# Teeth and Gas



## waybrook (Sep 13, 2009)

We're having a time right now. Panda will be 6 months next week and has begun to lose her puppy teeth. I've found 3 on her rug in the last 4-5 days. Her breath is HORRIBLE! Does anyone have any recommendations on what we can do to reduce this problem?

Also, all of a sudden she seems to have acquired a real problem with gas... She eats Innova puppy 2x per day, but because she's losing teeth I've been softening the food with a little water to help her with the chewing. Could that be causing her to be gassy? It's tough to be around her lately between her breath and her back end!


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## Jammies (Apr 4, 2009)

*Panda is adorable! Jammies breath was horrible for while, but I guess I never associated it with her losing her puppy teeth. Looking back, that may have been what it was. Do you brush her teeth with doggie toothpaste? That may help with the bad breath.
As for the other end, Jammies has an issue with that too. It is usually when she is in my arms when I am here on the computer and she is sound asleep! I sure wish we could bottle that stuff up and sale it!:faint:*


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## Poornima (Jun 29, 2007)

I use Oxyfresh pet solution in Benji and Lizzie's drinking water. It keeps their breath fresh and sweet smelling. It is especially good during teething.

As for the gas, you might want to check with your vet or breeder if it would be okay to give her 1/4 tablet of Tums or pepsid to control gas. Sometimes the manufacturer tweaks the kibble formula. It could have an impact.

Dr. Pitcairn's book is a good source for natural remedies.

Amazon.com: Dr. Pitcairn's New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats (9781579549732): Richard H. Pitcairn D.V.M., Susan Hubble Pitcairn: Books

You may want to check with your breeder or vet, if you could use Tums or Pepsid for gas.


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## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

Kipling has that little gas issue too...usually for him it's about the time he needs to go out for number 2 so we take him out, take care of that, and it's dealt with. I was thinking it may have to do with some edible treat I've given him so I'm trying to narrow it down...


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## waybrook (Sep 13, 2009)

Poornima - I've ordered some Oxyfresh - it should be here mid week. Hopefully that will help some. Good idea about the Tums - I may call the vet tomorrow and check if it would be ok.

Debbie - I LOL about Jammies (BTW what a cute name!). I'm afraid the market for our Havs fragrance may be very small! :wink:


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

One time when I took Murphy to the vet she was snuggling him and said, "Ewww, yucky teething breath!" She said she can always tell if a dog is losing baby teeth by the way their breath smells and she was right. My dogs have lost most of their teeth quickly though so the breath didn't bother me much. If you give her some things to chew on to help the teeth fall out it may go quicker.


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## waybrook (Sep 13, 2009)

Ann
Thank goodness the teething is short lived - I found another tooth on the floor this morning! At this rate she should be finished fairly quickly - but she sure does stink right now. Of course now is when she wants to be held and cuddled most - she is so funny!


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Innova Puppy is a pretty rich food for some small dogs. I had two Havs when I was feeding it and one of the Havs didn't get gas, but he did get loose stools. My vet suggested I move to a more gentle food and never had loose stools again. I wonder if it could be the cause of Panda's gas.


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## Redorr (Feb 2, 2008)

Oxyfresh cleared up Lola's teething breath. Sweet puppy kisses!


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

Innova does seem to have a higher mix of vegetables than other kibbles. It's possible that the higher amount doesn't mix well with your Hav. You may want to try something like Orijen which is also grain free with a lower ratio of veg. No need to worry about if it's puppy formula or not.


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## Renee (Mar 27, 2008)

Do you give him any "people" food or table scraps at all? I notice that Copper has HORRIFIC gas if he's been given people food. They very rarely get people food anymore...their digestive systems do so much better on their Solid Gold food alone.


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## waybrook (Sep 13, 2009)

Thanks for all the good advice for Panda! We don't give "people food" at all. Our Lab gets bacon flavored treats and I've put one of those in a baggie with some of the Innova puppy food - those are Panda's treats. The bacon smell transfers, but she's not getting any different food in her system. 

Kimberly, when you switched from Innova what did you go to? The Orijen sounds like it may be a good alternative....

The Oxyfresh came and I've tried a small amount in her water - but now we're back to loose stools...don't know if its the additive in her water or because it was time for her heartworm and that caused a problem.... :Cry:


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

I wouldn't try too many things at one. Just try one item at a time. If you change the food, add oxyfresh etc, for sure all the new changes will cause some type of soft stools. I would just slowly switch to a new food and see how it goes over a month or so before adding in anything new. It could also simply be related to the puppy teeth coming out. Maybe food is getting in somewhere and sticking to the teeth.

The other item to check is the tap water you are feeding. Maybe try putting the water through a brita filter. It could also be the mix of water and the current kibble together are not mixing well in the stomach.

Just try one item at a time. It may take a few weeks until you see a change. So be patient.


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## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

waybrook said:


> Thanks for all the good advice for Panda! We don't give "people food" at all. Our Lab gets bacon flavored treats and I've put one of those in a baggie with some of the Innova puppy food - those are Panda's treats. The bacon smell transfers, but she's not getting any different food in her system.
> 
> Kimberly, when you switched from Innova what did you go to? The Orijen sounds like it may be a good alternative....
> 
> The Oxyfresh came and I've tried a small amount in her water - but now we're back to loose stools...don't know if its the additive in her water or because it was time for her heartworm and that caused a problem.... :Cry:


Hi there - just wondering if you switched to Orijen and whether that helped with the gas issue. Kipling continues to have an issue. V. unpleasant I must say....We feed Fromm at the moment but I'm open to switching...thoughts anyone?


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

waybrook said:


> Kimberly, when you switched from Innova what did you go to? The Orijen sounds like it may be a good alternative....


I believe Orijen is a good food, but I haven't specifically looked into it. I haven't heard anything bad about it. You may want to do a search for that specific food on this forum by looking for any references to it on this site.

I switched to Fromm Family Foods for several years, but it is very difficult to find. I like the Merrick foods, but found that my small puppies, who eat together, would indulge and it would result in diarrhea. I couldn't separate the puppies to eat individually or it wouldn't have been a problem.


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## waybrook (Sep 13, 2009)

We live in a small town and our locally owned pet store doesn't carry Orijen, so I'm working a switch to Natural Balance small bites. I began the transfer over the weekend and the change is noticeable. She eating a 50/50 ratio right now and the gas is markedly less :whoo: We are all THRILLED! She loves the NB and is pushing the Innova out of the way - we've had no problems with upset stomachs or strange bowel movements so maybe this is the answer to one end anyway!


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## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

Ok thank you for the update!


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