The dog often begins to lick his lips as a result of increased salivation. If this happens infrequently or is a reaction to the type of food and water, then do not panic - this is a natural process. But it happens that the dog licks constantly. There are many reasons for this behavior, and some may indicate an animal disease.
Thirst and hunger
At the sight of food, the dog's salivary glands begin to actively develop a special secret, which serves to lubricate and facilitate the ingestion of food. The dog begins to actively lick its lips. This is a natural reflex that is normal for the animal. However, the dog can lick because of a constant feeling of hunger. Care should be taken to monitor the amount of feed consumed by the animal. You should not indulge the dog and feed it to the dump, however, it is not necessary to limit too much food. A serving of food should be appropriate for the age, weight and breed of the dog.
Care should be taken to ensure that the animal has free drinking water in the public domain. Consider how much water a dog should drink. A day, she should consume about 70-100 ml per 1 kg of weight. Naturally on hot days, water consumption increases significantly. However, persistent thirst may also indicate an animal disease. You should take water with you during long and active walks. Dehydration can lead to serious pathological changes in the body.
Damage to the oral cavity and pharynx
If the dog constantly licks, first of all it is necessary to examine its oral cavity for injuries and inflammations. Dogs quite often suffer from dental problems: caries, gingivitis, stomatitis. To avoid them, you should carefully look at the mouth of the pet. It is necessary to periodically examine the teeth, and when the first symptoms of the disease appear, urgently take the animal to the doctor.
Problems with the mucous membrane of the oral cavity can occur due to mechanical injuries. A sharp bone fragment can seriously damage the oral cavity. If the dog has something stuck in his throat, the animal begins to cough. The situation will be complicated if an infection is introduced into the wound. In this case, an unpleasant smell can be felt from the mouth. Due to damage to the mouth, the dog may refuse to eat and often lick its lips, behave restlessly, rub its face with its paws. To help the animal, it must be urgently shown to the doctor.
Poisoning
Nausea can cause profuse salivation in a dog. The dog begins to actively lick its lips. She can intentionally look for grass and eat it to induce vomiting. Poisoning is often accompanied by profuse vomiting, diarrhea and high fever. If the animal picked up something on the street or ate in the house, you can try to artificially induce vomiting to clear the stomach. To do this, use two fingers to click on the root of the animal’s tongue. After that you should give a sorbent that neutralizes toxins. If vomiting continues, and the animal’s condition does not improve, it should be urgently shown to the veterinarian. To avoid poisoning, you should carefully monitor the diet of the pet. Food should be fresh, purchased at verified locations. It is necessary to hide household chemicals in a place inaccessible to the animal. When walking, you should ensure that the dog does not raise anything from the ground.
Symptoms and treatment of food allergies in dogs
Increased salivation may be the result of an allergic reaction in a dog. The main symptoms of food allergies:
- the dog often licks and swallows saliva;
- itching and hair loss;
- increase in body temperature;
- redness of the mucous membranes and skin.
Low-quality feed can cause allergies. To determine the allergen, you should clearly divide the dog’s diet into different components to find the one that caused the negative reaction. The allergen found should be completely excluded from the diet of the animal. You can also transfer the dog to hypoallergenic food. In the case of an atypical allergy in which the allergen cannot be found, the animal may need injections of hormonal drugs.
Gastrointestinal problems
Some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract can lead to increased salivation:
- gastritis;
- stomach ulcer;
- neoplasms;
- inflammation of the esophagus;
- infection with bacterial and viral infections.
Often, gastrointestinal problems are also accompanied by the following symptoms:
- unpleasant smell from the mouth;
- refusal of food;
- the dog has cramps in the throat;
- drop in activity;
- stool problems
- bloating;
- nausea and vomiting;
- sudden weight loss.
An unbalanced diet of the animal and poor-quality feed can lead to problems with the gastrointestinal tract. When choosing the right food, you need to pay attention to its quality, reviews of veterinarians and other owners. When the first symptoms of the disease appear, the animal should be immediately shown to the doctor.
Liver and kidney problems
The following diseases can lead to increased salivation and frequent licking:
- renal failure;
- portosystemic shunt - a violation of blood circulation in the liver, due to which there is intoxication of the body;
- acute pancreatitis;
- urolithiasis - accompanied by the appearance of sand and stones in the urinary tract;
- ascites - accompanied by an accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity;
- amyloidosis, dysplasia, polycystic kidney disease.
Symptoms of kidney and liver problems;
- increased salivation and frequent licking;
- blood in the urine;
- vomiting with bile and blood;
- weight loss;
- drop in activity;
- stool problems.
To diagnose the exact disease, the animal must be shown to the veterinarian.
Parasites
Infection with helminths leads to serious problems with the gastrointestinal tract of the animal. As a result, the dog can often begin to lick its face, lick the anus, comb certain areas of the skin, eat a lot or refuse to eat.
Since dogs have open access to the street, where they can come into contact with infected objects and animals, it is necessary to periodically prevent infection with worms. For this, a dog is given a medicine in accordance with its weight, which should remove parasites from the body. If after the first dose the helminths still appear in the feces, the medicine is given again until the feces become normal. At the same time, do not neglect prevention, even if the animal looks absolutely healthy. Infection with helminths can lead to serious disorders in the functioning of internal organs.
Stress
If the dog constantly licks, this may indicate stress. Over time, this habit can turn into a reflex. The following reasons can cause excitement of the animal: moving, change of owner, trip to the veterinarian. It is worth noting that minor minor changes can also negatively affect the animal: changing the usual food to a new, new house with an unpleasant smell for the animal.
An important component for the emotional health of the dog is the correct attitude of the owner to it. Dogs are animals for which the hierarchy in the pack is important. That's just important not to overdo it when building a relationship with a pet. Do not blame a dog for no reason , beat it, or break down for your bad mood. Do not forget about the promotion of the pet.
Epilepsy
Epilepsy attacks can be accompanied by frequent licking of the lips and panting. In this case, seizures can have different strengths depending on the severity of the disease. Light seizures can be accompanied by jerking of the muzzle and a nervous tic, in the worst case, the animal may cramp and lose consciousness.
Other symptoms of epilepsy:
- anxiety;
- the dog has cramps in the throat;
- increased salivation;
- attempts to hide;
- cramps
- involuntary urination and defecation;
- loss of consciousness.
In case of an attack, you do not need to panic. You should monitor the time - the seizure should not last more than 5 minutes, otherwise the pet may need the help of a doctor. It must be ensured that the animal is not injured. Do not try to put a spoon in the dog’s mouth so that the dog does not swallow the tongue. This will not happen, and the owner can only do much harm with his intervention. After the attack, the animal must be shown to the doctor to diagnose the cause of the seizure.
Thus, if the dog constantly licks, it is worthwhile to carefully monitor the animal. This can be a completely natural reaction to the type of food or lack of water. It should be good to examine the mouth of the pet for possible injuries. If the cause of increased salivation is still unclear, you need to take the animal to the veterinarian.