My dogs bad breathe!

Question
Mr. Gotthelf,

Our 7 year-old Golden Retriever has the worst breathe of any dog I have ever owned.  To be frank, it smells like poop or something worse, like decaying or something.  It's horrible.  She is adorable, loving and LOVES to cuddle and this is fine with us, we love it as well, but her breathe makes it a less than pleasant experience.  Her teeth were checked by a vet 3 months ago when we got her from a local rescue.  She has hypothyroid and is on medication.  I have an appt to see the vet next week but found this site and hoped you could help.  Thank you!

Answer
The first thing to do is to have the teeth cleaned and the mouth examined. There may be a rotten tooth or a small tumor causing the odor.  Also have the lips checked.  Some dogs have a pocket of tissue in their lip that holds food.  As the food putrifies, there is a terrible odor.