French bulldogs are the cutest pets in the world and there is nothing more adorable than seeing your dog stick out his little tongue and lick his lips. However, excessive licking can be a sign of many medical issues. By understanding what your Frenchie is trying to communicate to you, you can take quick action to help avert a potentially life-threatening situation. This blog looks at things that you might be doing that are your French bulldog is licking lip excessively and also at some medical conditions that might be the cause.
Why Do French Bulldogs Lick Their Lips?
There are a number of reasons why French bulldog licks their lips. Here are some possible reasons
Due to Anxiety
French bulldogs do a lot of lip-licking, and this may be because they aren’t always sure how to interpret their surroundings or to calm themselves down when they are feeling stressed. Some people also interpret this behavior as being an appeasement gesture because dogs tend to lick their lips when they are uncertain about the way things are proceeding with training for example. In other words, licking their lips is sort of like saying “I am feeling stressed and down!”
Dehydration
Signs of dehydration include dry gums and excessive salivation when affected animals are suffering from vomiting or diarrhea. They can develop a drier nose than usual too but also lick their lips excessively, which is caused by a naturally decreased volume of water in their bodies.
Insect Bite
An insect bite around the lips or in the mouth, as well as a dog mouth lick or injury to the face, can result in lip sucking and licking. An insect bite is usually consistent with pain, swelling, and discharge due to histamines being released during the incident, while dog bites can be a result of cracked skin, infection, or becoming itchy or hot. A snake bite could leave a mark and cause pain, swelling, and discoloration around their lips.
Dental Issues
Warning signs of dental disease in French bulldogs can include a constant and hard-to-break habit of lip-licking, which is something a dog does to dislodge particles of food from his teeth. As dental disease progresses in dogs, plaque develops into tartar and bacteria create gum disease and tooth loss usually occurs at some point. As the disease progresses you’ll begin to notice an aggravated odor and red, bleeding gums, and excessive lip licking.
Nausea
One of the symptoms of nausea in French bulldog is excessive drooling. If you notice your dog exhibiting this symptom then that’s a good indication that he is sick and could possibly vomit at any moment. It’s not uncommon for dogs who are nauseated to also eat grass, even if they haven’t eaten for quite some time.
Seizures
There are so many different types of canine seizures you could encounter. One might witness a dog lying on its side and shaking back and forth, whereas another dog may be just as seizure-prone but instead only exhibit signs, like lip licking.
Unpleasant Chemicals
Whenever new things are introduced into a Frenchie home environment, it is through the nose that they begin to identify what exactly it is. That also means that harsh cleaners and chemicals will throw them off balance and cause them to wonder what just happened.
French bulldog are naturally clean creatures and tend to start licking their faces soon after realizing something new has been added around them because they immediately want to get rid of any strange smells or tastes lingering about.
Foreign Thing Stuck In Mouth
French bulldogs, who typically enjoy playing with bones, rawhides, and stumps. They might sometimes find themselves with something stuck in their mouth. This can cause them to lick around the object located in their mouth a lot. Frenchie owners should try to identify what exactly has made it into the dog’s mouth early on and take action immediately.
How To Treat This Excessive Lip Licking Problem in French bulldog?
There are many ways to treat excessive lip licking in French bulldog . Its treatment mostly depends on the cause of the issue.
One of the important things is to make sure you recognize that French bulldogs may lick their lips when they are in a state of anxiety. If your dog is licking their lips excessively and suddenly, exhibits signs of nervousness, or is unsure of how to react to what’s going on around them.
You need to be very careful at this junction because it could potentially lead to them biting someone. Be it you or a friend or family member who gets too close for comfort without first introducing themselves.
To keep your Frenchie from getting too anxious, you can give them something to play with – like this Rollify LED Light Ball. This flashing ball will glow as soon as it hits the ground and will continue to light up for a few seconds – turning slowly in different directions. Which should draw the attention of your pet dog, giving them something distracting to do can help keep their mind off what has upset them in the first place.
If your Frenchie keeps on licking excessively, that behavior may be deemed unusual. So it is crucial to determine at once if there are any medical problems related to this. The best thing you can do at the moment is to bring your pet to a veterinarian.
If your French bulldog is licking his lip excessively when going through training, it could be because they are feeling overwhelmed and wish to quit. To rectify the problem, assign your dog a task that seems easier for them to understand, and as soon as they complete it correctly, reward them for their efforts.
Conclusion
If your French bulldog is licking his lip excessively, he may have an infection. This can be due to parasites, allergies, or even cancer. If your dog is licking his lip excessively, there is no need to panic. French Bulldogs can suffer from skin allergies, so this is the first thing to rule out. If you think your dog may have an allergy, contact your veterinarian right away. You will want to rule out any other possibilities before you start treating your dog for allergies.
