If your dog smacks his lips at night, there can be many different reasons.
In this article you will find out which causes contribute to your dog smacking his lips at night and how you can recognize and remedy them.
Why do dogs smack their lips at night and is that a concern?
Dogs often smack their lips at night for a variety of reasons. The smacking itself initially harmless.
Smacking is often a result of harmless events or activities.
Is your dog constantly and extremely smacking, he is also restless or you are observing more symptoms in your dog, the smacking can also be a result of a serious illness.
What are the causes if my dog smacks his lips at night?
Nocturnal smacking by a dog alone is not a clinical picture. Rather it is a symptomwhich along with other signs may indicate an illness in your dog.
health causes
stomach problems
The digestive system in dogs is significantly more sensitive than that of humans. Even small things can therefore nausea or abdominal pain to lead.
Nausea and abdominal pain are expressed, among other things, in nocturnal smacking.
Stomach problems are also expressed by the fact that the dog often licks his lipsa unmotivated impression makes and food refused.
vomiting or diarrhea is also possible.
Gastrointestinal Parasiteslike for example giardia, also lead to stomach problems that can cause nocturnal munching. The smacking is also here more one expression of pain your dog.
dental problems
A relatively common cause of nocturnal munching is problems with the teeth of all kinds. inflammation of the gums or one Infection of the periodontium are two possible triggers.
paradontosisstronger tartar and gingivitis also lead to nocturnal munching.
Chipped or broken teethbut also misaligned teeth can be another trigger.
Good to know:
When a puppy smacks his lips at night and while he sleeps, he is often in the period of the change of teeth. This can last up to three months and should be completed by the age of nine months.
With dental problems, the dog automatically produces more saliva. Smacking at night and while sleeping serves to keep the saliva in the mouth.
You can often identify dental problems by discoloration, swelling or bleeding.
Increased shaking of the head, one-sided chewing up to refusal of food can also indicate a toothache.
dry mouth
If not enough saliva is produced and the mouth becomes too dry, smacking at night is supposed to stimulate saliva production.
cause of a dry mouth, too”xerostomia” called, can a dehydrationor one dehydration be.
But also a consequence of one drug treatmentat immune diseases and also nerve damage.
sialocele
under one sialocele one understands one cavity in the mouthin which mostly the saliva collects.
Such a cavity can be triggered by Accidents and bites in the neck arise, but also through inflammation.
Nocturnal smacking serves to disperse the accumulated saliva from the cavity throughout the mouth.
Inflammation of the oral mucosa
If bacteria, viruses or fungi accumulate on the oral mucosa, it can become inflamed.
Initially, this is hardly recognizable, as the disease progresses, the gums become red. A formation of pus is also possible.
The nocturnal smacking is one of them expression of pain. Affected dogs also refuse food and often withdraw from their humans.
kidney diseases
Kidney disease in dogs is often only recognized when ⅔ of the kidneys are no longer functional. Before that, there are usually hardly any symptoms.
In the initial stage, the Urine often darker and smells unpleasant. The dog has to urinate more often than usual and is constantly thirsty.
Affected dogs smack their lips not only at night, but also during the day because the kidneys are overloaded with toxins.
Behavioral or educational causes
Fear
Dogs can be particularly anxious at night. This manifests itself, among other things, in nocturnal smacking.
Other symptoms of anxiety include a slight tremor, laid ears and a retracted rod.
Frequent yawning and the Avoiding eye contact can also be a sign of anxiety.
Here you should get to the bottom of the causes of the fear and remove them or slowly get the dog used to it.
lack of attention
If your dog starts to smack his lips in the evening or at night, it can be a sign that he is relaxing feels alone or like more attention had.
Dogs will try anything to get your attention. If they succeed with an action, they will repeat it.
So if you have given your dog increased attention when he has smacked his lips, it can be his «trick» that you take care of him, especially at night when everything is quiet.
satisfaction and well-being
You will usually get a pleasant smacking sound from your dog after one delicious food or extensive crawls can observe, but also just before falling asleep.
Dogs also process their experiences while they are sleeping in dreams. Nice dreams can also express themselves through smacking during sleep.
leftover food in the mouth
If leftover food or splinters from bones or wooden sticks get caught between the teeth, dogs try to remove the remains with their tongues.
There are also squeaky noises. If your dog doesn’t manage to get rid of leftovers or splinters immediately after the exposure, he will of course continue to smack his lips at night until his teeth are clean again.
Nocturnal smacking due to improper diet
If you unknowingly feed your dog food or leftovers, or leave them unattended within their reach, it can be devastating for them poisoning entail.
Chocolate and cocoa are the most well-known examples of products that harm your dog. But many other foods are also toxic to your dog.
What can I do if my dog smacks his lips at night?
Nocturnal smacking often has a pleasant background and is not a cause for concern.
But your dog suddenly smacks a lot and unusually at night, you should look out for other symptoms.
Often one helps thorough teeth cleaning. If you are anxious, it often helps to have some light on your sleeping place or to bring the basket closer to your caregiver.
Indicates the smacking Pains with your dog, help home remedies for pain relief or medicines from the medicine cabinet, the dosage of which should, however, be determined in consultation with a veterinarian.
It is important to know your dog and to be able to assess it.
When should I see a vet?
The causes of smacking can be positive or harmless and easily remediable yourself.
However, your dog shows other symptoms that indicate a serious condition or one poisoning point out, you should definitely go to a veterinarian.
Conclusion
If your dog smacks his lips at night, there are many possible causes. Well-being, fear and pain are three completely different triggers. But smacking can also be a symptom of a serious medical condition in your dog.
What are your experiences? We look forward to your comment on this post.