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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
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Ptyalism Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
German Shepherd
Caffrey
6 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
After a trauma at home, my 6yr old has started drooling and bolting his food and vomiting.i can't see anything in his mouth or feel anything stuck in his throat, he eats treats fine no problems there?
Jan. 17, 2018
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
0 Recommendations
Thank you for your email. Without knowing more about what kind of 'trauma', or being able to see Caffrey, I can' t comment on what might be the cause of the drooling and vomiting. It would be best to have him examined by your veterinarian, as they are trained to assess injury, and can take x-rays if needed. I hope that he does well.
Jan. 17, 2018
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Border collie / lab / other mix
Matia
13 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My old doggie has started to drool excessively at night, leaving big patches of liquid wherever she sleeps. We have also noticed she is drinking a lot more than usual. Otherwise she seems happy and healthy, eating heartily and has plenty of energy. Her teeth are quite worn down from all the sticks she has chewed throughout her life but she has no bad breath. She doesn't seem to drool much during the day. She has always been very anxious about trips to the vet, so we try to minimize visits.
Jan. 7, 2018
0 Recommendations
In a dog Matia’s age, my first assumption would be to check her teeth, many times cases like this will involve some dental disorder or a small foreign object irritating the gums; other causes may be due to infections, trauma, salivary gland issues, poisoning, chemical irritation among other causes. You should try to look in Matia’s mouth yourself, but ideally you should see your Veterinarian regardless of the stress to give her a thorough examination. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
Jan. 8, 2018
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Boxer / fox hound
lily
7 Years
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i was told by my dogs vet that as a boxer mix, it was normal for her to vomit a bit more than “average” being a boxer breed. over the past handful of days she has vomited twice, and tonight she randomly she began drooling. she is still acting like herself, doesnt act like anything is bothering her when i touch her belly or mouth or anything. she’s eating and drinking as usual, but she is drooling excessively to the point where her mouth is extremely wet after a few hours now. she has allergies so she gets benadryl, so i gave that to her hoping maybe something bit her outside but it doesn’t seem to be making any difference.
i’ve had a dog in the past who passed away from lymphoma and it began with drooling so i am begin extremely paranoid and my mind will not stop racing. please help.
Dec. 14, 2017
0 Recommendations
Drooling is a very vague symptom and may be due to numerous different conditions which may include dental disorders, acid reflux, pharyngeal disorders, salivary gland disorders, tumours, oral foreign bodies among other causes. You should think about feeding Lily smaller meals more often to see if that helps with the vomiting or drooling, but due to the range of possible causes I cannot say any particular cause. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
Dec. 14, 2017
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Labrador
Rejino
One year 11 months
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My dog(Labrador) has recently delivered 7 puppies and the puppies are healthy. My dog is very active and playfull. After a month (after delivery) she seems to be moody. She is drooling often like now and then. She even started vomiting after eating her meals. her motion is very liquid (diarrhea). She even hurted her front left leg where there is small bruise in between her fingers. Her bruise, it is in red colour and it seems to be like a bulb but minute. She feels pain when we touch.
Seeing her like this makes me worried. Can you please suggest what is the problem and what care should I take for her?
Dec. 11, 2017
0 Recommendations
The moody behaviour may be due to hormonal changes after whelping, whist the vomiting and diarrhoea may or not be related to whelping and nursing; you should have her checked over by your Veterinarian as dietary issues, low calcium (normally see twitching or other symptoms), infections, parasites among other issues; the lump between the digits may be due to a small foreign body, injury or excessive licking. Without examining her, I cannot give you any specific advice so I would recommend visiting your Veterinarian especially if she is still nursing. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
Dec. 11, 2017
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Chinese Crestesed
Gypsy
15 Weeks
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1 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Drooling
My dog is a 16 week old Chinese Crested. Upon arriving home, upon arriving home I noticed that my puppy was drooling severely. I am aware that some crested‘s have dental problems but I have not noticed anything else in the way of dental issues with her. She has not been out of her crate unsupervised in order to get anything foreign. Does this warrant an emergency vet trip or should we wait and see?
Nov. 9, 2017
1 Recommendations
There are many causes for drooling in dogs which include dental issues, oral irritation, foreign bodies, salivary gland disorders, infections among other causes; I would rinse out Gypsy’s mouth thoroughly and keep an eye on her, if the drooling continues I would take her into your Veterinarian to be on the safe side. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
Nov. 9, 2017
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Ptyalism Average Cost
From 367 quotes ranging from $300 - $2,500
Average Cost
$500
Get a free pet insurance quote in less than 60 seconds!
Easily compare quotes from the most trusted pet insurance companies in the United States.
