Why Dogs Sometimes Lick their Lips Excessively
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It may happen one day that out of no where your dog starts licking its lips like if he had some peanut butter on its nose. At first it looks like something is temporarily bothering your dog, but as time goes by the licking persists an your dog starts looking uncomfortable.
Perhaps, your dog will also try to lick the carpet or the floor or just the air, as if in an attempt to get rid of something. Concerned, you take a look at your dog's nose, gums and teeth. All seems normal. Yet the behavior continues. You take your dog out and your dog the starts to frantically eat grass almost as if she were a cow. So what is going on?
The following are some potential causes for drooling. Of course, obvious causes for drooling such as seeing food or owning a breed prone to drooling are not listed. Please keep in mind that dogs also occasionally lick their lips as a calming signal. Your dog may therefore lick its lips if he is uncomfortable with you doing something. The following are therefore causes of lip licking that are medical and abnormal.
- Your Dog May be Nauseous
In some cases, dogs exhibiting these symptoms are simply nauseous. They may drool, lick their lips to get rid of excessive saliva and eat grass, a natural way to make themselves vomit.It could have been that your dog ate something that does not agree with its stomach, or worse, it could be he ate something potentially toxic.
- Your dog may Have a Case of Bloat
If the dog is trying to vomit, drools, paces ans retches, but nothing comes out, the dog should be seen immediately as this can be a symptom of bloat. Bloat often causes an enlarged stomach and can be seen mostly in deep chested dog breeds.
- Your Dog May Have Oral Discomfort
Sometimes there may be actually something wrong in the mouth, causing oral pain and discomfort. Owners should check for signs or dental decay, periodontal disease, objects embedded in the mouth and swollen salivary glands.
In particular owners should look under the dog's jawline or under the dog's tongue for swelling. These are the locations of the salivary glands. If such areas appear swollen then this may be an indication of accumulate fluid known as a sialocele. This conditions needs seen by a vet promptly. While owners may be able to inspect the teeth, tongue and gums, only a veterinarian may be able to see over the soft palate all the way to the larynx by sedating the pet.
- Your Dog May Have Swallowed a Foxtail
Foxtails are grass awns know to cause a lot of trouble in dogs. These innocent looking grass awns have been know to travel up the dog's nose, in the ears, between the toes and even in the lungs. If your dog swallowed a foxtail very likely she will appear panicky, swallowing frequently, licking her lips a lot and eating anything she finds on the floor (grass, leaves etc). She may also lick the floor, people or walls for comfort.
- Your Dog May Have Focal Partial Seizures
In some cases, dogs may develop partial seizures that cause the dog to be still conscious and responsive but will lick the air and snap as towards imaginary flies.
- Your Dog may Suffer From Pica
Finally, a condition known as Pica can be a possibility if the dog shows symptoms of licking floors, carpets, walls or showing interest in eating foreign objects.
Many times dogs feeling nauseous will eat grass so to vomit and feel better. Owners of dogs that are suspected of eating something toxic should report to their veterinarian since vomiting up some substance such as caustics may cause more harm than good.
A dog that licks its lips and seems very uncomfortable should be seen by a vet promptly especially when this happens for no obvious reason. It could be your dog was exposed to something potentially toxic and immediate treatment may be what really will make a difference.
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A possible case of ''fly catching'' partial seizure
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my dog is starting to do this. he is a rescued dog and i don't know everything about his past. this is bothering me so much.. i don't know what to do.. it seems it's getting worse every day
My dog licks the air continuosly and also licks floors, beds, couchs for no reason. What's that signs of?
My bluetick coonhound recently began licking so much at night she woke me (she sleeps on the bed). I have been watching her for a few days and she seems to be licking her shoulder, chest, and when that stops, just licking her nose over and over. I cannot find any bites or scratches on her to account for this and it almost seems that she can't help herself. As if she had the hiccups, only it is licking instead. Any clues?
