# Foaming at the mouth and excessive licking



## cynster (Feb 26, 2011)

Hey you all - I took Cosette to the vet at lunch today because she began foaming at the mouth and baring her teeth and jaw shaking and licking the roof of her mouth a lot. I was worried she got into poison.

The vet said that he thought she had an upset stomach and was feeling nauseous so he gave her a shot and told me to treat her with medicine for 4 days, but he told me to keep an eye on her to see if she kept doing it because it could be signs of the start of epilepsy. 

So this evening she has started again, but I am going to wait the 4 days before I bring her back if she still does this.

Has anyone experienced this before?


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Wow, I hope she will be ok! That sounds scary to me. Sorry, never experienced anything like that before.


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## cynster (Feb 26, 2011)

Thanks, I hope so too  I'm really worried about her.


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

Do you have frogs/toads where you live?


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## So Cavalier (Jul 23, 2010)

> So this evening she has started again, but I am going to wait the 4 days before I bring her back if she still does this.


Personally, I would at least give the vet a call to see if she should go in again.


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## MessiXavi (Jul 18, 2011)

What breed is she? Some breeds like chihuahuas/pugs/boxers/cavaliers are
especialy prone to epilepsy so it might be a fair bet


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## cynster (Feb 26, 2011)

She's a Papillon - and normally I would, but the vet specifically told me she might do it more but to just keep an eye on it and treat her with the medicine I gave her. So if after the 4 days of medicine she is still doing it, I'll take her back.

I really really really hope it isn't epilepsy. Right now she isn't doing it. She did it for a few hours yesterday evening though, but it wasn't as bad. A little foaming and licking, but she wasn't shaking or baring her teeth.

Oh and we are checking her blood for it when she gets spayed this fall - unless she actually has an episode.


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## Jeepers (Jul 12, 2011)

Funny someone asked about frogs and toads. We had a chow, g. retriever and shepard mix growing up and she ate a toad. She was foaming at the mouth and everything.

Hopefully it isn't epilepsy. Getting her tested is a good idea though.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

How is Cosette today? I am truly concerned. I would be really upset if it were one of my own dogs. Hope she is improving!


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

How often do you feed? Many small dogs get hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) easily. If she eats only once a day, can you try feeding twice a day instead? Hypoglycemia wouldn't cause the foaming at the mouth, but could acct for the other things. 

Frogs and toads can cause foaming mouths and teh reactions you stated.


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

It does sound like it might be seizures. Is she aware when she is doing it? Does she have a distant or absent look?



cynster said:


> Hey you all - I took Cosette to the vet at lunch today because she began foaming at the mouth and baring her teeth and jaw shaking and licking the roof of her mouth a lot. I was worried she got into poison.
> 
> The vet said that he thought she had an upset stomach and was feeling nauseous so he gave her a shot and told me to treat her with medicine for 4 days, but he told me to keep an eye on her to see if she kept doing it because it could be signs of the start of epilepsy.
> 
> ...





cynster said:


> She's a Papillon - and normally I would, but the vet specifically told me she might do it more but to just keep an eye on it and treat her with the medicine I gave her. So if after the 4 days of medicine she is still doing it, I'll take her back.
> 
> I really really really hope it isn't epilepsy. Right now she isn't doing it. She did it for a few hours yesterday evening though, but it wasn't as bad. A little foaming and licking, but she wasn't shaking or baring her teeth.
> 
> Oh and we are checking her blood for it when she gets spayed this fall - unless she actually has an episode.


Bloodwork is always a good idea (my vet insists on it before surgery) but it probably isn't going to diagnose epilepsy. (it might DX other causes of seizures, like liver issues) Diagnosing epilepsy is sort of a process of eliminating anything else it could be (organ failure, low blood sugar, brain tumor or trauma). If there is no reason to be found, then it's likely to be epilepsy. The toad suggestion is a good one. Was she outside right before these episodes?


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## cynster (Feb 26, 2011)

She wasn't outside, and we're on the second floor, so the only time she's ever outside is when we are walking together. The vet was looking for poisoning too, he did a lot of tests with her. She was still doing it at the vets a little bit and he checked her eyes and pulse and everything and did notice that her stomach was making more noise than it should. She seemed aware of herself when the episode was happening, even a bit scared. Since that evening it has stopped completely. I gave her medicine today which is supposed to keep her nausea to a minimum. 

She has been completely normal today so I'm hoping she was just having an upset stomach. I will definitely keep an eye out for epilepsy though. I don't want to believe that could be the cause. Her breeder warned me about various health risks her dogs had (even the ones unrelated to Cosette) but epilepsy wasn't one of them, and I don't think its common in Papillons. The vet didn't seem worried either, so I will try not to worry unless this happens again.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

Epilepsy isn't common in papillons, but it's not UN-common either. I would definitely look into it. Just speaking from experience here... it sounds similar to Harry's seizures to be honest.


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## cynster (Feb 26, 2011)

Thanks Laurelin - I really really hope it was just an upset stomach.


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