How to Clean Lip Folds on a Dog
Certain dogs have mouths that feature additional lip folds. If you do not clean your dog’s lip folds, you let excess saliva and debris sit in the folds. This can create bacteria, which irritates the lip folds and can cause diseases such as lip fold pyoderma, a skin condition that occurs in varying degrees but may result in foul odor around the mouth, raised bumps and, in bad cases, pus. While the condition is not life-threatening, it can be unpleasant for the dog. Instead of putting your dog on unnecessary antibiotics and subjecting him to veterinarian visits, incorporate lip fold cleaning into your daily dog care routine.
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Instructions
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Fill a medium-sized bowl with 2 inches of warm water. Add 2 teaspoons of gentle cleansing shampoo to the water. Stir the water and shampoo with a spoon until the water feels soapy when you put your finger in it. Ask your veterinarian what type of shampoo is ideal for cleaning your dog’s face everyday. You need a cleansing shampoo that thoroughly cleans your dog’s face but does not dry or irritate the skin.
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Soak a paper towel in the water. Rub your hand over the paper towel to create small suds. Hold the paper towel over the bowl and wring it out. The paper towel needs to be wet enough to clean out your dog’s lip folds, but not so wet that water runs down the face. Wet another paper towel with plain, warm water and wring it out.
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Lift one lip fold up with your fingers. Gently wipe underneath the lip fold with your soapy paper towel. Wipe the outer part of the fold as well. Wipe any upper lip folds in the same manner.
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Wipe the soap off the lip folds with your plain, wet paper towel. Rinse the paper towel and wipe the folds once more.
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Take a clean, dry paper towel and dry off the lip folds. Gently wipe the folds until they are completely dry.
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Tips & Warnings
Brush your dog’s teeth once a day, as well. Before you clean your dog’s lip folds, brush the teeth with a toothbrush and the appropriate canine toothpaste. This helps get rid of bacteria that can contribute to lip fold problems.
Some veterinarians recommend surgically removing extra lip folds if the dog continuously suffers from lip fold pyoderma.
If your dog’s lip folds seem red or irritated, you must take him to the veterinarian. Your dog may have an infection that requires antibiotics.
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