saliva. 

That sugary saliva fuels the odor-causing bacteria that love to live in a dog’s mouth. Dogs that have diabetes tend to have breath that smells sweet or fruity. 

If this is how your dog’s breath smells, you should have them checked for diabetes.

Liver Disease

Liver disease is a serious problem for dogs, and bad breath can be an early sign that your dog’s liver is in trouble. 

If your dog is vomiting, has a lack of appetite, and has a yellowish tint to his gums in addition to bad breath, then your dog may have liver disease. 

If you see this combination of symptoms, take your dog to the vet immediately.

Kidney Disease

Another serious disease that causes bad breath is kidney disease. The telltale sign of kidney disease is that your dog’s breath smells like urine. 

Some owners may smell their dog’s breath and think their dog is drinking pee. However, that may not be the case. 

If your dog’s breath smells like urine, take them to the vet to confirm whether or not this is a sign of kidney problems.

If your dog has terrible breath, the best things to do are to develop a hygiene routine (like brushing and flossing his teeth), improve his diet, and go to the vet to ensure that this isn’t a sign of a bigger issue. 

If you’ve done all those things and your dog still has bad breath, parsley may be the solution.

Parsley For Your Dog’s Breath

What is Parsley?

Parsley is a mildly bitter herb from the Mediterranean that pairs well with cuisines all around the world. 

Even though it is popular as a delicious spice, it also works wonders for bad breath. Although parsley was originally a folk remedy to cure bad breath in humans, it has become a great solution to curing the bad breath of man’s best friend.

Benefits of Parsley

Although many human foods are toxic to dogs, parsley is not one of them. In fact, there are multiple benefits to adding parsley to your dog’s diet.

Parsley is full of vitamins A, C, and K, all essential for a healthy dog. 

Vitamin C and A are antioxidants that support your dog’s immune system. Vitamin K maintains healthy blood clotting, promotes liver health, and has anti-inflammatory properties. Because of these remarkable qualities, parsley is an excellent supplement for dogs suffering from arthritis. 

Parsley is also full of fiber and is a diuretic, meaning it can help keep your dog’s urinary tract healthy. All these qualities make parsley a great addition to your dog’s diet, whether or not he has bad breath!

Parsley for Your Dog’s Breath

The reason parsley is effective at neutralizing your dog’s breath is because of the high levels of chlorophyll found in the herb. 

Chlorophyll has antibacterial and deodorizing properties, making it the perfect contender against the odor-causing bacteria living in your dog’s mouth. 

The antibacterial agents fight the bacteria while the deodorizing agents neutralize the odor. Not only will your dog’s breath improve, but parsley will also prevent the odor-causing bacteria from coming back.

Now that you know why parsley is effective, how do you add it to your dog’s diet? Do you just give them a leaf to munch on? Not exactly. The taste of parsley is robust to dogs, so they won’t appreciate all that bitterness all at once.

The best way to add parsley to his diet is by sprinkling a small amount into his dog food. The small amount won’t overwhelm his taste buds but will be powerful enough to cure his bad breath.

Get Rid of Your Dogs Bad Breath For Good

If you’ve determined that your dog’s bad breath isn’t serious but still can’t seem to get rid of it, some parsley should do the trick. The herb is subtle and mild, but it packs a powerful punch when it comes to bad breath. 

Even though adding parsley to your dog’s food is an excellent way to combat bad breath, you still need to follow an oral hygiene plan. 

Brushing your dog’s teeth and giving them chew toys helps prevent the build-up of plaque and bacteria that causes bad breath in the first place. 

If your dog has bad breath, then brush his teeth, give them a toy, and sprinkle some parsley into his food. Those simple acts should be more than enough to get rid of your dog’s bad breath for good.

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