Do you liver in an area where there are foxtails? These are grass awns that typically get stuck in clothes in summertime. If she got on stuck in her throat she may be in discomfort and licking a lot. You can read more about this here:
My cairn constantly licks the air, clothes, bed etc she's 9 and been doing it for a while. I've mentioned it to the vet several times and he's checked her mouth and throat and found nothing. She recently had a throat infection which has cleared, the vet checked around mouth, nose and throat again and found nothing. She still licks... all the time, not quite like the 'fly catching above' but the licking... please help. My instinct is telling me something isn't right, but the vet disagrees.
you are right to be concerned. It could be caused by many things, it could be a kind of seizure, an obsessive compulsive act,a food allergy,etc. Since it has been going on for a while i think it may help to to exclude cushing's disease and assess if this may be a behavioral problem here is a helpful link of people with the same problem;best wishes!
If you think something is right with your dog even after your vet insists everything is fine, get a second or a third opinion and go to an excellent vet who specializes in diagnosis. Go to a highly recommeded facility where you can take your dog to a vet trained and experienced with internal medicine and small animals. Don't wait.
Good Luck..
My miniature dachshund started licking his lips as if he was thirsty one night and he could not sleep. So I got up around 3 in the morning and opened his mouth to check what was wrong and he had string from what it might have been a blanket stuck all up in his front teeth. I took it out, he wagged his tail and went right to sleep. At first I panicked a little and thought about taking him to the vet first thing in the morning. I want to share with you so that if your pet is having the same problem you can try checking his or her mouth first. You might save yourself time and money.
Jobarr
I just recently got a chocolate lab and she has been sick twice since we got her. Not on the same day different times and days. But she keeps licking her lips and i get a bit curious if she's ok or not. Do you have any advice on why she was sick or the licking of her lips? Thanks
My cockapoo has been licking her lips in the middle of the night only like she is bored. Could that be or something else? I have enough trouble sleeping and now this. Any suggestions?
Could be nausea or something stuck in her throat. Try feeding her a piece of bread and see if it stops.
I need to find something that will take dog spit or saliva out of my carpet. I have two large spots right in the middle of my livingroom. Please let me know if you have heard of anything. Thanks!!!!!! Margaret
Margaret, the saliva stains should come out with a pet stain remover like woolite pet+oxygen. I have an older pomeranian who licks his paws, people, and the air all the time...it is just a "nervous habit/obsessive compulsive" thing for him because he is insecure. I rescued him at 11 years old and he never left his owners side so he has separation anxiety too.
My dog was recently diagnosed with masses in her liver. she has not wanted to drink water so we have been giving her water with some baby food in it which did the trick...until a few days ago when she refused that. She has also stopped eating things she usually likes, she puts her nose to it and pulls away as if it smells bad to her. She will eat other things quite greedily though. Could this be related to her liver issues or is something going on with her sense of taste/smell? She is under a vets care and is currently being hydrated by sub-q. The vets are at a loss also. She also seems to have a wet, drippy mouth sometimes..not "drool" just really watery dripping. Please can anyone help??
I think your vet is your best source to answer these questions. Ut helps at times to ask the opinion of another vet if one vet is unable to provide satisfactory answers. The drooling could be a dental problem, nausea, her liver issues or more.
Middle of the night, I'm up studying and I hear one of my dogs licking his dog bed obsessively. He's half-lab/half-pit, not entirely sure since he was a pound-puppy ;)
Now that I've checked on him, he's dripping saliva a little but when I rubbed his belly he burped, which according to everything I've read about Bloat, would not happen. I tried checking his teeth but he shook my hands away. I will monitor him through the night since I'll be up anyway... if it gets worse I'm headed to the Vet.
I hope he gets better, sounds like nausea, but yes, have him seen if it continues. My girl gets better when I feed her a chunk of bread.
julia 23 months ago
our dog always does that too but she walks around and licks the carpet and floors and then vomits