Slippery When Wet!

Oh, the joy of dog slobber! We love our dogs but some breeds of dogs are more prone to drooling than others and it’s a trait of those breeds that these dog owners know and….love. But we should all be aware that there are other reasons that our sweet doggies drivel.

If your puppy (or full-grown dog, for that matter) doesn’t usually drool and all of a sudden is drooling, even to excess, check his mouth thoroughly. Dogs will put anything in their mouths and sometimes a foreign object is all it takes to get the waterworks in motion! Should you find something, only remove it if you can do so safely. Aside from Fido not wanting to part with whatever his new found treasure is, what I mean is, do not try to remove something that may be lodged between his teeth or something stuck on the roof of his mouth towards the rear or stuck on his tongue that you can’t get to easily. You don’t want to run the risk of hurting him, or having him snap at you, or perhaps even choking him, should the object become dislodged. PLEASE take him to the vet to have whatever it is removed if there’s even a chance you can’t do it safely on your own.

Another BIG reason that dogs drool is that they are nauseated. If a dog gets sick to his stomach, they do the best thing in the world that any living, breathing subject should do, they pant! That’s a real relief for nausea, even in humans. But, it is also a huge flashing red light in dogs. Perhaps they’ve overeaten or they’ve been given table scraps and something isn’t agreeing with him. Their stomachs are far more sensitive that we realize sometimes, even though it seems as they have cast-iron stomachs from time to time.

Perhaps it isn’t from eating, but from motion sickness. Very few dogs don’t jump at the chance to go for a ride! It’s a real fiasco around here when that question comes up and some days, we even spell it in the course of regular conversation! They know that word, too, and they are always eager and ready. Some dogs tolerate it just fine; some, not so much. There are things you can do to decrease motion sickness like limiting their food and water prior to a ride in the car, rolling the windows down (only a bit though, don’t risk a foreign object in their eyes or nose or mouth) for a breeze in a warm car, and frequent stops. Don’t be in such a rush! STOP at the yellow light, take your time and try to avoid those curvy roads, if you can! If you have a dog that is very prone to motion sickness and you MUST take him in the car, then discuss it with your vet. There are some over-the-counter meds that work well to decrease motion sickness in our canines. And, in severe cases, your vet may even prescribe a sedative, for the dog, of course, to help decrease the anxiety and nausea. You? Well, you might just be on your own with your motion sickness. But, it might not hurt to ask the vet about what he thinks for you, too. The vet will most likely tell you to take a bib and a bag…..and call your own doctor. Wink, wink…

The cause for drooling could be a couple of other things. One, he’s hungry! Some dogs drool at the mere thought of food. If that’s the case, you’ll figure that one out pretty quickly. The other cause of drooling that comes to mind, and is perhaps the most serious, is that it could be from poisoning or from some type of disease. Be SURE your dog hasn’t ingested or licked something he shouldn’t have and monitor him closely!! And, as always, if you are unsure, please, please, please…..see your vet immediately!