Why does a puppy sleep with his tongue hanging out?

A dog's tongue, which is almost always outside, is an indicator of the animal's completely normal, ordinary state. Dogs have very few sweat glands. In order not to die from overheating, the animal must cool itself. With a minimal number of sweat glands, it is impossible to do this solely with their help, so the tongue comes to the rescue.

In dogs it is large and long, which means it has a fairly large surface. When it is outside, saliva evaporates from it, which leads to a decrease in the animal’s body temperature and its stabilization even in very hot weather.

In addition to the tongue, the lungs play an important role in heat exchange, which also come into contact with air and, due to direct cooling and cooling due to the evaporation of moisture, help regulate the internal body temperature of the animal. Frequency, namely increased breathing, regulates this process.

Why does a dog stick out its tongue: is it normal?

What is hanging tongue syndrome?

Well, hanging tongue syndrome

is one of the reasons why a dog sticks out its tongue. In this condition, the dog simply cannot control his tongue for several reasons. There may be birth defects, trauma cases, or neurological disorders. His tongue constantly remains out of his mouth as a direct result of the above reasons.

Typically, brachycephalic dog breeds suffer from overbiting or overbiting, and they are usually the biggest victims of this condition. This can harm the dog's natural body function. He will have trouble eating or grooming. Moreover, the tongue sometimes loses moisture, which leads to cracks and bleeding. In winter, this vital organ can even get frostbite. In general, hanging tongue syndrome puts your dog closer to various infections.

To treat it, you need to find the exact cause. Dogs suffering from this syndrome need to be given painkillers and soft food.

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:

High ambient temperature. 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, working muscles raise his body temperature, so sticking out his tongue helps 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, etc. 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.

Manifestations of glossalgia

With this disease, patients note a burning sensation, tingling, itching, and rawness in the tongue area. An unpleasant symptom may appear from time to time or bother you constantly. Some patients associate these symptoms with eating spicy foods.

Indirect symptoms include dry mouth and fatigue when speaking. It is worth noting that with overwork and nervous excitement, the symptoms become more pronounced. Sometimes the symptoms of glossalgia appear only in certain situations, for example, before an important event. During meals, manifestations of the disease may become less pronounced or even completely absent.

The feeling of burning and tingling most often spreads to the sides and tip of the tongue. They occur much less frequently on the back and root of the tongue. The pain is widespread, there is no obvious focus, and the location can change quickly. The symptom may disappear and appear in another area.

It is important to note that there are no visible changes in the mucous membrane of the tongue and oral cavity. Only some people suffering from this disease may experience swelling or plaque on the tongue, hypertrophy of the lingual papillae. Varicose veins of the tongue are typical for elderly patients.

Many people with glossalgia experience symptoms of depression. Sometimes there is excitability, increased anxiety, and suspiciousness. Many people suffer from fear of developing cancer and other serious diseases, and the disease is accompanied by sleep disturbances, pain in the chest area, etc.

In what situations can language serve as a signal of trouble?

Normally, a dog's tongue is colored in all shades of pink, with the exception of rare variants, for example, the blue tint of the chow chow. It should be moist, without excessive drooling, clean and undamaged.

If the dog has a dry tongue, covered with ulcers or plaque, inflamed, swollen or simply swollen, with a discoloration, this may indicate the presence of a disease. This condition most often indicates a respiratory infection or a significant disruption of the digestive process, but it can also be a completely different problem.

Therefore, an animal with signs of trouble must be taken to a veterinarian.

The doctor will examine the dog and determine if there is a reason for concern. If necessary, he will conduct the necessary tests and prescribe appropriate treatment.

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Stress for your pet

Another reason for frequent heavy breathing can be stress - this is a common reaction of the dog’s body to a stressful situation.

Often this behavior is accompanied by excessive salivation. In this case, it is imperative to eliminate the cause of the irritation, and over time your dog will calm down and return to normal.

Why and why does a dog stick out its tongue? Reasons, what to do, photos and videos

Many have seen a dog stick its tongue out of its mouth, but not everyone can explain why it does this. At first, you might think that tongue sticking out is a normal dog habit; because this happens quite often. But it turns out that this behavior of the animal is caused by important processes in the body that help adapt to the environment and maintain health.

A dog's tongue is a multifunctional organ with which dogs drink water, clean their fur and paws, lick their owner, and even cool down during the hot season. Therefore, the protrusion of the tongue from the mouth is caused by various reasons.

Reasons why a dog sticks out its tongue:

hard breath;
hot weather;
physical exercise;
rest and sleep;
elevated emotional state.

Physical exercise

A dog sticks out its tongue while jogging After
intense physical activity (training, a long run, an exciting game), the dog’s blood circulation increases, breathing quickens, and 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: Animal devotion

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.

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.

Injuries

As with any dog behavior, there is always an element of communication involved in your dog's actions.

Your Chihuahua may stick out its tongue to let you know it is injured. Chihuahuas can easily injure their mouth. Chihuahuas have more fragile jaws compared to other breeds.

Sticking out your tongue is one way to show that something in your mouth is uncomfortable. This behavior may involve whining, cowering when touched, or refusing to eat.

Some common injuries include:

Animal or insect bites
Objects stuck in mouth
Cuts from sharp toys or objects
Tension from playing or chewing

In Chihuahuas in particular, fractures can occur quite easily. If your dog is acting sensitive or protecting his mouth, he may have been injured.

If you think your Chihuahua has suffered a mouth injury, call or visit your veterinarian immediately.

Hot weather

Dogs have a hard time withstanding hot weather conditions, to the point where it 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.

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.

