Licking their lips is a habit among many dogs, but not only when eating. There are also other, more serious explanations, as this veterinarian explains.
It has completely become an expression: “licking your lips”, which we use when we are salivating in advance at the idea of a good meal. So logically, we imagine that a dog licking its lips means that it is hungry… but not necessarily. Yes, a well-known study by doctor Ivan Pavlov proved that dogs are conditioned to drool in the presence of food, which causes them to lick their lips to get rid of excess saliva. This can happen when eating, but also simply when they hear us opening a bag of treats! But this is not the only reason, or even the main one.
In reality, there are several explanations behind this very common behavior among our four-legged companions. Some must also alert the owners, as veterinary behaviorist Megan Petroff explains in the columns of the British newspaper Express. Indeed, a dog that licks its lips too often could be a sign of discomfort or a real health problem.
“Licking your lips can be a sign of stress”reveals the specialist. Unlike us, dogs do not express their emotions through words, but through subtle gestures and behaviors that reflect their discomfort without us realizing it. Licking is one of the “calming signals” they use, a way to calm themselves in a tense situation, like we might do by playing with our hair or chewing on a pen for example. It is also a way of “calm down another dog or human, in order to avoid conflict”in showing “that he is not aggressive, during a delicate interaction”as confirmed in turn The Dog Mag of West France.
If anxiety results in rapid and repetitive licking of the lips, this attitude may also come from a more serious physical problem. “It can also indicate digestive issues. If you notice your dog licking his lips, he may be having trouble swallowing or he could be suffering from acid reflux. You should talk to your veterinarian.”advises Megan Petroff. Lip licking can also occur when a dog wants to vomit, because he is again trying to control his hypersalivation. The same phenomenon occurs if he has something stuck in his mouth, or if he has an oral and dental problem. Other diseases can be the cause of this excess saliva, and therefore of very frequent licking of the lips, such as kidney or liver pathologies which cause nausea, but also neurological disorders or convulsions which generate stress, or even infections which affect the salivary glands.
Concretely, it can be completely normal for a dog to lick its lips at meal time or in certain slightly stressful situations, and there is no need to worry too much about it. On the other hand, as soon as this behavior becomes very frequent, or even compulsive, it is better to consult a veterinarian to try to understand the reason. Ultimately, just listen to your companion: an isolated gesture is a natural reaction, but its regular repetition may be a cry for help that should be taken seriously.
