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Drooling in the Car in Dogs
Written By hannah hollinger
Published: 06/28/2017Updated: 10/22/2021
Veterinary reviewed by Michele K.
What is Drooling in the Car?
Excessive drooling is referred to as ptyalism. Several conditions can cause your dog to drool while in the car including:
- Motion and car sickness
- Mouth disease or tooth decay
- Heat stroke
- Excitement and anxiety
- Other possible causes
Why Drooling in the Car Occurs in Dogs
Motion and Car Sickness
One surprising cause of drooling in dogs is motion or car sickness. You will notice your dog lick his lips excessively, accompanied by drooling. He may also whine, refuse to move, and vomit. In some cases, your dog may lose control of his bladder or bowels. Motion sickness can occur in any breed or age of dog. Stress can add to this; if your dog associates rides in the car with negative experiences (such as going to the vet for shots or other uncomfortable procedures), then he may develop a fear of riding in the car. This also adds a mental element to the physical discomfort your pet feels when riding in the car. However, medication exists to alleviate symptoms of motion sickness.
Mouth Disease or Tooth Decay
While drooling in most dogs is a good thing, helping to keep teeth healthy, excessive drooling is not. It can be a sign of gingivitis and periodontal disease. You will notice the gums becoming inflamed and sore. Without treatment, teeth will become loose and either fall out or fracture. If your dog has chipped a tooth (not related to periodontal disease), you will notice excessive drooling as a sign that something is amiss. Cuts, bruises, or other injuries to the mouth or gums may also result in drooling.
Heat Stroke
Even if you are running the air in your car, keep in mind that your furbaby wears a “fur” coat year-round and cannot sweat or cool off the way that you can. What is comfortable or even chilly to us may not quite cool off your dog on an especially hot summer day. Also, brachycephalic dogs such as Boston Terriers, Pugs, and Boxers have an even harder time properly panting in order to cool off their system, so if you notice your dog excessively drooling, be sure heat stroke is not an issue.
Excitement and Anxiety
As previously stated, car rides associated with going to the vet for shots or other unpleasant procedures can cause anxiety in your dog that can lead to excessive drooling. Intense emotions can cause your dog to drool excessively. Anxiety about traveling in the car can lead to this. On the other hand, your dog can be so happy about a ride in the car that he drools as a response as well. Your vet can help you with mild medications if necessary or give you some tips on conditioning your dog so that this is no longer a problem.
Other Possible Causes
Before considering other causes, it is imperative that you make sure your dog has not been exposed to rabies. Rabies causes foaming at the mouth and is usually accompanied by excessive thirst and other behavioral changes. Your dog may also have a foreign object lodged in its mouth or throat that is causing excessive saliva. Sometimes medication, allergies, or poisoning can cause drooling. Your dog may also suffer from congenital defects (some dogs are more prone to drooling, such as Bulldogs) or from defects in the way the mouth is formed that lead to excessive saliva production.
What to do if your Dog is Drooling in the Car
First, make sure that your dog has not been exposed to rabies. Once you have established this, you may need to see your vet. He will examine your dog and rule out other physical causes for excessive drooling. Your dog may drool simply because he is anxious about riding in the car, or he may have motion sickness. If this is the case, your vet can prescribe a mild medication.
Prevention of Drooling in the Car
If you suspect your dog is suffering from motion sickness, be sure he is facing forward when riding (there are specialty canine seat belts just for this). Lower your car windows to help equalize pressure inside and outside the car (remember, in younger dogs that haven’t fully developed ear structures that support balance, motion sickness has more to do with age than actual stress from riding). Keep the vehicle cool in order to prevent heat stroke. You can also take short rides (in a different vehicle, if possible) to places the dog enjoys, such as the park. Conditioning such as this will keep your dog from equating rides in the car with bad experiences.
Cost of Drooling in the Car
Treating tooth decay in dogs can be expensive, with costs ranging from $500 to 2000. The national average to treat tooth decay is $800. A dog who experiences heat stroke may be hospitalized for several days; therefore, the expense may reach as much as $5000.
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Drooling in the Car Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
Cocker Spaniel
Five Months
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Car Sick And Drowling
My puppy is drowning and threw up once we are heading out of town what can I do?
Oct. 17, 2020
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
0 Recommendations
Thank you for your question. .
It would be best to have your pet seen by a veterinarian, as they can examine them, see what might be going on, and get treatment for them.
Oct. 17, 2020
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Cavoodle
Teddy
4 Months
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Drooling And Car Sickness
My puppy is drooling heaps, he is four months old, he starts to drool before the car has even started up.
The first time we took him to the vets is when it got worse but he didn’t know he was going to the vet
He even drools when standing in a street, we have put the windows down and have faced him looking out but nothing seems to work.
We even sprayed the car with lavender to see if this helped but no luck.
He also did suffer with car sickness. The vet gave us some tablets to stop it which has worked fine but the drooling seems to be getting worse.
Can you please tell if there is anything else I can do and if he will grow out of it?
Thank you for your help.
Aug. 2, 2018
0 Recommendations
Drooling in the car may be due to nausea from the journey, stress of being in a car or excitement of a journey in a car; it is difficult to say and there is likely no real way to control this unfortunately. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
Aug. 2, 2018
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Shih Tzu
Bailey
3 Years
18 found this helpful
18 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Drooling And Stiffness
We have a Shih Tzu and we notice she only drools and gets a little stiff when the car is moving. We can get he into the car with no problem but when the car starts to move she starts drooling and gets a little stiff?
April 5, 2018
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
18 Recommendations
If Bailey is carsick, and it only happens when she is in care, things that might help include taking small short drives and getting her accustomed to the car rides, or using a medication called Cerenia, that was made to help with carsickness. This medication is available from your veterinarian.
April 5, 2018
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Goldendoodle
Luna
7 Months
3 found this helpful
3 found this helpful
Hi. I have a 7 month old Goldendoodle who started drooling in the car when I moved back from Virginia to Colorado4 months ago. Now no matter what car she is in or where she is going (to the park, to my work, to my mom's) she just drools voraciously. I got her a dog car seat and make sure she has air on her but it is getting worse. She is fine when we get to our destination. Will she outgrow this? Any ideas? Thanks.
Nov. 6, 2017
3 Recommendations
Most likely Luna associated the car ride from Virginia to Colorado as a traumatic experience, probably the relocation (new area etc…); if this is the case she should calm down over time. You should start taking Luna on short rides in the car to a local dog park so she can attach a positive association with the car journey; also comforting her whilst in the car on your driveway may help as well. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
Nov. 6, 2017
I rescued Roxie now almost 2 years old (Rotty pointer chow mix) when she was 9 months old. On the long 2 1/2 hour car ride home, their were no issues (however they didn’t feed or water her all Day previous) with her drooling. Every ride we have taken her on since she has literally drooled a complete puddle (pool) in the backseat. I’ve purchased a complete seat covers that looks like a hammock that connects to the front and back seats to protect everything in between. She has gotten sick once on about a 30 minute car ride. So we’ve held food back for a couple hours previous to rides, but I’ve never taken away her water. But every time she gets in the car, even before we start moving, she begins drooling incessantly. I don’t know what or why, or how to help her?
July 14, 2018
Marcia F.
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Pomsky
Bruno
1 Year
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Shaking
Vomiting
Drooling
Anxiety
My dog bruno is 1year old and he is very active. when he get into car, he will be continously drooling, shaking and vomiting even i did not start the car. We have done couple of small rides to go places like petco. But his vehicle anxiety is so bad that he even vomited and drooling once before the car went into motion. I am at a loss as what to do next to help her break this fear/drooling. I need to travel mostly and he loves coming with me, but I fear the car rides there and back are too traumatizing. I am starting to think he will never outgrow with his fear. I would like to him to love the car like so many dogs.
Belgian Malinois
Kash
7 Months
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Drooling
My 7 month old Belgian Malinois drools excessively during car rides, whether it is a short ride to the park or a 30 minute ride to a store. He only throws up when we feed him hours before we go. People that I speak to about this say to keep riding him in the car and he'll grow out of it, but it hasn't happened in the last 5 months. My vet said to give him Pepcid and hour before we go, but if we just get the urge to go walk I don't want to wait an hour and run out of day light. Any suggestions as to what we can do to help?
