We’re familiar with how dogs constantly smack their lips after spotting a tasty treat.
But hearing this sound throughout the day may cause us to worry about our dog’s health.
So what causes canines to over-excessively smack their lips?
Keep reading to find out!
What Is the Meaning of Smacking Lips?
Dogs make a lot of weird noises, and lip-smacking may be the most annoying. To be more precise, this is the sound dogs make when they repeatedly open and shut their mouth, causing the lips to ‘smack’ against each other.
You can generally hear it while your dog is eating or eyeballing a tasty treat. But when the smacking happens too often, it could signal something is wrong with your dog.
Dental problems, digestive upset, and nutritional deficiency are the most common culprits that cause dogs to smack their lips excessively. However, there’s also a rare chance of neurological issues or poisoning with this behavior.
Reasons Why Dogs Constantly Smack Lips
There are many medical and behavioral reasons why dogs smack their lips. While some require a checkup by the vet, others are harmless. Observe your dog and his habits to figure out which reason applies.
1. Gastric problems
Excessive lip-smacking is a common sign of gastric upset. In most cases, the culprit is nausea. When dogs feel about to vomit, their salivary glands produce excessive saliva to protect their mouth and throat from the acidic gastric juices.
Naturally, your dog will smack their lips to gulp down this excess saliva and prevent it from dripping out. The same process occurs when excess bile or gastric acid builds up in your dog’s system after eating a lot of fatty food or drinking tons of water.
2. Mouth or gum diseases
Problems with the teeth, gums, or salivary glands can also force your dog to smack its lips frequently. Since dogs can’t tell their owners about toothache or cavities, they will try to relieve the pain by moving their mouths. If your dog’s salivary glands swell, it will lip-smacking behavior to prevent drooling.
3. Dehydration/Underlying diseases
Dehydration can be primary or secondary. Primary dehydration stems from a lack of water intake, hot climate, or increased physical activity. Other signs like sunken eyes and lethargy will help confirm the presence of dehydration.
Secondary dehydration could be caused by chronic kidney disease, kidney failure, or cystic kidney disease. If your dog is dehydrated with no signs of primary dehydration, it could be a kidney issue that requires immediate medical attention.
4. Licking or ingesting something poisonous
A common sign of poisoning among dogs is excessive salivation. Other signs include diarrhea, vomiting, pale gums, foaming at the mouth, lethargy, or even collapsing.
If you suspect your dog has ingested a poisonous plant or food, you need to immediately call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control helpline. You should thoroughly rinse their mouth to eliminate the residual poison or induce vomiting if instructed by a professional. If you live near a clinic, take your dog there as soon as possible.
Sometimes, the signs of poisoning don’t appear right away. So if you notice excess salivation, try to look for other poisoning symptoms and any toxic items your dog may have left behind.
5. Indication of pain
Since dogs can’t talk, they give behavioral cues to explain how they’re feeling. In the case of lip-smacking, your dog might be trying to tell you about an injury. Thoroughly examine their body and look for swelling. If your dog yelps when touched on a specific body part, the injury is likely over there. Try to set an appointment with the vet to get them bandaged and treated with painkillers accordingly.
6. Seizures
Seizures often lead to involuntary and strange movements. And sudden, uncontrollable lip-smacking can signify a partial seizure! Besides this, your dog might also experience twitching, stiff muscles, run in circles, or fall unconscious during a full seizure. Seizures are a medical emergency, and you must take your dog to the vet immediately.
7. Stress or fear
On the behavioral end, lip-smacking is a common response to stress or fear among dogs. When they experience loud noises, separation from their owners, or strange faces, their stress levels can rise and cause dry mouth or excessive salivation. As a result, the dog will start to smack its lips.
Dogs also use lip-smacking as a peaceful gesture when they encounter a potential threat, like an aggressive dog or an angry owner. When the tension in their environment rises, the dog will start smacking their lips to signal that they mean no harm.
8. Seeking attention
If you’ve been busy recently, your dog could be smacking their lips to seek attention. They are highly emotional and sensitive creatures that notice changes in the time you spend with them and may begin lip-smacking as a coping mechanism.
How to stop your dog from smacking lips?
Lip-smacking can be an annoying and rather worrying situation for many dog owners. Whether it’s any disease, diet problem, or mental issue, here are the most effective ways to get rid of this habit once and for all:
1. Change his diet
Feed your dog a nutritious and protein-rich diet to prevent gastric issues. Cheap dog foods usually contain filler ingredients like grains that are difficult to digest and cause the digestive system to overload.
If your dog is older or has sensitive digestion, purchase a diet with gentle ingredients like duck meat and pumpkin to soothe their stomach. If your pup suffers from acid reflux, try to feed them a low-fat diet to reduce gastric acid production and see the lip-smacking disappear!
2. Regular medical checkups
A visit to the vet’s clinic is crucial in the case of lip-smacking. Your vet will not only be able to diagnose any hidden diseases but also accurately identify any behavioral reasons for this habit.
For gastric, periodontal, or hydration issues, timely treatment can save your dog from further harm. And in case of poisoning or seizures, immediately taking your dog to the vet can make the difference between life or death.
Make it a habit to take your dog for regular medical checkups. This way, the vet will recognize any health issues early on and start treatment accordingly.
3. Spend quality time
Spending time with your pet will help them relax. Find activities to do together, like going for a walk or playing fetch. Pet your dog often and show care and support.
Creating a stronger bond between you and your dog will make both of you feel more loved and relaxed. You will gradually see that he will let go of his attention-seeking habits.
4. Avoid access to poisonous or toxic substances
Dogs can get poisoned by many items in their surroundings. In the food category, we have chocolate, xylitol (sweetener in gum), garlic, onions, coffee, macadamia nuts, avocadoes, grapes/raisins, and alcohol which can be toxic for dogs in small quantities.
Some basic household items can also poison dogs, and you should keep them away as far as possible, including insecticides, cleaning products, detergents, fertilizers, and especially anti-freeze. If you let your dog out in the yard often, keep them away from plants like aloe vera, ivy, elephant ear, corn, bird of paradise, jade, pathos, and desert rose, to name a few, are highly poisonous to canines.
FAQ’s
What should you feed a dog with acid reflux?
You can treat acid reflux in dogs by placing them on a low-fat, low-protein diet. Try feeding them a boiled chicken and rice meal 2 to 3 times a day consistently. You can also give them antacid to temporarily relieve heartburn and increase their appetite.
How to know if your dog is dehydrated?
The spring method is a common way to test if your dog is dehydrated or not. Pinch and pull the skin over your dog’s shoulder blade and let it go. Your dog is fully hydrated if the skin springs back into its original place. But if the skin initially ripples and settles down after a few seconds, your dog is likely dehydrated.
Why is my dog yawning and licking his lips?
When dogs yawn and lick their lips, it’s likely due to a fractured or loose tooth causing them pain. Gum diseases like gingivitis can also cause the ‘yawn and lick’ behavior as your dog will try to relieve themselves of the gum pain.
Why do dogs vomit bile in the morning?
Dogs will vomit a yellow liquid called bile when they haven’t eaten something in a long time. This phenomenon is called bile reflux and is more common in senior dogs. To combat this, feed your dog smaller but more frequent meals throughout the day.
