The 5 Best Dog Breath Fresheners Australia: Tested & Evaluated 2024

Uh-oh, doggie breath! If your dog’s mouth suddenly smells disgusting, don’t feel bad. You are certainly not the only pet parent who thought that. But what can we do about it? Is there a breath mint for dogs that can just wash the breath problems away?

Unfortunately, dogs don’t like mints, however, we’re here to help you find the best dog breath freshener available.

To help us on our smelly journey in discovering the best dog breath freshener options Australia offers, we joined forces with veterinarians, canine nutritionists and dog parents to form a team of independent experts. We then researched the top dog breath fresheners and after weeks of testing, were able to agree on the contents of this article. 

No need to hold your nose closed any longer. Let's get into freshening up your pups breath!

Australia's Best Dog Breath Fresheners Reviewed

Without further ado, let's get to our favourite dog breath freshener products in Australia. These are the items that delighted our team of independent experts with their effectiveness, ease of use, and fair price point.

The easiest solution for dealing with bad breath in dogs are dental chews. However, the main problem with various dental chews and sticks is that they contain a bunch of suspicious chemicals.

Considering that, the Savourlife Dental Bars come as a real refreshment because they are based on natural ingredients. The base ingredients in these bars are rice and kangaroo. While these are not the first thing we think about in connection to fresh breath, they are a good option for dog dental treats because these are foods that dogs love.

In addition to those, these sticks contain a mix of vitamins and minerals as well as things like tapioca, glycerine, and gelatine that give the treats their rugged texture. These dental bars are, in fact, quite tough, which allows them to gently clean your dog’s teeth while they chew. They may not be the best choice for dogs with sensitive teeth, so if that's your pupper, check out our number two option next for a softer option.

Clean teeth are a necessity to prevent bad breath in dogs, but some dogs still have stinky breath even if their teeth are clean. For this reason, the Savourlife Dental Bars contain parsley and mint which help give a fresh note to your dog’s breath in a healthy and natural way.

Greenies are probably the most popular dog chew treat in the world. But do they work? Yes, to an extent. There seems to be something in the Greenies formula that does help freshen a dog’s breath. So, if that’s what you are looking for, go ahead and try these treats.

The Greenies treats are also designed to have a chewy texture that should, at least in theory, help clean the dog’s teeth mechanically. However, our team of independent experts couldn't help but notice that Greenies are noticeably softer than other similar products, particularly our number one choice. In fact, most dogs seem to go through them within seconds. If that is the case, it might not surprise you that your dog’s teeth will not get cleaned by simply chewing one Greenie treat per day.

Since clean teeth without tartar buildup are the main condition for fresh breath and good dental health overall, simply feeding Greenies is not a complete solution. However, they do appear to be exceptionally helpful in keeping the smelliness of my dog’s breath down. For that, I appreciate them.

Do you sometimes wish you could simply give your dog a breath mint? Unfortunately, dogs usually don’t like mints made for humans, and they are not very good for them either. The closest to instant relief for dogs is probably the TropiClean fresh breath gel.

This gel works somewhat like a toothpaste that doesn’t need rinsing. To use it you, I had to apply two drops to my dog's teeth. As the dog starts licking around to get rid of the substance, the gel will spread across the surface of the teeth and the active formula will start eliminating plaque and tartar buildup instantly. For best results, TropiClean recommends applying the gel daily.

The TropiClean formula also contains spearmint and green tea leaf extract which will freshen your dog’s breath almost instantaneously.

The thing our panel of pros didn’t like about TropiClean is how aggressive the ingredients on the list are. Spearmint and green tea certainly work for fresher breath, but not every dog will love the smell of those or even tolerate it.

Moreover, this product contains zinc chloride. This is a common ingredient in many mouthwash products made for humans due to its ability to neutralise bad breath, but zinc in high amounts can be toxic to dogs (1). While the concentration of zinc chloride in this gel is quite low, being careful about the dosage is still recommendable.

All the breath mints in the world will not help if there is some nasty food debris stuck in your dog's teeth! The quickest solution? Dental wipes! These dental wipes from Vet’s Best come soaked in a solution with active ingredients that help clean your pup’s teeth and freshen their breath.

These particular wipes are shaped as ‘finger pads’. That means I simply needed to slip one over my finger and gently clean my dog’s teeth using just my covered finger. 

The finger pad shape is more useful than one might think at first. Namely, other dental wipes that are not shaped as conveniently as these ones, but rather as regular wipes tend to be tiny, and this makes them quite awkward to use without dropping them. This can be dangerous as your dog could end up swallowing the wipe.

In any case, these moist dental finger pads are a great way to quickly freshen your dog’s breath as well as keep their teeth clean and healthy. Similar to our number three choice, this is a great option if your dog doesn't mind you touching their mouth.

Ark Naturals Brushless Toothpaste is yet another dental chew that claims to fix your dog’s breath issues. However, what makes these chews different from other options is the brushless toothpaste core.

When you feed these chews, you are basically administering doggie toothpaste without having to place your finger in your canine companion’s mouth. The external layer gets the dog chewing, and the core actively cleans the teeth. Truth be told, this will only work if your dog spends some time chewing these treats rather than just swallowing them in two bites (they are quite small). Thus, Ark Naturals work best for smaller dogs who do not chew too aggressively. 

