Halitosis is an unpleasant odor that comes from the oral cavity. Bad breath (halitosis) is caused by plaque and tartar on a cat's teeth. The more bad breath, the more serious the oral disease.
What are the causes of bad breath in cats?
Bad breath is caused by:
- Plaque Associated Bacteria
- Tartar or tartar
- Decomposing food particles that are retained in gum pockets
- persistent bleeding due to bleeding abnormalities and
- Tissue necrosis.
Contrary to popular belief, neither normal lung air nor stomach aroma contribute to bad breath. The most common cause of bad breath in cats is periodontal disease caused by plaque (biofilim). Plaque bacteria adhere to the freshly cleaned and polished tooth as soon as the cat begins to salivate. Within days, the plaque mineralizes and produces rough tartar that builds up more plaque and causes inflammation of the gum tissue. As plaque ages and gingivitis progresses to periodontal disease (loss of tooth support), the bacterial flora changes from "good" bacteria to destructive bacteria.
The periodontal ligament becomes inflamed, which destroys the tooth support. The main cause of bad breath in cats is putrefaction from bad bacteria that produce smelly sulfur compounds.
Volatile sulfur compounds can also play a role in periodontal disease, which compromises the integrity of the tissue barrier, allowing endotoxins to cause periodontal destruction, endotoxemia, and bacteremia.
How is bad breath treated?
Treatment for halitosis in cats is to eliminate the cause (s). First, the teeth must be thoroughly cleaned and polished under general anesthesia. The cleaning removes plaque and tartar above and below the gumline (with hand instruments and scraper tips designed for use below the gumline).
After teeth cleaning, a tooth-by-tooth examination is carried out. Intraoral dental x-rays are inspected to complete the oral assessment. Often teeth with advanced periodontal disease or tooth resorption need to be extracted.
If the gingival pockets are small or bleeding is found on probing, topical antimicrobial agents can help reduce bad breath by reducing the bleeding and pocket depth.
How can you prevent bad breath?
Fortunately, once your teeth are clean, there are products you can buy to help reduce plaque buildup. The Veterinary Oral Health Council accepts these products. Accepted products are listed on vohc.org
Oral hygiene products containing zinc can inhibit odor formation due to their affinity for sulfur. Zinc and hydrogen sulfide form insoluble zinc sulfide. Zinc also interferes with microbial growth and the calcification of microbial deposits that can cause bad breath.
Once the causes of bad breath have been identified and eliminated, daily plaque monitoring is an essential part of controlling and preventing bad breath recurrence.
Daily use of Q-Tip at the interface between the gums and teeth is recommended. It is recommended that you soak the cotton swab in tuna water as this will slow down plaque build-up. Veterinary dental checkups are also recommended every two years to treat and prevent bad breath.
On the base legs
Basepaws is a leading innovator in pet biotechnology, dedicated to researching and discovering new knowledge that will help veterinarians provide better patient care. Basepaws helps veterinarians set standards for health and wellbeing, and provides the tools necessary to enable proactive health interventions and real preventive medical care. In their mission to get more animals to the vet for proactive care, they developed an early-stage dental health test that provides pet owners with knowledge about their cats in need of veterinary care before clinical symptoms become apparent.
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