Helping your dog in the heat

To help your pet cope with the heat, make sure your dog has fresh, clean water available at all times. Overheating an animal often leads to dehydration, which negatively affects the animal's health. To avoid unnecessary exposure to heat, the pet is doused with water or bathed. However, such measures are taken with caution, since even on sweltering days the dog can catch a cold through disruption of the fat layer that is contained under the skin. It is recommended to select a muzzle for a dog in such a way that it does not interfere with the animal sticking out its tongue.

Wool and thermoregulation

It has been noted that short-haired dog breeds (Doberman, Dachshund, Labrador) stick out their tongue less often than those with long, thick hair (Samoyeds, Chinese Chins, Retrievers, Collies). Hairless dogs (Chinese Crested, American Hairless Terrier) do not need this, since they cool themselves with their entire skin. The most susceptible to heatstroke are shaggy dogs that are black in color because they absorb the sun's rays.

Pathological causes

A protruding tongue is not always the norm, and it happens that a dog begins to breathe with its mouth slightly open due to overheating or a decreased sense of smell. This state does not last for a few minutes, as happens with natural cooling, but for a long time.

Rhinitis. Just like humans, dogs can experience a runny nose, which can cause loss of smell and obstruction of the nasal passages. Mouth breathing in such a situation replaces nasal breathing until it is restored. Rhinitis can be caused by a cold, virus, allergy, or injury. The fact that rhinitis has occurred can be understood by the release of mucus from the nose and changes in breathing. If the animal is otherwise in good condition, then treatment is not required, and to speed up recovery, it is enough to give the dog drugs that strengthen the immune system. If a runny nose is caused by an injury, treatment may be difficult and may even require surgery. When the nasal passages are blocked, the dog’s tongue most often hangs to the side, since this is the most comfortable position for him when he is outside the mouth for a long time.
Impaired control of the muscles that are responsible for holding the root of the tongue. In this condition, the dog's tongue appears to be constantly sticking out. This prevents her from closing her mouth, eating and drinking normally. The problem may arise due to pinched nerve endings, neurotic disorders, or damage to the muscles of the root of the tongue. Depending on the cause, treatment is carried out. Drugs may be used to improve the functioning of the nervous system, or surgical interventions may be performed.
Constant overheating. This phenomenon occurs more often in long-haired dogs that live indoors and have a dense undercoat. They always need to cool the body, and therefore their mouth is usually slightly open, and their tongue sticks out of it, through which cooling occurs. Most often, this phenomenon is observed during the heating season, when the air in the room is not only hot, but also dry. In principle, this phenomenon does not pose a danger and may not be corrected. If you want to provide the dog with more comfortable conditions, then you need to lower the temperature in the room and increase the humidity, for which you can hang wet terry towels on the radiators.

In all these cases, it is necessary to treat or adjust the pet’s living conditions and try to restore its normal state.

Why does my dog sleep with his tongue hanging out?

Let's not judge our pets harshly. By and large, many of us can boast of some funny poses or funny facial expressions while sleeping. And pets are no exception: sleep is sacred, you never know what can happen. And yet, seeing how the dog twitches, whines in his sleep, and even sticks out his tongue, many owners ask a logical question: is everything okay with him?

Are there any options?

Dogs also stick out their tongues when they are carried away by some kind of research - sniffing, exploring, etc. Go ahead. You have prepared your pet's favorite dishes. Chicken or, for example, beef. Out of impatience and anticipation of a delicious meal, the dog will also open his mouth, stick out his tongue, and even salivate.

Many owners notice a curious detail about their pets. When their mouth is open and their tongue sticks out, from some angles it appears as if the dog is smiling. Our advice is this: quickly take out your smartphone and, as they say, seize the moment.

When can you talk about a problem?

It is quite easy to suspect something is wrong: your pet simply “does not remove” his tongue. This delicate organ, in turn, can get a sunburn, various types of blisters, sores, etc. will develop. In this case, the tongue looks unhealthy, swells, and there are other changes visible to the naked eye. Alternatively, the picture may be complemented by bad breath.

There are breeds for which floppy tongue syndrome is quite characteristic (there is a tendency). Let's celebrate all bulldogs, chihuahuas, cavalier king charles spaniels and other breeds. One way or another, the pet should first be shown to the treating veterinarian. If necessary, the doctor will give a referral to a specialist, a veterinary surgeon. Sometimes the problem can be solved surgically. One good thing: the disease is, in principle, curable. By working together with your veterinarian, you will undoubtedly defeat it.

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Diagnostic features

It is important to distinguish glossalgia from organic diseases of the tongue that develop as a result of injuries, neuralgia and neuritis. The doctor will also make sure that there are no bite defects. The main diagnostic criterion for glossalgia is the discrepancy between the sensations of the intensity of the impact. In addition, visible changes in the tongue and mucous membranes are almost completely absent.

In case of injuries, the pain has a clear localization and does not spread beyond the boundaries of the lesion. With neuralgia, sensations occur briefly in the area of innervation of the nerve. With neuritis, pain most often appears only on one side, and is also accompanied by sensory disturbances.

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.

Excitement

It's no secret: Chihuahuas are easily excitable. They love to play.

Chihuahuas pant not just to cool down. It also shows how much fun they are having! They may be full of energy, but their small bodies can only do so much. If the shortness of breath becomes persistent, they may overexert themselves.

Luckily, they are so lightweight that you can pick them up and wear them while they calm down.

Stress or anxiety

When discussing excited Chihuahuas, it can be easy to mistake stress for excitement. Your Chihuahua's high energy can also cause him to become easily stressed or anxious.

Sticking out your tongue can be not only a sign of stress, but also excitement. The key is to determine the cause.

Here are some more signs of stress to watch out for:

Hiding
Pace
Trembling
Excessive yawning or licking

The main cause of stress in dogs is lack of activity or exercise. So, make sure your Chihuahua gets enough exercise on a daily basis.