Why does my dog cry out in pain when opening his mouth or yawning?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely due to pain or discomfort. This may be related to periodontal disease or even a tumor or an infection such as a tooth root abscess. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to recommend further based on findings. Good luck!

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is hard to say what the cause is without examining your dog first, but making noise whenever you touch the mouth may indicate your dog is experiencing some level of discomfort or pain around his mouth. A dental infection, abscess, fracture, tumor, or other cause may be possibilities. I would advise seeing your veterinarian for a oral exam for a definitive diagnosis. I hope this helps and best of luck!

I am sorry to hear about your dog. I would definitely recommend a visit to your veterinarian. I would be concerned about a problem with a tooth such as infection or fracture, or a problem with an ear being painful, or possibly a problem with the jaw or the temporal mandibular junction (joint of the jaw). The vet should be able to look her over and hopefully localize where the problem is coming from. They may recommend an x-ray if they are afraid of a break, or an ear swab if it looks like the ear is involved. Another possibility could be neck pain which the vet can check for as well.

I’m sorry Oscar is dealing with this. He is quite a handsome guy! Pain opening the mouth can be caused by a few thing including infections or an autoimmune disease called masticatory muscle myositis (MMM). I would have Oscar evaluated by his veterinarian. They may be able to get an idea based on their exam, and they can also do special blood testing for MMM. They can start Oscar on medication as indicated to help him be much more comfortable. In the meantime continue feeding him very soft foods. Hope he is feeling much better soon!

I'd tell your parents you spoke to a vet for free, and you were advised that he does need to see a vet. It's not normal at all for Koda to scream when yawning, and the fact he's not biting down to eat his kibble. He may stop eating from the pain, which will lead to weight loss. This has to be checked out by a vet, he won't grow out of this. Please have your parents take him into a vet today. Best of luck.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor guy! He could have oral pain for have an ear infection as well. An ear infection can look like mouth pain. If this growling/yelping is new then I would have him seen. If he is always like that it could be his personality. At 8 months of age all his adult teeth should be in. If they aren't he should have full mouth X-rays to see if the adults just aren't present and to be sure he doesn't have dentigerous cysts (cysts that form around the teeth in the bone). Usually this doesn't cause oral pain. I recommend having him examined by a Vet this week. They can look at his mouth and ears. If he is so painful they can sedate him so they can thoroughly examine him. I wish you the best!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be due to something affecting the mouth such as dental disease, inflammation or even a growth causing discomfort. I recommend that you have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check what is going on so that therapy can be started. Best of luck!