When breathing is very active, the four-legged pet's tongue sticks out. Often its appearance is explained by physiological reasons that are not dangerous to health. Pathology in such a situation is rarely diagnosed. It is usually revealed by accompanying symptoms.
If you are not sure why your dog is sticking out his tongue, be sure to observe his behavior and appearance. If there are alarming symptoms, the animal must be given first aid.
Stress or illness in a dog and protruding tongue
In addition to the obvious reason why a dog sticks out its tongue in the heat, another factor can be noted - stress and other types of emotional stress. If your dog is nervous or anxious, he may experience rapid, heavy breathing. To understand why a nervous dog or a dog running in the heat sticks out its tongue and understand the physics of this process, you need to know its reasons. Most often, to stop excessive salivation and restore normal breathing, it is necessary to eliminate the cause of the animal’s irritation and agitation.
In more rare cases, such behavior may indicate some kind of disease in a four-legged pet. If you don’t know why your cat breathes like a dog with its tongue hanging out and you’re worried about it, it makes sense to show the animal to a veterinarian.
Why is evaporation from the paw pads not enough?
The small area of the paw pads does not cover enough workload to cool the entire body, especially when they are in a standing posture. As a result, dogs cool their body through their protruding tongue.
Hot, heavy and fast breathing causes more fluid to evaporate through the tongue in a very short time. Pets require a lot of fluids during this process as they continue to lose water quickly. Dogs will not stick out their tongue because they are lazy or anything, but this act helps get rid of excess heat in the body faster.
The dog holds his tongue to effectively control this entire procedure. Their tongue naturally becomes long and flat and contains a huge number of blood vessels. The blood in the tongue cools through the secretion of saliva before returning to the body.
Why does a dog stick out its tongue?
All owners of four-legged pets note certain habits and characteristics that their pets have. These features include the tendency of dogs to open their mouths and breathe frequently. This fact is known to all experienced or novice dog breeders who have recently acquired a furry friend. Do you want to know why and how dogs stick out their tongues? Despite the fact that such behavior is typical for animals and is almost invisible to their owner, there are reasons for such behavior in pets. If you are interested in the question of why a dog breathes with its tongue hanging out, we will give a comprehensive answer to it.
Hot weather
A dog sticks out its tongue in hot weather in order to cool itself.
Dogs have a hard time withstanding hot weather conditions, to the point that this leads to illness in the animal. The bottom line is that a dog's sweat glands are not located throughout the body, as, for example, in a person, but are located only in two places: on the pads of the paws and on the nose. A dog's tongue contains a system of blood vessels. When a dog's body temperature rises from the heat, the blood vessels dilate due to increased blood flow to the tongue.
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To reduce body temperature, a dog needs heat transfer. To do this, it opens its mouth and sticks out its tongue, wet with saliva. The surface of the protruding tongue comes into contact with air as saliva evaporates, which cools the tongue and removes heat from the blood supply. In this way, the dog’s body temperature is normalized and the animal’s well-being improves.
In this regard , sticking out the tongue is a dog's way of sweating, a process that adapts the animal to hot weather conditions.
Physiological features
Unlike their owners, four-legged pets sweat through the nose mirror on their muzzle and through their paws. For this reason, in summer, imprints from wet pads appear on the floor.
Most canine sweat glands are not involved in the process of thermoregulation. Their main task is to create a special secret that forms a unique smell. With its help, animals read information about each other during acquaintance.
Dogs use their saliva to maintain their natural body temperature. In the heat, their breathing rate increases, which leads to more intense salivation, or salivation. As a result of evaporation, some of the liquid enters the nose. There it cools, passes into the lower respiratory tract and lowers the overall body temperature. Sticking out the tongue in this case increases the area for saliva evaporation.
