Okay, we can’t begrudge our dogs for their bad beagle breath sometimes.

After all, if you couldn’t brush your teeth and tongue every day, how do you think your breath would be? Unlike their human parents, who utilize a daily arsenal to combat this: toothbrushes, dental floss, mouthwash, and tongue scrapers. For most beagles, a toothbrush is an unfamiliar item for their entire lives. Consequentially due to that fact, 80% of all beagles have some form of dental complication by the age of 3.

Many dollars are reactively spent to deal with an issue that would be able to be mitigated — if not eliminated, by taking care of your beagle’s oral health proactively at home.

So why do many beagle parents not provide proper dental care to their pupsters?
Well, if something is generally not understood as a problem for dogs — how will it ever be corrected? But just like for humans, your beagle’s oral health is directly correlated with their overall health.

Let’s dive deeper into this issue to see what are the causes of bad beagle breath and how we can correct it.

What Causes Bad Breath And How To Fix It?

There are many reasons that could cause bad breath (scientifically known as halitosis) in your beagle. They span from the innocuous to the invasive. They include:

Teething

This is a leading cause if your beagle is still in his or her puppy phase. As such, it is a short-lived issue and generally concludes once teething is complete.

An odor similar to sour milk may emanate, resulting from the mix of your beagle pup’s saliva and blood (from the teeth eruptions). Oral irritation is associated with the stage, which may cause your beagle to become more mouthy, as well. We discuss this in greater detail here: Beagle Teething: A Comprehensive Guide

Things You Can Do:

1. Clean Your Puppy’s Teeth/Gums
Did you know that many veterinarians use your beagle’s teeth to identify their general age if you’re unfamiliar with their true age? That’s because the condition of the teeth is usually representative of your beagle’s age. However — if you maintain their oral hygiene, your veterinarian may be wildly thrown off their initial estimate. Not that I’m encouraging you to purposefully throw off your veterinarian. I’m encouraging you to purposefully brush your beagle’s teeth to help ensure a healthier life.

It is particularly beneficial to familiarize your beagle with brushing for a few reasons. It’ll acclimate them to the brushing sensation in their mouths. Which while teething, they experience a lot of irritation from the teeth rupturing through the gums, and brushing can help massage those areas thoroughly.

2. Teething Toys
All beagles tend to have different chewing personalities. Their personality should have a direct effect as to which type of toy(s), you’d consider buying for him or her.
The 2 chewing personalities are: Nibblers and the Inhalers/Destroyers.

Nibblers are pretty balanced. You can provide them the toy and know that it won’t be gone the next minute. They give the toy its proper dues.
Suitable toys for them are tennis balls, rubber chew toys, stuffed toys.

Destroyers/Inhalers are beagles that you have to be particularly mindful of watching. They may bite off large chunks of a toy, so it’s best to ensure it’s not something that can cause intestinal distress. Suitable toys for them are edible chews & treats, bully sticks, rawhides, and bully sticks.

Regardless of the toy(s) given: Always supervise any beagle that is playing with toys, to ensure that they will inadvertently injure themselves.

Dog Food Residue

If your beagle has a breath that smells like dog food, it’s a safe bet that it is in fact — dog food.
Dry dog food when mixed with saliva in your beagle’s mouth can create a paste that can get caught in the crevices of their teeth. It’s kind of like when you get peanut butter caught in your mouth.

Things You Can Do:

1. Always Provide Fresh Water
Bottled spring water, filtered waters, wand water from drinking fountains are great sources of water. Sources you shouldn’t allow them anywhere near would be: toilets, tap water, sports drinks, soda, public bodies of water, puddles or communal dog park bowls.

Be sure to clean their drinking bowl every day. You don’t want any fresh water you put into it to become contaminated.

2. Provide Fresh, Home-Cooked Food
It’s essential that your beagle’s diet has a proper balance of nutrients their body needs to work to the best of its ability. And dogs that don’t eat a healthy and balanced diet can suffer a variety of health issues. We discuss this further here: Beagle Home Cooked Food: A Culinary Guide

3. Brush After Their Meals
If you wish to ensure a consistently fresh beagle breath, brushing their teeth and tongues along with a constant supply of fresh water is of paramount importance.

Partaking In Poop

It happens. Just as sometime you’ll catch or later notice your beagle has rolled in it, they may occasionally indulge in fecal matter. A simple rule of thumb: If you put them outside recently and their breath was fine beforehand, and now they’re back inside and it reeks, chances are they are guilty as charged.

Things You Can Do:
Coprophagia is best curbed by preventing unnecessary access to stools. Maintaining a clean yard for their disposal, in addition to consistent supervision while outdoors is a great start.

Foreign Matter

As beagles are very apt to follow their noses aimlessly, their mouths can sometimes get into just as much trouble. Something small like a pebble or wood splinter can easily become lodged and cause an oral issue. If it causes irritation or infection, bad breath will likely soon follow.

Things You Can Do:
These are scenarios where your best bet would be to have someone help you remove it. Upon discovery of the item and how it’s wedged, it may be something you may feel comfortable removing. If not, you can always go the safer route and have your veterinarian remove the foreign body.

Neglecting Oral Health

If your beagle’s oral health is not addressed with brushing, it can lead to a buildup of plaque.

Plaque is the occasional fuzzy feeling on the surface of your teeth. It’s a sticky layer of bacteria. If this plaque is not addressed within as a little as 48 hours, it can mineralize on your teeth. Within days, this can become tartar. The longer this has to linger, the potential for it to smell is greater. More importantly, this can cause tooth and gum decay in addition to infections. These are the root causes of periodontal disease. Periodontal disease can spread systemically and have major health repercussions if not addressed promptly. Finally, chronic halitosis can occur in this stage until this addressed.

