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Last Updated on February 7, 2023
If your dog is drooling excessively from one side of the mouth, you certainly need to look deeper into the cause. Every year, more than 1000 dogs die from diseases related to the above-said issue. If you do not want your dog to be part of this statistic, read on!
If you do not want your dog to die prematurely, you should buy washable dog beds to protect your dogs from bacterial infection.
Understanding Dog Drooling
Drooling is a natural and common occurrence in dogs. It occurs when the salivary glands produce more saliva than the dog can swallow. The excess saliva drips from the dog’s mouth, leading to drooling. However, excessive drooling can be a sign of an underlying health issue or a behavior problem.
Dog Drooling Excessively From One Side Of Mouth
People often wonder what is the main problem with a dog drooling excessively from one side of mouth. Essentially, when the dog drools excessively, there will be 2 main problems that I will face. First of all, the drool and hence slobber will fall all over the house. It can become a potential breeding ground for bacteria and viruses. This is a problem as I have two children running all over the house. This makes the house pretty unhygienic. Also, I am sure many of you have to clean up after the dog leaves its slobber on the furniture, especially on the sofa. Just ask yourself, how many of you have to replace the sofa after it started smelling? Not every sofa is washable, and not every bed is washable either.
Before we address the problem, it will be good for us to understand what causes a dog to drool.
What causes a dog to drool
The production of drool is in the dog’s salivary glands. Just so you know, dogs have four pairs of salivary glands. These glands help to produce saliva, and it is not necessarily a bad thing. This is because saliva is needed to help us swallow food. The enzymes in the saliva help to aid digestion too.
There are some dogs that drool more than other breeds, In, for example, the bulldog drools much more than, let’s say, the Chihuahua. This is really more towards the facial structure of the dog more than anything else.
On what causes a dog to drool, it can sometimes be a reaction to what we humans do. For example, when you offer the dog a treat, the glands will start to produce more saliva than usual. This is akin to us looking at a sour food, let’s say lemon. It will cause a reaction to produce more saliva.
Excessive drooling in dog
So we have established that drooling in dogs is actually pretty normal and common. Indeed, all dogs do drool, just that some breeds drool more than others. However, the problem kicks in when there is excessive drooling in a dog. So, what is the exact cause of excessive drooling in a dog? The proper term for excessive drooling is Ptyalism.
What Is Ptyalism
Essentially, Ptyalism is the proper term to use when it comes to excessive drooling. It can occur to anyone who has saliva glands. Hence, this can be applied to both humans and dogs.
Salivating is indeed very common and is not an indication of bad health. However, when Ptyalism is involved, it can be a sign that your dog is unwell. When the glands produce more saliva than the dog can possibly swallow, it starts to drool the excessive saliva out of the mouth, and that is where the excessive drooling starts.
While the saliva itself is not a problem, the main problem arises when excessive saliva can cause inflammation around the dog’s mouth. This can cause irritation to the dog, and that itself will lead to many other problems.
What Causes Ptyalism Or Excessive Drooling In Dogs
There are several causes for excessive drooling in dogs. While not be absolute, it will be good for your knowledge. Some of the causes can be completely avoidable. The following are lists of the top few reasons that cause excessive drooling in dogs.
Foreign object: When there is a foreign object in the mouth itself, your dog will be unable to swallow the saliva, and hence the saliva will start to drip from the dog’s mouth. This itself might not be a major issue. However, if there are foreign objects that are lodged in your dog’s mouth, it can trigger a reaction in your dog and hence the glands will start to produce more saliva than usual.
Mouth Injuries: If your dog is suffering from an injury near the mouth, chances are that it will start to salivate more than usual. On forums, many pet owners are attributing this to the fact that when there is an injury near the mouth, the dog will find it tough to actually swallow their own saliva, and hence the excessive drooling in them.
Dental Problems: If your dog has any decayed tooth that has an abscessed tooth, it will cause the dog to start producing more saliva than usual. When there is a tooth abscess, you will notice that the dog’s gum area is infected. As a result, the gum will be swollen, and your dog will find it tough to swallow saliva. If the problem affects only one side of the dog’s face, then you will notice that your dog will start to salivate in just one side of the mouth.
Allergic Reaction or Poisoning: This is actually one of the more obvious causes of excessive drooling. When your dog’s body system reacts to an allergy, it will usually trigger the salutatory glands to produce more saliva than usual. This goes the same for poisoning. However, during poisoning, your dog might foam at the mouth, and this itself warrants a trip to the vet.
Inherent Illness: If your dog is suffering from an infectious disease, it might be the cause of excessive drooling. For example, diseases like rabies and distemper can cause excessive drooling in your dog.
So, Why Is My Dog Drooling Excessively From One Side Of The Mouth?
As mentioned earlier, there are several causes of your dog hypersalivation. As for the main causes of your dog drooling excessively from one side of the mouth, we cannot determine over the Internet. However, do check if there is anything lodged in the dog’s mouth of the side that they are drooling from. If your dog is unable to close that part of the mouth, then you might want to investigate if the gum is swollen.
How To Stop Excessive Drooling In Dogs
There are several ways or things that you can do to stop the excessive drooling in your dogs. One of the best ways is to actually bring your dog to the vet. You should always let the vet figure out if the dog is indeed healthy or not. The vet can also determine if there is any existing medical condition that the dog has that is causing excessive drooling.
If there is no pre-existing medical condition that the dog has, then you can check if the dog is having some psychological problems. An example of this is fear or anxiety (like separation anxiety). To solve this, you can always purchase the Zen Crate or the Thundershirt For Dogs.
In addition, since your dog drools so much, it might be beneficial for you to consider purchasing some Washable Orthopedic Dog Bed. These beds are completely washable, hence you wouldn’t need to fear your dog leaving its slobber on it.