Everyone on our team of independent experts agreed that these treats seem to be quite effective in helping freshen a dog’s breath, and there are two reasons for this. The first one are the antibacterial and fragrant ingredients like cinnamon, alfalfa, and vanilla.

The second reason is the cleaning and calculus-preventing action of the toothpaste core. However, this is also the main problem we have with this product: it contains ingredients like sodium pyrophosphate and dicalcium phosphate (+more) which are known in dentistry to help fight cavities and plaque but are also not the healthiest ingredients for feeding dogs.

How I Choose a Dog Breath Freshener

When it comes to doggie breath, there is one thing we should say first: always look for the underlying cause before searching for quick-fix solutions.

Bad breath in dogs can be caused by a variety of issues, including cavities and periodontal disease, but not only. For example, bad breath can also be a sign of diabetes, kidney, or liver disease (2). For this reason, we would always advise consulting your veterinarian about persistent smelly breath issues in dogs.

Related: Why Does My Dog’s Breath Smell?

However, sometimes there is no underlying cause you can treat. Some dogs simply have smelly breath. It might be the food they eat, or it might be something else, but if the dog is otherwise healthy, bad breath is not a problem for them. But it can be for you. If that’s the case, you might as well try some commercially available breath freshener for dogs.

Types of Breath Fresheners

When it comes to dog breath solutions, always be wary of any products that promise instant fixes. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. However, there are certain products that can help, but not the same thing works for every dog.

These are the main types of doggie breath fresheners our team of independent experts researched:

Dental Treats

Dental treats are by far the easiest to use among all the breath freshening products. After all, what do dogs love more than being fed with treats? A good dental treat, or a dental stick can often be all it takes to deal with mild breath issues in dogs.

In short, some dental treats work by acting as a toothbrush and physically cleaning your dog’s teeth, while others use ingredients like those in toothpaste to keep the teeth clean. Finally, some also have aromatic components that will, at least temporarily, mask the foul smell coming from your dog’s mouth.

Gels & Sprays

A quicker way, albeit less natural than dental treats, are various products that you’ll need to apply to your dog's mouth yourself. These often come in the form of a gel or a spray. They contain components that help clean the teeth and fight the bacteria in your dog’s mouth that cause bad breath. These products usually work very quickly and are a great solution in a pinch. However, they also often come in a minty flavour or something similar.

The problem with that is that many dogs will hate the smell and will quickly learn to run away from the spray bottle like it’s the devil.

Water Additives

A relatively new solution on the market are various additives you can add to your dog’s water bowl. These additives contain active ingredients that fight plaque formation in your dog’s mouth. They are usually advertised as flavourless and colourless, but that’s not always the case.

As you know, dogs have a very sensitive sense of smell and often refuse to drink water with additives. If you choose to try this route, consult your vet beforehand due to the potential adverse reactions to the ingredients in these products.

Dental Wipes

Dental wipes are another easy solution for your dog’s breath. Not as easy as feeding a dental treat, but a dental wipe allows you to manually clean your dog’s teeth with ease. Choose wipes with a pleasant scent and your dog’s mouth will be smelling nice within seconds.

A Note About Ingredients

If you care about what you put into your pooch’s body, dental care products are one area you should be especially careful about. Dental treats, for example, often contain a bunch of unnecessary ingredients such as artificial colourings and flavours. Not to mention that they are often basically made mostly from fillers like wheat or potato starch.

Just take a look at some of the most popular products, and you’ll quickly notice the list gets too long and too confusing with all the mystery ingredients.

So what can one do about this? In the end, it’s up to you, as a pet parent, to make an informed decision. Some dental products for dogs are more effective and work more quickly than others because they contain active ingredients often used in dentistry like sodium bicarbonate or various phosphates. Now, in some cases of bad breath, these strong formulas might be a necessary solution, but it’s up to you to decide whether your dog needs that.

More natural versions of dental treats, on the other hand, don’t contain too much teeth-cleaning magic. They will often contain meat, as that’s the most natural thing for a dog to chew and rely on the chewy texture to help clean teeth.

Some herbal aromatics might be added, like parsley and mint. This type of dental treat will probably have the same effect as feeding your dog a raw bone, but at least you know you are not giving your dog anything potentially harmful.

My Final Thoughts

In the end, what’s the best breath freshener for dogs? Going with a good old dental chew treat is always a good place to start. Our panel of independent experts especially liked the Savourlife dental bars because they are made with wholesome ingredients and have a tough texture that will keep a dog chewing for some time.

On the other hand, you might also try something like Greenies. They are not the healthiest treats, but they seem to work wonders against bad breath.

References

1. Austin, S. June 18, 2021. “Zinc Toxicity in Dogs & Cats”. Preventive Vet. Retrieved January 28, 2024. https://www.preventivevet.com/pets/zinc-toxicity-in-dogs-and-cats
2. Burke, A. November 9, 2023. “How to Get Rid of Stinky Dog Breath”. American Kennel Club. Retrieved January 28, 2024. https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/get-rid-of-stinky-dog-breath/
3. Shugg, R. February 15, 2022. “Bad Breath in Dogs: Causes and Treatment”. PetMD. Retrieved January 28, 2024. https://www.petmd.com/dog/symptoms/bad-breath-dogs-causes-treatment