Things You Can Do:

Can you see yellow staining on their teeth?
Has it been a while since your beagle’s teeth were checked?
If you believe or your veterinarian believes plague has mineralized into tartar on their teeth, only a veterinarian can remove it successfully and determine that no other damage has occurred.
Because a beagle would have to put under light anesthesia to have a cleaning done, beagle owners should be that much more incentivized to properly maintain their beagle’s oral health throughout their lives, to avoid any unnecessary invasive procedures.

Medical Issues

As all of these below in this section are medical causes, the obvious route to having whatever cause properly addressed is bringing your beagle to their veterinarian ASAP.

Diabetes

As expected, a beagle whose breath is sickeningly sweet or fruity can be a clear indicator of diabetes. If any discoloration in their mouth or change in behavior is observed, you should get them to their vet right away.

Diabetes can compromise the performance of their immune system, leaving them more susceptible to additional health issues.

Foreign Body

As beagles are very apt to follow their noses aimlessly, their mouths can sometimes get into just as much trouble. Something small like a pebble or wood splinter can easily become lodged and cause an oral issue. If it causes irritation or infection, bad breath will likely soon follow.

Upon discovery of the item and how it is wedged, it may be something you may feel comfortable removing. If not, you can always go the safer route and have your veterinarian remove the foreign body.

Kidney Disease

Consists of your beagle’s inability to eliminate their waste, particularly urine.
Okay, now don’t get grossed out by what I’m going to say next, but hey I’m warning you.
Since they lack the ability to properly eliminate urine completely, a buildup of an ammonia scent occurs on your beagle’s breath, as urine backs up making its way into the bloodstream.

Liver Disease

Consists of foul-smelling breath, in concurrence with yellow staining on their gums or corners of their eyes. Be mindful that their appetite may be curbed as well. And if they do it, they may be vomiting.

Worms

Signs of intestinal worms include appetite change, diarrhea, dull coat, lethargy, pot-bellied appearance, and vomiting. The difficulty with this one is that these symptoms can be indicative of many other health-related or non-related issues.

If you notice these symptoms in addition to a noxious breath, your beagle may be due for a deworming pill.

How To Properly Clean Your Dog’s Teeth & Gums

Good Ol’ Toothbrush & Toothpaste

Be sure to purchase ones that are specifically for dogs.
They’ll likely love the toothpaste, as they come in flavors that they tend to gravitate to. Peanut butter or chicken to name a couple.

One caveat though: Do NOT, I repeat do NOT use human toothpaste for your beloved beagle. It may contain ingredients that may be harmful to their health. CooZero Dog Dental Care Kit is great for your beloved beagle’s oral health.

Now that we have the basics, let’s make sure we do it right:

Time It Right

You’ll want to tend to your beagle during times of the day when they are settled and you’re equally as calm. It will make the interaction a more pleasurable experience as they will associate it as more one-on-one time with you. Make it a regularly scheduled event during the week, so they come to expect it.

If they seem a little skittish initially with a toothbrush; rubbing your clean fingers over their teeth and gums will help them acclimate to the new sensation.

Open Wide

Examine your beagle’s mouth by pulling back their lips to expose their gums. Take advantage to perform an inspection of their entire mouth to identify any potential problems.

Brush At A Slant

Once you’re ready to begin brushing, slant the brush at a 45-degree angle. You’ll want to ensure that not only are you focusing on their teeth, but gently massaging their gum line.

Time For A Treat

After a job well done, feel free to shower your beagle with tons of heartfelt praise and a treat of two.

D.I.Y. Dog Breath Fresheners

By now, you already know that consistent brushings and a fresh food diet can help keep your dog’s mouth in tip-top shape. But did you know that many ingredients you readily find in your kitchen are great in helping, as well?

Coconut Oil

Superfood much? Coconut oil is excellent for your beagle’s overall health. It can act as an anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and immune-boosting agent. Furthermore, it can support brain, skin, and gastrointestinal wellness. Seriously? Seriously.

Additionally, maintaining thyroid function, healthy cholesterol levels, and combating heart disease are other components. Gotta love it!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Only half a teaspoon of raw organic apple cider vinegar added to your beagle’s water bowl can do the trick.

Carrots

Chewing carrots helps to prevent plaque buildup and keep their breath fresh.

Parsley

Get this! Add some fresh parsley to your dog’s food or incorporate it into homemade dog treats to freshen up breath.

Probiotics

But wait, there’s more! As there may be an issue with the balance of your beagle’s digestive system, supplementing their food intake with a probiotic formulated specifically for dogs can help procure healthy bacteria throughout their digestive tract.

Fresh Water

I know, don’t kill the messenger. Yes, it may sound obvious, but dehydration is one of the main causes of bad beagle breath.

Keep that water bowl filled, replacing it every couple of hours, and you’ll find a happier and healthier beagle.

Non-D.I.Y. Dog Breath Fresheners

Let’s face it — most of us are on the run. Luckily, there are items, like TropiClean Fresh Breath Water Additive that can accommodate people that want the “easy way”.

Heck, even chewing toys will provide a strong defense like helping to ensure plaque doesn’t get a chance to build up; like Benebone Wishbone Dog Chew Toy or Sharlovy 14 Pack of Chew Toys.

Conclusion

Taking a proactive approach to your beagle’s health care, including dental health care will benefit them greatly. By taking a few minutes out of your day, you could be adding potentially years onto your beagle’s life. That’s more than worth it if you ask me.

Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases made through affiliate links on this site. The commissions do not impact the price you pay for those products, nor do they influence which product(s) we may or may not recommend on this site. After all — we just want your beagle to be happy and healthy.