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Ptyalism in Dogs
Written By Grace Park
Published: 01/25/2016Updated: 04/05/2021
Veterinary reviewed by Michele K.
What is Ptyalism?
Almost all dogs drool, especially if they are happy or excited, and even more so if they know they are about to get a treat. Saliva production is a normal response to stimulation. It lubricates the mouth, helps to prevent tooth decay and gum disease, and begins breaking down food for digestion. However excessive drooling caused by too much saliva in the mouth is not normal and can be a sign of a serious condition. There are a number of different causes for ptylism or excessive saliva production in dogs. Some can be local issues in the mouth or throat, while others are more systemic disorders. Rabies can cause excessive salivation, so it’s important to eliminate that possibility before seeking other treatment.
Salivation or drooling is universal among dogs and is not a sign of ill-health. However excessive salivation or hypersalivation occurs when the salivary glands produce more saliva than the dog is able to swallow. Veterinarians define this as ptyalism. The excess moisture can cause inflammation and irritation around the dog’s mouth and lips, and can be a sign of an underlying problem.
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Symptoms of Ptyalism in Dogs
Problems can often be detected by an increase in the level of salivation or a change in the saliva consistency. Recognizing excessive salivation will depend on knowing what is normal for your dog since some dogs drool more than others, especially among different breeds. Seek treatment if you notice any of the following symptoms in your dog:
- Drooling more than normal
- Drooling with no apparent cause
- Inflammation on the mouth or lips as a result of too much moisture
- Refusal to eat.
- Behavioral changes.
- Saliva has a white foamy consistency.
- Increased salivation is accompanied by sudden vomiting, diarrhea or other symptoms of serious illness.
Types
There are basically two types of situations which create excess saliva.
- Hypersaliosis or hypersalivation means that the salivary glands are producing an abnormal amount of saliva.
- Psudoptylism is when the dog is unable to swallow the saliva produced by the salivary glands. Although this is not actually an overproduction of saliva, it can look very similar to hypersalivation since the result will still be an excessive amount of saliva in the mouth.
Causes of Ptyalism in Dogs
- Irritation from a foreign object - sticks, stones or plastic toys can become lodged in your dog mouth and may cause excessive salivation as well as eventually pain and inflammation.
- Injuries to the mouth - cuts, scrapes or bites inside the mouth can lead to excessive salivation.
- Excessive emotions - dogs normally drool in response to emotional stimuli, but intense or traumatic emotions can increase this natural response.
- Motion sickness - nausea caused by motion sickness can increase saliva production, as can the anxiety of traveling in a car.
- Difficulty swallowing - irritation or blockage of the throat can make it painful or difficult for a dog to swallow which will lead to excessive saliva.
- Inflamed tonsils - these can also make swallowing more difficult.
- Medication - medication administration can cause increased saliva production, as can certain medications.
- Allergic reaction - severe allergic reactions cause increased drooling, among other symptoms.
- Poisoning - different types of poisoning can lead to excessive salivation. As symptoms worsen, the dog will often start to foam at the mouth.
- Infectious diseases - rabies and certain forms of distemper can lead to excessive salivation and foaming at the mouth.
- Seizures - some seizures can cause excessive salivation or foaming at the mouth.
- Tumors - certain types of mouth tumors, including malignant cancer tumors, can cause excessive salivation.
- Mouth defects - congenital defects in mouth conformity can make it difficult to swallow and lead to excess saliva.
- Kidney Failure or Hepatic encephalopathy - both of these systemic failures will cause excessive salivation.
- Disorder of the salivary glands - abscess or inflammation of the salivary glands can sometimes cause excessive salivation.
Diagnosis of Ptyalism in Dogs
It’s important to rule out rabies before attempting any examination, but this is relatively easy if your dog has been vaccinated and isn’t exhibiting any other rabies symptoms. Once this possibility has been ruled out, the veterinarian will perform an oral exam on an office visit. If your dogs has no other signs of ill health, the veterinarian will also check for irritation of the mouth or throat, tumors, inflamed saliva glands and other local causes.
