Why is my dog drooling? November 28, 2016 – Posted in: Dogs

We love our dogs despite the fact that sometimes their displays of affection can be a bit slobbery. Like humans, dogs produce saliva to help them to swallow their food. Drooling is normal for a lot of dog breeds, especially those with loose cheeks, but did you know that excessive or uncharacteristic drooling can be a sign of a bigger problem?

One reason your dog might be drooling more than normal is that something is causing him discomfort in his mouth. He may have some debris or food stuck in his teeth, which is bothering him. He could also have a problem with his teeth like a build up of tartar, an abscess tooth or even periodontitis. Some dogs might make figuring out if this type of problem exists difficult as they don’t like fingers in their mouths, if you are worried about your dogs drooling and can’t get into his mouth to check it out, you should take him to the vet.

Some of the reasons that dogs drool are surprisingly human. Some dogs get motion sickness (like a lot of people do on long car rides) and anxious which causes them to drool and pant. Another reason your dog might be drooling is due to heatstroke. Just like us, being out in the sun for a long time can be tough on dogs and drooling may be a sign of heatstroke. Heatstroke can be potentially fatal to dogs so if you and your pup are going to be outside for a long period of time, make sure that you have enough water for the both of you to stay hydrated.

Abnormal drooling can be a sign of a serious health problem for your dog. If your dog is acting out of character, seems weak or disoriented and is drooling excessively, please visit your veterinarian as soon as possible.

We don’t say all of this to scare you. Dogs also drool when they are anticipating food (think Pavlov’s dog) and like we mentioned before some breeds are just droolers (think bulldogs). The important thing to take away from this is that drooling is normal, but a lot of the reasons mentioned above can be serious, so don’t hesitate to get in touch with your vet if you notice excessive or uncharacteristic drooling in your dog.