Physical exercise
Dog sticks out tongue while jogging
After intense physical activity (workout, long run, exciting game), the dog’s blood circulation increases, breathing quickens, body temperature rises, resulting in a need for heat transfer. By opening its mouth and sticking out its tongue, the dog normalizes its body temperature and helps the body cool down. The animal uses the same method of getting rid of excess heat in case of severe fatigue, excitement, or stress.
Interesting fact: The moisture of a dog’s tongue directly depends on how it feels: if the dog is healthy, the tongue is wet from saliva; a dry tongue indicates a deterioration in the animal’s health.
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What factors should an animal owner be wary of?
Normally, a dog that sticks out its tongue on a hot day is acting calmly. She tries to take the coolest places to rest (while in most animals, breathing gradually returns to normal during sleep), drinks water as needed, and her appetite may be somewhat reduced.
However, if your pet develops accompanying symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor. It can be:
- rapid breathing and heart rate;
- redness or cyanosis of the mucous membranes (gums, tongue, conjunctiva);
- lack of appetite;
- vomit;
- loss of coordination;
- convulsions;
- excessive amount of saliva (and foam) on the pet's face;
- general elevated body temperature (above 40°);
- apathy (some, on the contrary, have restless behavior).
These symptoms may indicate internal diseases, as well as the threat of heat stroke.
Stress, overexcitement
Dogs stick out their tongues mechanically if they are very excited or stressed. This can be observed when the owners go on vacation and leave the pet in the care of friends. Even if it's not hot, the dog will still stick out his tongue. Severe fear or the consequences of stress are also common causes of a protruding tongue. At such moments, increased salivation may occur.
If the reason lies precisely in a stressful state and moral overstrain, then you need to calm your pet down as soon as possible. Pay attention to the dog, play, stroke its back and scratch its tummy, and treat it with a treat. If you experience frequent stress, you can add a weak decoction of motherwort to your dog’s water once a day, this will help stabilize the condition.
Causes of stress when a dog begins to breathe with his tongue hanging out:
- sharp noise;
- a change of scenery;
- poor treatment (even if you scolded your pet just once);
- another dog barked while walking;
- strangers came to visit;
- a new pet has appeared in the house;
- change of diet;
- vaccinations or just a visit to the vet.
The dog sticks out its tongue: what to do?
Most often, the question of why a cat breathes like a dog with its tongue hanging out arises among attentive and caring pet owners who want to prevent the development of a serious disease in the animal. Breathing with your mouth open is not a pathology or a cause for panic. If you want to help your pet, you can take the following actions:
- Provide the animal with continuous access to drinking water. Fresh, clean water should always be available to your pet. During the hot season, he should receive water at home, on the street and in the car.
- Show the dog to the veterinarian. If your pet is lethargic and passive, you should take him to the veterinarian to rule out a serious illness.
Is your dog or cat breathing heavily with his tongue hanging out? Perhaps the animal is simply very hot and is trying to cool itself in this way by lowering its body temperature. But it is still necessary to pay enough attention to such behavior. This will help avoid problems with the health and well-being of your four-legged pet.
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How to help your pet
If your pet’s condition does not return to normal for a long time, give him first aid. For natural causes, cooling and calming will help, and for pathological reasons, a visit to the veterinarian.
Cooling
If the weather is too hot, the four-legged animal may need help from its owner. To reduce body temperature it is recommended:
- move the dog to a cool place with good ventilation;
- moisten the paw pads, back and belly with cool, but not icy, water;
- apply a cold compress from a towel to your head;
- give fresh water to drink;
- limit the amount of food you eat or have a fasting day.
If your pet has long and thick hair, then be sure to give him a short haircut. The only exceptions are some breeds, whose thick undercoat protects them from both cold and overheating.
Calm
This method will help both after physical activity and during times of stress. An overacting dog should be calmed down, given water to drink and temporarily immobilized. To do this, sit on a bench and persuade her to sit next to you. Distract your four-legged dog with conversations and resume walking as soon as he calms down.
In case of fear, not only conversations will help, but also tactile contact. Please note that the dog needs to be reassured, not pitied. Otherwise, her fears may worsen.
