Dog salivating

Question
Hi
Over the last month or two whenever my dog is exercised she produces thick white saliva which hangs from her mouth. This will appear even after five minutes of walking. She is a 3 year old Akita and did not produce saliva like this prior to a month or two ago. She would always walk with her tongue hanging out when hot/exercising and water would drop from her tongue, not thick white foam like it is now and not after only five minutes. Is there any reason this has changed? Dehydration or a vitamin imbalance maybe or could there be another cause? She is otherwise her normal self and does not appear to be unwell in any way. Thanks for any advice you can give. Lynn

Answer

Hi Lynn,

Enough salivation could cause dehydration, you need to find the cause of the excessive salivation. Dogs can produce thick saliva because they have put something into their mouth which they shouldn't have. The excess saliva as a way of clearing this unpleasant substance from its mouth, and preventing it from entering the stomach. Dogs with allergies can also produce thick saliva as part of an allergic reaction.

A good place to find out why your dog has excess saliva would be to have a look inside your dog's mouth. Look for any kind of foreign object (anything that obviously doesn't belong in your dog's mouth) such as splinters, bone fragments, or bits of plant matter or fabric, etc.. Look for anything embedded in your dog's gums or tongue or wedged between her teeth or across the roof of her mouth. While you're looking in your dog's mouth also look for bleeding or wounds or other signs of injury or irritation, such as puffy red gums or a bad odor coming from her mouth.
If at any time when you're examining her mouth, your dog whimpers, snarls, squirms, or attempts to snap at you, it is likely that you are causing pain. Stop your exam immediately, this is a good sign that your dog needs to be seen by a veterinarian.

If you don't see anything in your dog's mouth that seems out of the ordinary you should still have your vet examine your dog. There could be a hairline crack through a tooth causing pain and excessive salivation. Other oral conditions that could cause excessive salivation are an abscess, gingivitis, periodontal disease, and esophageal or gastrointestinal disorders.

Since this has been going on for over a month, you should not put off going to the veterinarian.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti