What is hypersalivation in dogs?
Hyper salivation in dogs means excessive secretion of saliva. In medical jargon, hypersalivation is also called ptyalism or hypersalivation. The animal that suffers from it can therefore start drooling or, if the saliva is swallowed normally, by abnormally frequent swallowing of its saliva.
Zoom in on saliva
Saliva is a colorless, stringy liquid produced by several salivary glands distributed throughout the dog's oral cavity. She notably has a role in:
- protection of the oral mucosa, chewing and swallowing of food by its lubricating properties,
- taste by allowing food to dissolve in the oral cavity so that its molecules can reach the taste buds.
It is completely normal for a dog to start salivating at the sight of food or when he is waiting for his meal to be distributed. As Ian Petrovich Pavlov had highlighted in his famous experience of Pavlov's dog, this salivation is a normal conditional reflex of the dog, in other words an involuntary reaction of the organism provoked by the sight or the imminence of the distribution of food. This increase in saliva production is then completely temporary and will cease as soon as the dog has swallowed the food in question.
But, it happens that a dog hypersalivates in other circumstances or because of an underlying pathology. Let's see which ones
Dog hypersalivation: possible reasons
There are actually two types of hypersalivation (or ptyalism) in dogs:
- true ptyalism, due to an increase in the amount of saliva secreted by the dog,
- pseudoptyalism caused by a disturbance in the dog's salivary flow linked to a swallowing problem or a malformation of the dog's oral cavity.
Causes of ptyalism in dogs
There are various reasons that can explain an increase in the amount of saliva secreted by the dog among:
Stress or excitement
Some dogs start salivating a lot when they are excited or when they are anxious. This is particularly the case for dogs that suffer from motion sickness. These dogs then begin to salivate profusely in anticipation as soon as a car trip is announced.
The hypersalivation is then the consequence of the stimulation of the autonomic nervous system by the stress or the excitement of the animal.
Dog's Nausea
The urge to vomit can manifest as hypersalivation in dogs. The dog does not then necessarily start to drool but it can on the other hand start to swallow very frequently.
Oral and pharyngeal lesions
The increase in the amount of saliva secreted by the dog may be due to various oral or pharyngeal lesions / inflammations following the presence of a foreign body, an insect bite, envenomation by a toad or processionary caterpillars, by an electric burn of the oral cavity or even the ingestion of irritating products by the dog.
Medication
Dog hypersalivation can be a side effect of various medications.
Poisoning
The ingestion of various toxic products notably results in hypersalivation of the dog.This is particularly the case when ingesting rat poison, raw potatoes, toxic plants or even tobacco. But, in all these cases, hypersalivation is usually not the only sign of poisoning.
A convulsive fit
A seizure in dogs is often accompanied by hypersecretion of saliva.
Causes of pseudoptyalism in dogs
The dog's salivary flow can be disturbed due to a swallowing problem related to:
- pain in the oral cavity linked to stomatitis (inflammation of the oral mucosa), glossitis (inflammation of the tongue), gingivitis (inflammation of the dog's gums) or pharyngitis (inflammation of the pharynx),
- dental pain,
- a megaesophagus,
- masticatory muscle myositis,
- the presence of an oral mass,
- a neurological problem that leads to paralysis of the facial nerve and pharynx. Rabies or Aujeszky's disease therefore cause swallowing disorders and excessive salivation in dogs.
Several anatomical malformations can also cause pseudoptyalism such as cleft palate, hare's lip, dental occlusion or mouth conformation problems that do not allow the dog to retain saliva.