How to Diagnose Excessive Drooling in a Dog

You love your dog, and you worry about his health. If you notice that your dog seems to be drooling a lot, you might become alarmed. But excessive drooling is not necessarily one of the symptoms of illness. There are many benign reasons why dogs drool, so it's important not to jump to conclusions. Your veterinarian is the best person to diagnose unusual symptoms, including excessive drooling.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Consider the breed of your dog. Dogs such as St. Bernards or English bulldogs may be more prone to drooling simply because of their anatomy.

2. Check your dog's teeth. Do his teeth look normal? Do his gums seem irritated? Does he still have his baby teeth? Think about whether he has recently chewed a bone or a stick that may have caused a cut that could be infected.

3. Look for stinging insects such as bees or wasps near your dog. Drooling can be one of the symptoms of multiple insect stings around the dog's face, mouth or tongue, as the stinging can cause swelling of the dog's mouth tissue.

4. Record your impressions about your dog to give to the vet. How is his diet and bowel functions? Are there any other symptoms that you might need to tell the vet?

5. Understand that while excessive drooling is likely benign, it may be a symptom of several more serious conditions, including poisoning, stomach problems or even paralysis of the tongue caused by rabies (which of course can be avoided if you keep your dog protected with a rabies vaccine.) Again, your vet is the best person to diagnose any symptoms in dogs.

Resources

• The Pet Place website explains about illness in dogs.
• Animal Health Care tells about drooling in puppies.
• EHow describes how to know whether to take a dog to a vet.