My dog keeps swallowing and licking lips. Is he sick?

Licking the lips can sometimes be a sign of nervousness, nausea, or even an issue with the teeth or mouth. If he hasn't had a dental cleaning recently, tartar on the teeth or gums could be causing some irritation and thus the licking behavior. Nausea such as from minor GI upset, may also cause drooling, or have signs such as vomiting or diarrhea, but this is not always the case. If it continues or you see any signs of illness/smell bad breath, etc, having your vet take a look is best. If you've changed something in his environment around the time the licking started (new pet, people, items in the house, etc) it could be that he's feeling a bit nervous or uncomfortable as well. Making sure he gets some extra attention and the cause of the nervousness is addressed (IE making sure he has someplace to go rest and hide, using a pheromone diffuser, etc) may help.

Licking the air in most cases is a sign of nausea, she might have an upset tummy or possibly some more serious gastrointestinal/systemic disease. If she loses her appetite and this symptom does not resolve- take Chiquis to the vet in order to get it checked.

Chronic licking is a common sign of nausea, as well as hypersalivation. Nausea can be caused by many conditions such as dietary indiscretion (eating things Bella shouldn't be), intestinal parasites, foreign bodies, and pancreatitis. If Bella is consistently doing this, it is worth it to rule out the conditions above. Your vet may recommend bloodwork, x-rays, and possibly an abdominal ultrasound. I hope all is well and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It sounds like Nene may be feeling a bit nauseated or anxious. This can cause symptoms such as burping/hiccuping, licking lips, drooling, etc. Causes can be anything from GI upset, to illness, bloat, or even something stuck in the mouth or throat. If he won't let you examine his mouth at all and is refusing to eat or drink, seems painful, or in distress, having him examined by a vet ASAP is best to rule out more serious issues.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. What you are describing sounds as if he is nauseous from something. It is difficult to say what is going on without seeing it in person or on a video. I would withhold food for at least 8 hours and then feed a bland diet of chicken and rice. Feed this at least 3 days beyond the resolution of the symptoms. If these symptoms persist or worsen, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine him so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Poor Luckie, she sounds sick. If she is nauseous, that could cause her to lick her lips and drink lots of water. Being lethargic and not moving around can mean she has a fever or is in pain. Luckie may have an issue inside the GI tract (intestines) causing nausea or trouble with how her organs, particularly kidneys and liver are functioning as the cause for these symptoms. I recommend having Luckie examined by a veterinarian as soon as possible. They may recommend x-rays to look at the GI tract and/or blood work to evaluate her kidneys and liver. Good luck!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Roxy. This repeated swallowing and licking can be signs of nausea. I can give you a home remedy to see if that helps. Feed her a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in her normal diet. If this behavior continues on the bland diet, she refuses to eat the bland diet, she vomits the bland diet, develops diarrhea, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, she will need to see a vet right away. I hope this helps!