First aid for pathologies
The only acceptable help for the listed pathologies is contacting a veterinarian. If this option is temporarily unavailable, contact the veterinary clinic by phone. Depending on the situation, the doctor may recommend actions and medications to temporarily alleviate the patient's condition.
Which season of the year is more problematic for dogs' tongue?
In winter, this problem can even cause frostbite. Beware of the symptoms listed below. Give your pet enough water. Check the color of your tongue and gums regularly. If the color changes, contact your veterinarian immediately.
Cancer or tumor in the mouth primarily limits the place of the tongue in the mouth. Look for misaligned teeth, ulcers, reluctance to chew, and smelly breath. These are the most common symptoms. Quick detection of the disease and all efforts can easily cure the dog.
Teeth not only help the dog eat, but also control the tongue and place it in the correct position.
See if your dog has a damaged or abnormal tooth. Acute bacterial inflammation of the oral cavity can lead to this problem.
Pathological causes
The presence of pathology can be identified by general symptoms and the condition of the tongue. If dryness, ulcers, inflammation, unnatural color (blue, yellow) and plaque appear, you should contact your veterinarian.
Presyncope
The main danger of fainting is suddenness. Despite this, its imminent approach is usually accompanied by the following signs:
- intermittent breathing;
- profuse drooling;
- repeated bouts of vomiting;
- blanching of mucous membranes;
- local decrease in temperature (only in the paws or other parts of the body);
- drop in heart rate;
- lack of response to external stimuli;
- lack of coordination;
- involuntary bowel movements or urination.
The symptoms of fainting are almost identical to epilepsy. To rule out brain damage, the animal must be examined at a veterinary clinic.
Respiratory diseases
Breathing through the mouth can be explained by nasal congestion, characteristic of rhinitis and sinusitis, abundant salivation with stomatitis and irritation of the mucous membranes with bronchitis. All these pathologies have completely different consequences and treatment methods.
If you do not want to make your pet worse, do not try to treat him yourself on the advice of friends. An incorrect diagnosis can lead to a deterioration in the patient’s condition or chronicity of the pathology.
When not to worry
Natural causes include 3 factors: high temperature, recent activity and excitement. In all these cases, the animal’s condition normalizes on its own – some time after the provoking factor is eliminated.
Hot weather
This is where thermoregulation comes into play. Intense breathing cools the body and reduces the risk of heat stroke.
Physical exercise
Physical activity increases blood circulation and increases body temperature. After training, there is a need for heat transfer, so a running dog breathes more often than at rest.
Stress
Nervous tension also contributes to an increase in temperature. If the dog is frightened by the explosion of a firecracker or a clap of thunder, then for some time he will breathe heavily.
It's completely normal for your tongue to stick out
The main reasons why a dog breathes with its mouth open and tongue hanging out are the following:
- Ambient temperature is high. To improve thermoregulation, the dog has to actively “work” with its tongue. This way it cools the body faster and more efficiently in hot weather, avoiding heat stroke.
- Physical exercise. When a dog runs a lot, he gets tired, and the working muscles raise his body temperature, so the tongue saves the dog from overheating.
- Emotional uplift. A contented, happy and cheerful dog runs around merrily with its mouth open. This is how he expresses his emotions violently.
- Sleep, relaxed state in a comfortable position. The dog is simply happy, she feels good, she trusts those around her, which is symbolized by the hanging tip of her tongue.
- Difficulty breathing associated with the physiological characteristics of the structure of the animal’s mouth and nose. A constantly protruding tongue is characteristic of “short-faced” dog breeds: Pekingese, pugs, bulldogs, and so on. The peculiar flattened shape of the muzzle was obtained through long-term selection to create the characteristic appearance of these dogs. But aesthetics had a profound impact on the health of representatives of these breeds. The structure of their nasal passages is disrupted, so it is difficult for them to breathe. To compensate for the lack of air, they use a constantly open mouth.
