Doggie breath!!

 She 'only' eats kibble?  Dry?  That is like us eating Graham crackers; you know how those stick to your teeth?  All those carbs turn to corrosive sugar.  So yes, if that it all she eats, she may well have lots of tartar build up even at this young age.

Dogs need a mix of dry and moist foods and chewy stuff.  Start giving her something to clean her teeth, such as sliced raw sweet potato.

 sorry I can't recall, isn't this the dog that is a heavy chewer?? If so chewing should be helping.

Sandie Bugsy has eaten mostly kibble all his life (he gets some cans on occasion) and at age 8 has little if any tarter and his breath is great. I do put water on his kibble but do want to say that dry kibble alone isn't a cause of bad breath/tarter build up.

Is she licking her butt?

Can you see plaque/tarter?

Does she have proper chews for her size and strength?

Are you brushing her teeth?

etc. etc.

Also dogs like humans can have a genetic predisposition for bad teeth (and subsequently breath)

I will say I am surprised that she would have bad breath at 6 months, if it is from her teeth I would have a talk with your vet on how to maintain her teeth better and attempt to prevent dental issues as she would IMO be predisposed

I agree that a factor is genetic predispostion to "bad teeth" or easy tartar build-up.  We feed Ruby the same thing we fed Tonka:  very high-quality kibble, with a tablespoon of wet food and a little water.  Both of them chew Nylabones several times every day. 

Tonka had extremely clean teeth right up until he passed away (around age 10), and we'd never had them professionally cleaned.  Ruby is only about 3, and she already has some visible tartar.  The only difference is that Tonka let us brush his teeth (2-3 times a week), but we've never been able to get Ruby to cooperate long enough to be very effective with the brush. 

I sometimes think that Ruby has "doggie breath," but DH thinks it just smells like her food (which is fish based = not very aromatic!).  And her dog treats are very high protein, so there's a meaty smell from those, too.

I don't know if anyone here has used them, but I've oftened wondered if those additives you can put in their water would help, or even dental wipes, which might be easier to use than a brush (in Ruby's case).

tacran

I don't know if anyone here has used them, but I've oftened wondered if those additives you can put in their water would help, or even dental wipes, which might be easier to use than a brush (in Ruby's case).

I have heard some people say that they seem to help - Jennie that used to be on here is a groomer and has used them

I am just considering trying one as B isn't tolerant of tooth brushing. Fortunately he chews so obsessively and vigorously his teeth stay rather clean LOL

And yes he has fish kibble breath or tripe breath or EVO venison breath after eating but otherwise his breath is excellent

In fact the other morning when he decided to lick my face first thing in the morning I wondered how come dogs don't morning breath like humans??

Thanks, Karen.  I guess it wouldn't hurt to try one of those water additives and/or dental wipes since they're not very expensive. 

I'm sure we could have more success with Ruby and the toothbrush if we REALLY got serious about some de-sensitizing training.  But, with her inclincation to gnaw on most anything in her mouth, it's like a bizarre hand, head, & mouth ballet with the brush flailing around in there somewhere . . . it turns into a comical and frustrating task.  Being the lazy trainers that we are, we give up rather easily. 

Checking for an infected tooth or abscess is wise.  My friend has a cat that had a couple bad teeth pulled not too long ago -- and she said the improvement in her breath was major.

 Start desensitizing her to tooth brushing. You can start out with just letting her lick paste off the brush. Then just touch her teeth, and work up to brushing all the teeth.

kpwlee

...Sandie Bugsy has eaten mostly kibble all his life (he gets some cans on occasion) and at age 8 has little if any tarter and his breath is great. I do put water on his kibble but do want to say that dry kibble alone isn't a cause of bad breath/tarter build up...

Same here, only I don't add water to the food. I've never had a problem with excessive tarter/plaque build up.

tacran

...I don't know if anyone here has used them, but I've oftened wondered if those additives you can put in their water would help, or even dental wipes, which might be easier to use than a brush (in Ruby's case).

 As Mick got older and didn't chew bones as much, I started adding Oxy Fresh Oral Pet Solution to one water dish.  We always got comments on how clean his teeth were, even from the vet. 

I've been adding Plaque Off to Caleb's meals for a couple of years now with good results (no soup bones for him because of beef & dairy issues).  Not that I wasn't happy with the Oxy Fresh stuff, i just find the Plaque Off easier to use, especially when traveling.

ETA- another thought.  Are you sure it's actual doggy breath and not from teething?  If memory serves me right, 6 months is about the age that puppy teeth get replaced with adult teeth.  Caleb had some pretty weird breath then.

SadieLady

She was losing teeth a few weeks ago. I haven't noticed any lately, but that doesn't mean she isn't still teething. I believe she should be getting her molars around now? Can teething cause doggie breath???

I would describe Caleb's breath when he was teething more like a metallic or blood smell then doggy breath,  but it definitely wasn't pleasant.