Why Is My Dog Foaming At The Mouth? I’m Clueless About It
So, what is actually meant by foaming at the mouth, and why does it occur? Is your dog unable to stop drooling, and are you absolutely fed up with cleaning all his face every two hours? Well, worry not because today we are here to make you aware of foaming at the mouth and all the reasons why your dog might be experiencing it, and we will also tell you about some preventative measures to curb it, so stay with us!
An Overview: Foaming At The Mouth
Foaming at the mouth has been associated with the Rabies virus for years. This virus causes infection and spreads through the saliva of infected animals. However, it is time to look beyond Rabies, as it is not the only reason why your dog might be having foam at the mouth. One solid reason this might happen is because of saliva that your pup hasn’t swallowed. This saliva gets further built up by your dog’s anxiousness, heavy breathing, and stress, causing thick foamy bubbles to be formed in your dog’s mouth.
There are also other symptoms of foaming like dental diseases and neurological conditions like a seizure disorder, but you can certainly reduce these ailments with proper medication. In cases where the foaming is getting intensified, then a visit to the veterinarian is imperative!
Your dog will be experiencing the problem of foaming at the mouth with some other symptoms, like excessive running, playing, and heavy breathing, and he might foam at the mouth after cooling down after long hours of being active. These symptoms and foaming mostly go together, so you should look out for these in your dog on days when he is drooling more than usual!
Why Does My Dog have Foam at His Mouth?
These reasons can range from mild problems to severe diseases, so you can’t predict your dog’s condition when he is foaming at the mouth; hence it is better to consult a reliable veterinarian.
It Might be Because Of Heat Stroke
When your pup’s body temperature has risen above 103 F, know that he has a fever. In such cases, your dog is likely to pant and have foam-forming up in his mouth. This condition usually occurs in summers and is common in Brachycephalic dogs.
Your Canine Buddy Has Been Engaged in Strenuous Exertion
If your dog has been chasing a lot of children in the park or has been frantically running after cats in the house, then don’t be surprised if he has mouthfuls of foam dripping from his face later. Dogs manifest this trait because they breathe quite heavily after a loss of energy and exertion, making their mouths foam-filled!
Alert! He has Swallowed Something Poisonous!
Poisonous substances are filled which toxic chemicals, and if your fur buddy swallows them, they can make him foam at the mouth or, worse, get him killed! This is because the chemicals in those substances come in contact with the dog’s mouth and jaw. You should keep all toxic substances in an unreachable place by your dog!
Your Furball Is Going Through Some Serious Stress!
Stress and anxiety are potential causes of forming foam around your pet dog’s mouth. When your dog feels disconcerted, he might begin drooling excessively. This happens because drooling is a result of a nervous reaction. When your dog is stressed out, in some cases, he might start panting, whining, and barking, which will result in the formation of foam around his mouth. This foaming will subside after your dog has been relieved from all the stress bottling up. This trait is similar to that of us humans; when we’re stressed, we start to experience shortness of oxygen and need deep breaths to calm ourselves down.
His Oral Health Might Be Compromised
Are you taking your dog for oral checkups every month? Or has your dog’s oral health checkup hasn’t been done ever since he was born? If the latter is the case, consider this a wake-up call to schedule an oral checkup of your canine buddy if there is foaming in his mouth! Also, ensure to brush your dog’s teeth regularly!
If your dog’s oral health isn’t maintained, hypersalivation can occur, which can lead to extreme pain, tumors, and mouth injuries, resulting in the formation of thick, foamy bubbles in your dog’s mouth. If his oral health is declining, you can give him chew toys to bring some improvement in his health.
Several Illnesses Could Be Cause of Foam Production
A wide range of diseases can be potential causes of forming foamy bubbles around your pup’s mouth. An example of mild disease is stomach aches. Dogs have a habit of tasting every possible thing that comes in their way – be it underwear or socks, your dog will nibble on it. Often, this is the cause of upsetting your dog’s stomach. When dogs consume something with a foul taste and have digestive issues later, they keep drooling and spitting to get rid of the taste that’s upsetting their stomach.
The combination of panting and spitting will cause thick foamy bubbles to be formed around the dog’s mouth. But as soon as the dog gets rid of the foul thing that caused an upset stomach, the foaming will subside, and the dog will get calm.
An example of a serious issue is a seizure. When your dog is having a seizure, he begins panting and drooling intensely because of the pain he’s feeling, and these gestures result in the formation of a thick layer of foam around his mouth.
He Might Be Having Difficulty Swallowing
Finding out that your dog is having difficulty swallowing might not be the easiest thing for you, but because of this trouble, your dog might start having foam all over his mouth. Dogs have trouble swallowing after they have chugged something that has a size large enough to hinder their eating ability. Apart from swallowing, this could also potentially affect your dog’s breathing.
A cure for the swallowing problem mentioned above is to inspect your pet dog’s mouth yourself. Give a thorough visual inspection of its mouth, and if you find a foreign object that’s stuck in your dog’s throat, try to remove it yourself or contact your vet to remove it.
Finally, it Could be Rabies
As explained at the inception of the article, Rabies causes foaming around your dog’s mouth area. Rabies is accompanied by agitation among dogs. When the foaming problem occurs because of Rabies, it takes significantly more time to subside. To remain on the safer side, make sure to get your dog a rabies vaccine to avoid being a victim of the disease.
Final Thoughts
After perusing this article, you would have arrived at the conclusion that there might be so many reasons why your dog could be foaming at his mouth, and it’s really hard for you to pinpoint one single reason! To avoid the uncertainty of identifying the root cause of foaming, your best call would be to contact a reliable veterinarian who would pinpoint the cause, prescribe medicine, and suggest ways to subside foaming. If the vet needs more details, he might ask to perform some blood tests of your dog to diagnose the baseline issue.