If the animal's condition falls within these descriptions, there is nothing to fear. All these manifestations are variants of the norm.
Hard breath
Dogs with a flat muzzle and flattened noses, so-called. “brachycephalic breeds” (pug, bulldog, Pekingese, etc.) stick out their tongue due to genetic characteristics. These breeds are prone to brachycephalic syndrome, which consists of obstruction of the upper respiratory tract. Due to heavy breathing, the animal keeps its mouth open with its tongue hanging out. In addition, brachycephalic dog breeds sometimes have their tongues sticking out because their tongues are too large to fit into the mouth.
In some cases, tongue protrusion occurs due to the abnormal structure of the animal's jaw, which does not support the tongue.
Rest and sleep
Dogs stick out their tongue when they sleep
Dogs stick out the tip of their tongue or their entire tongue when they feel comfortable and calm. If the dog has just eaten, played heartily, or lies next to the owner with his tongue hanging out, this means that he is happy and relaxed. Dogs stick their tongue out of their mouth after eating food due to excessive drooling. Dogs often stick out their tongues when they sleep, which supports the idea that a dog's tongue sticking out is a sign that the animal is completely relaxed.
Missing teeth
So your Chihuahua's tongue is sticking out due to missing teeth. It's definitely a fun mental image. However, dental and gum disease in Chihuahuas is no laughing matter.
Gum disease is common in Chihuahuas. This is because they have a small mouth and jaw, which makes it easier for the disease to spread.
Tooth loss is one of the biggest signs that your Chihuahua has an oral disease.
Other symptoms may include:
- Bad breath
- Pain while eating
- Change in tooth color
- Lumps in the mouth
- Bleeding from the mouth or gums
- Drooling or dropping food
Daily preventative measures are required. Even if a dog doesn't show any symptoms, they can still develop oral disease.
Why does the tip of a dog’s tongue stick out: physiological reasons and their consequences
What to do if the tip of your dog's tongue sticks out? Could a cute grimace indicate health problems and should you be worried? Let's look at the causes and consequences. There are several main reasons and very often, everything is explained quite simply - the dog has a long tongue. Yes, this happens, there are animals with too long ears, fingers, tails and tongues too.
If you do not notice that the dog is experiencing discomfort or biting its tongue, there is no reason to worry. Does your pet have breeding value and are you concerned about its career? In this case, you need to consult a doctor and a breed expert. If no abnormalities are found in the dog, a too long tongue will most likely not affect its exhibition career. Whether such a special quadruped should be allowed to be bred is up to the breeders to decide; as they say, this is a matter of conscience and integrity.
Note! The tip of your tongue sticking out during sleep is normal and indicates deep relaxation.
Why does a dog breathe with its tongue hanging out in the heat: from the point of view of physics
Thermoregulation is the body’s ability to maintain a temperature that is optimal for the life of the dog’s body, which will not depend on external environmental factors (cold or hot weather) and the rapid movement of the animal. To ensure this vital function, a number of physiological processes and features are provided. The hypothalamus is the thermal core of the body. When the body overheats, impulses are transmitted to the hypothalamus, then protective reactions are activated and the entire body slowly cools. The process is carried out due to the expansion of blood vessels, the appearance of droplets of sweat and the launch of a heat exchange reaction.
Due to the fact that sweat glands in dogs are located only on the paws and most often they are closed, animals have additional features to regulate heat exchange. Heat loss is compensated by rapid breathing. In this case, the animal pulls out its tongue and begins to breathe rapidly - this is called thermal dyspnea. The pet's tongue is quite long - it can reach 20 cm in length, so most of it ends up outside when shortness of breath. Blood rushes to the tip of the tongue, it becomes colder and disperses to other organs.
Important! Animals with thick fur have a harder time withstanding hot weather. Such dogs and puppies are at risk - at high temperatures and pressures they run the risk of sunstroke or heatstroke.
Animals with thick fur have a harder time withstanding hot weather.
