Your beloved pooch might be enduring “extreme pain” and you could be none the wiser, warns a dog trainer.
Deciphering your dog’s thoughts or feelings isn’t always straightforward. Dogs communicate emotions using a limited range of body language, often employing the same signals for different emotions. For instance, tail wagging could indicate happiness or excitement, but it might also signify nervousness or fear.
But can you recognise when your animal is in pain? The sounds they make, such as yelps or whimpers, can be a giveaway, especially if the discomfort is in a limb, which might result in a limp. But sometimes, it’s not so obvious.
A dog trainer has revealed another indicator of canine discomfort, which focuses on their mouth behaviour. The trainer, behind the popular Train Up Pup TikTok account, posted a clip showing her dog on the couch repeatedly licking its lips.
Accompanied by several yawns, the dog appeared to be trying to drink from the air, lapping around its nose and mouth with its tongue.
In the footage, the trainer queries: “What do you think this piece of body language is telling us? It’s quite an unusual one and it can have several meanings, however, when I saw it with Poppy I knew what it meant.
“As a dog trainer and behaviour expert, people are always telling me they wish their dog could speak. But in reality, dogs tell us so much through their body language, we just have to learn to read it.”
The canine specialist didn’t reveal the meaning behind the body language in her initial video, but she later posted an update explaining that her dog was actually suffering due to a loose tooth.
She elaborated: “The broad answer was she was in pain, but the specific answer is that she had tooth pain from a loose, wobbly tooth. In fact, it was so wobbly that when we got her under anaesthetic to do a dental a few days later, it was actually hanging by the root. She had one other loose one as well, which would have been causing her pain and discomfort.”
However, a dog’s mouth-licking behaviour isn’t solely indicative of pain. It can also occur if they have remnants of food lodged in their teeth, especially after consuming something sticky like peanut butter.
To discern whether your dog is experiencing pain or merely trying to dislodge stuck food, observe the duration of their licking behaviour. A dog with food trapped in their teeth will cease licking once the food is removed, whereas a dog in pain will persistently continue the action for an extended period.
Reasons your dog keeps licking their lips
PetMD suggests that there could be a variety of reasons why your dog is persistently licking its lips. It might be experiencing nausea, feeling stressed, or simply needing a drink.
In more severe instances, it could be due to any of the following health issues:
- Gastroenteritis
- Seizures
- Pancreatitis
- Kidney failure
- Liver disease
- Allergies
- Age-related decline
When to consult a vet
Before rushing to book an appointment with the vet, it’s important to consider the context of your dog’s behaviour. For instance, if your dog starts lip-licking during car journeys, it might be a sign of motion sickness-induced nausea.
If there’s a lot of noise from your neighbour’s construction work or fireworks, your dog might be feeling stressed.
However, if you suspect that your dog’s excessive lip-licking is due to a health-related problem, such as illness, consumption of something unsuitable, or a lodged foreign object, it would be wise to arrange a visit to your vet.