Why is my dog's muzzle suddenly swollen and she keeps licking it?

A swollen muzzle is most commonly due to an allergic reaction, often to an insect bite or bee sting. It could also be from an infection near her muzzle. If she's otherwise acting completely normal you can monitor her; an allergic reaction should get gradually better and usually resolves in 24 hours or sooner. An infection would not improve without antibiotics, so if the swelling continues or if any other symptoms appear she should be seen by a vet. Hope this helps!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question. This could be an allergic reaction is there is no sign of trauma. The concern here is that the swelling is spreading, and it could get big enough to obstruct her breathing. I think it's best to have her seen by a vet now to get this treated. I hope this helps.

I would recommend taking Rozzi to a veterinarian. I would call yours in the morning. It is difficult to say definitively what is going on but from the pictures it looks like a potential tooth root abscess. A tooth root abscess can appear as one side of the face or mouth is swollen. The way to treat this is antibiotics, pain meds and pulling the affected tooth. If the swelling gets worse overnight then I recommend an emergency veterinarian for a possible allergic reaction. I hope Rozzi feels better soon and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This is most likely due to an allergic reaction. On the muzzle this is usually happens with an insect sting, or reaction to a poisonous plant (i.e. poison oak). This is usually temporary, but can lead to a skin infection, so it's good to flush the area with cool water 2-3 times a day. Flush the area using a syringe or other dispensing device with cool water for five minutes. This may not be easy, because dogs tend to hate water getting near their face. I recommend having someone help you with holding Bob to make sure the area gets flushed well. After flushing, you can apply aloe gel to the area to provide more relief. If the swelling is not going down within two days, then I would reccomend taking him to the vet for an evaluation. It may take a week for it to look normal, but it should start to look better within a couple of days. These reactions have the potential to get worse, so if the swelling is increasing, or Bob is having trouble breathing, then be he should go to the vet as soon as possible for treatment. I hope that helps and Bob gets better soon.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This actually looks pretty serious. It could be an allergic reaction of some kind, a bacterial or fungal infection, or an autoimmune disease. I really think you should take her to a vet for an exam. If it is starting in other locations on her body then then I would be very worried about this being an autoimmune disease (such as pemphigus). This is not something that you will be able to treat at home.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is most likely an allergic reaction. He needs to see a veterinarian as soon as possible. This is typically treated with steroids and anti-histamine medications and they do well if treated promptly. Have a good night!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Laika and for providing pictures, they are very helpful. I see what you mean about the swelling, it is quite pronounced! This could be from a bug bite or it could be an allergic reaction. Oftentimes Benadryl is not strong enough to treat these issues, and stronger drugs like steroids may be needed. The best thing to do for her is take her into a vet immediately to get this treated. I hope this helps!