Dogs Drooling - Why do dogs drool? - When you should worry about excessive drooling?

 Dogs drooling is completely normal and natural. Some dogs drool more, some less, but dogs of all breeds drool some ammount. And it is important for them. Salive helps them, just as it helps us, to chew and digest food. But sometimes, drooling, especially excessive drooling, also known as hypersalivation, can be sign of something much more serious. 

Lets start with the question „Why do dogs drool“? Well, the drool, is essentially the falling of saliva from a dogs mouth. It is a flow of saliva accumulated in the mouth. Dogs drool and use this saliva for number of reasons. The main reason is digesting the food and helping them to chew properly. This is a reason why your dogs might drool right before its meal or when they see you eating a snack. It is a natural instinct to start drooling as their body is expceting to eat. Dogs also use salive as an antiseptic on injuries and wounds. And you can notice your dog licking their wounds and injuries to help to ease the discomfort. Dogs can also drool from happiness and excitement or when they are nervous and stressed.

Some breeds like for example all kinds of Mastiffs, Saint Bernards, Bulldogs or Bloodhounds drool much more than other breeds. It is because of their head and lips, which cannot retain all the drool they produce. They have too much of the extra skin around their muzzle and lips, which allows saliva to collect in the folds. Than the saliva or even water can easily drip from their mouth.

So some drooling is normal. But what is your dog drools excessively? Or what if they start to drool more than usual? There are many reasons that leads to the production of excess saliva or that can lead to an inability to swallow normal amounts of saliva. Lets look at them.

To make a correct guess what is wrong with your dogs drooling, you should ask yourself several questions. Is your dog drooling more than usual? Is it drooling differently than usual? How long does he drool unusually? Is he drooling from both sides of the mouth or only from one? Has he eaten anything on your walks lately? And most importantly – Is he showing any other signs of ilness, like diarrhoea, pawing at their mouth, lethargy, aversion to food or excessive thirst?

Because if your dog does have any other symptoms, you should visit the veterinarian immediatelly. Again, these syndroms include lethargy, panting, shaking, not eating, diarrhea, agression or bleeding. This can be sign of very serious health issue.

But if your dog does not have these symptoms but it is still drooling more than usual, there are other explanations for the excessive drooling. One of them is stress. If you are moving to new location, leaving your dog with your friends for some time during your vacation or for example during fireworks, your dog might start to drool more than usual, because it is stressed. This type of a drooling should stop when your dog starts to be more relaxed and calm down.

Drooling can also be a sign of pain and discomfort in mouth or throat. If there is something in mouth or throat that is preventing your dog from swallowing normally, that will most likely lead to excessive drooling. There are several problems that can cause mouth or throat discomfort. It can be fractured tooth, tartar buildup and irritation of the gums, infection in the mouth or some object stucked in the mouth, like bone or stick. Dental problems are one of the most common causes of excessive drooling But it can also be caused by a tumor in mouth, throat or esophagus. Any sign of a foreign body or lump should lead to an immediate appointment with your veterinarian.

Another reason for unusual drooling might be stomach issues. If your dog drools a lot during your car rides, he probably have motion sickness. But there are some more serious issues associated with stomach problems, where the sickness might be caused by swallowing some object or by ingesting something poisonous such as a plant or chemical. So if your dog has other symptoms like vommiting, lethargy or shaking, take him to vet immediatelly.

Bloating can also caused excessive drooling, but again, it is associated with other symptoms as well, like restlessness, a swollen abdomen, discomfort, retching, and rapid breathing.

Heatstroke can also cause drooling. It is because your dog will try to pant heavily to cool down and that will lead to drooling. Kidney disease, liver disease, and even rabies all share drooling as a symptom. But all these diseases have other symptoms as well.
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So in conclusion, if your dog drools excessively for only a day or only during some activities like car riding, i would not be worry about it. If the dog does not have any other signs than excessive drooling, the dog is most likely either stressed or it has some mouth or throat problem. Drooling can be sign of very dangerous ilness, but those diseases will most likely show other signs as well. And if you will see any other symptoms mentioned in this video with the drooling, go to the veterinarian immediatelly, as some of these diseases can be lifethreatening.