If no local cause is found, or if there are other signs the veterinarian will perform further tests to check for infectious diseases or other systemic problems. Pay attention to when your dog produces excessive saliva, and try to look for patterns or triggering causes. Check for other signs such as lack of appetite, increased thirst, vomiting, or diarrhea. Supporting signs can often be important for an accurate diagnosis.
Treatment of Ptyalism in Dogs
Cleanse your dog’s mouth with an antiseptic solution and keep the skin as dry as possible until you can seek treatment. Salivation accompanied by other serious symptoms or foaming at the mouth should be treated as an emergency since it can be the result of poisoning or severe allergic reaction. Most other types can be treated on an office visit at your earliest convenience.
If there is a foreign object in your dog’s mouth, it can usually be removed in a single appointment. Medication may be prescribed to help heal cuts or scrapes inside the mouth, as well as throat infections that lead to problems swallowing. These are usually easy to treat and clear up quickly.
Inflamed and abscessed salivary glands can also often be treated with medication. Occasionally removal of the gland may be necessary. Tonsillitis and more serious issues like tumors may also require surgery. This will generally be minor surgery, but there is always a certain amount of risk as well as recovery time. Congenital mouth defects will most likely not be modified with surgery unless they create a serious problem.
If the excessive salivation is due to kidney failure or an infectious disease, it will depend on the severity of the condition and the degree to which it has progressed. Advanced conditions may be difficult to treat or dialysis may be required in the case of kidney failure.
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Recovery of Ptyalism in Dogs
Most local causes for excessive salivation can be treated, and your dog will make a full recovery. If the salivation is due to intense emotions, it is likely part of your dog’s personality and will not be treatable. It can be managed however with good hygiene. Salivation due to motion sickness can also be managed by limiting car rides as well as adjusting the dog’s position and opening windows. Medication can be prescribed before long car rides.
Monitor your dog’s mouth closely for foreign objects as well as cuts and scrapes to catch any problems as soon as possible. If poisoning or allergic reaction was the issue, take steps to prevent the situation from recurring. Most other sources of excessive salivation are difficult to prevent, but, with regular monitoring, they can be recognized early and treated.
Ptyalism Average Cost
From 367 quotes ranging from $300 - $2,500
Average Cost
$500
Top
Ptyalism Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
Golden Retriever
Lilly
4 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Excessive Saliva
My dog caught a mouse the other day and a couple days later she started to drool when I gave her a milkbone. She still eats but she eats a little fast and she will start coughing up her food but she never vomits. Is this normal after catches a mouse.
May 13, 2018
0 Recommendations
It isn’t typical to have an increase in salivation after eating a mouse, the increase in salivation may be attributable to a few different causes (some related to the mouse ingestion) which include stomach upset, dental issues, oral trauma, foreign objects among other causes. Rinse out Lilly’s mouth thoroughly to remove anything possibly irritating the mouth, if there is no improvement over the next day or two pop into your Veterinarian for an examination. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
May 14, 2018
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Goldendoodle
Captain
11 Months
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Excessive Drooling, Lethargy, Fever
Our golden doodle who is almost a year old old started excessively drooling a few days ago. Leaving puddles of drool while sleeping. He is still eating and drinking fine. Seems more lethargic than usual. Took him to vet and he was also running fever. We did an x ray that showed inflammation in stomach but no blockage or foreign object. His ears are infected as well. (He is prone to smelly eats and infections) He is on antibiotics and an anti inflammatory but has not improved. Are tox screens always accurate? And is there a possibility a foreign object wouldn't show up on X-ray. He tries to eat everything! Most puppy toys he manages to break and tear apart. He had recently tore apart a rope ball and could have ingested a lot of that material. One other thing to add is a few times last week he clumsily fell off couch while sleeping. Wondering if balance is also off.
