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My senior dog has smelly, bloody drool. What remedies can help?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Maltese | Female | spayed | 12 years and 9 months old | 15 lbs

Hi, My dog has squamous cell carcinoma, and we are choosing not to treat it (she is already 13 and the prognosis is not good even with chemo, radiation, surgery, etc.) So, while she is on palliative care, I am wondering if there is an efficient way to decrease the smelly, bloody discharge from her mouth. It is getting everywhere and I know it is uncomfortable for her. Please help with any remedies, or ideas on how I can prevent the drool from getting everywhere! Thank you!

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Jenny, DVM

Answered By Jenny, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on May 3rd, 2018

There is unlikely anything to help with the drooling and odor. You can try antibiotics to help control the secondary infection which can help with the odor, but it is unlikely to fix that problem. The drool is from the tumor interfering with the closing her mouth and swallowing properly. You may talk to your vet about adding a rinse such as mylanta and benadryl to help soothe the mouth and help coat the bleeding parts
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