May 3, 2018
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
0 Recommendations
I'm not sure what lab work was run when you are asking about 'tox screens', as there aren't common tests to test for toxins - we often go on clinical signs and basic lab work for those if there is a possibility that he did eat anything toxic. If he had screening labwork, that is fairly accurate for any organ damage. Some foreign objects don't show up on x-rays, things like socks or soft items, but there is usually a pattern in the intestines that alerts us to a potential problem. Sometimes, a barium contrast series is needed to fully evaluate the GI tract if there is a question, and an 11 month old Golden Doodle is a highly suspicious dog for a foreign body, I agree with you! If Captain isn't improving on his current medications, it would be a good idea to have him re-evaluated, and possibly a follow up x-ray taken, to make sure that there are no foreign objects to worry about. I hope that all goes well for him.
May 4, 2018
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Labrador Retriever
Ebony
1 Year
1 found this helpful
1 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Excessive Saliva
Hi, My one year old Labrador suddenly died without any indication of disease. I found her laying down as if asleep but with excessive drooling under her head and torso. I had her on a leash when I couldn't keep an eye on her since she was prone to eating everything around her and I was worried she would eat something toxic so her leash didn't reach the ground. I know this wasn't good but I was trying to keep her safe. Now I simply would like to know if the drool means she had a seizure or if she fell asleep and suffocated with the leash. She never used to drool too much and a vet check 1 week prior her death said she was healthy except for a spot (like 1 inch in diameter) full of stagnated blood close to her hip that the vet couldn't find the source of but said was from either an impact or a bee sting. The vet drained the spot and gave her meds to help her drain the rest but 1 week later I found her that way
She had also been randomly coughing/gasping slightly for a couple of weeks but the vet didn't find any indication of disease.
Can you help me understand why she died?
April 7, 2018
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
1 Recommendations
Without having seen Ebony, I don't have any way of determining how she died, but I genuinely hope that she didn't strangle to death, as that would be a terrible way to die. If you didn't find the leash around her neck, it is unlikely that that was the cause of death. She may have had a foreign body, heartworm disease, heart or lung disease, or a toxin. I'm sorry for your loss.
April 7, 2018
Thank you, she was such a sweet girl. Correct, the leash wasn't tangled around her collar but holding her head a few inches above the ground since that was my attempt at preventing her from eating something dangerous while I wasn't watching
Her body looked relaxed and there was no blood or feces anywhere, only the copious amounts of drool around her... I just hope she didn't suffer
April 8, 2018
Ebony's Owner
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Schnoodle
Waldo
2 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Excessive Drooling
Our 1 1/2 year old Schnoodle has suddenly started to drool more than usual. We found a puddle of saliva where he was laying, and his bed is wet. The saliva seems thicker than usual but he shows no signs of irritation around his mouth. He is his normal self. What could be causing this?
Thank you so much for your reply.
April 5, 2018
0 Recommendations
There are various causes for excessive salivation or drooling which may include dental disorders, oral injury, foreign objects, acid reflux, salivary gland disorders, mouth confirmation among others; without examining Waldo I cannot say what the specific cause is, try brushing his teeth regularly and ensure that he is eating normal food appropriate for breed and age. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
April 5, 2018
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English Bulldog
Reggie
6 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Mouth Salivation
Licking
Excessive Saliva
I own an English Bulldog and at very random times he will start drooling excessively.
No other symptoms of discomfort. He is playful, has an appetite, and his normal self.
What could be the cause of this and is there anyway to control it?
April 5, 2018
0 Recommendations
Intermittent signs of excessive salivation may be attributable to acid reflux or irritation from eating (or licking) something like a plant; other causes may be due to dental disorders, oral injuries, salivary gland disorders, mouth confirmation (shape of lips allow drainage of saliva) among other causes. You should visit your Veterinarian, but without the salivation occurring it may be difficult to determine a cause; try to monitor any behaviour and the last time Reggie ate when he has an episode to try to understand it better. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
April 5, 2018
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Ptyalism Average Cost
From 367 quotes ranging from $300 - $2,500
Average Cost
$500
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Easily compare quotes from the most trusted pet insurance companies in the United States.
