# "Nodding" head, licking lips and swallowing??



## Enzos_Mom

Hunter has been doing this thing lately where he sort of nods his head up and down while licking his lips and swallowing a lot. 

Has anyone ever had a dog do this before? If so, any idea what caused/causes it? It looks really weird and I'm at a loss about what it might be all about. 

Thanks!


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## Pointgold

THis is a symptom of pain, often related to the digestive tract. This behavor can precede bloat, or indicate a blockage, or can suggest something in the esophagus. 
A visit to the vet is in order.


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## Enzos_Mom

Would it have anything to do with Irritable Bowel Syndrome?? He was just diagnosed with IBS. He's due to go back to the vet soon, so I'll make sure to have my FIL mention it to the vet. Thanks!


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## Pointgold

Enzos_Mom said:


> Would it have anything to do with Irritable Bowel Syndrome?? He was just diagnosed with IBS. He's due to go back to the vet soon, so I'll make sure to have my FIL mention it to the vet. Thanks!


Very likely.


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## Rainheart

We sometimes see that with nausea also. I'd definitely get him an appointment.


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## SheetsSM

My girl did this back in Feb and we landed in the ER. She started with the lip licking and swallowing air and then was frantic to eat anything she could put in her mouth. With the gulping air I was afraid she was starting to bloat. They did x-rays which showed a gas pocket in her stomach along with a small unknown object which turned out to be some hair and a 1inch string from a blanket, in addition her intestines were starting to bunch up--however, there was no obstruction. They kept her overnight and gave her meds to ease the gas and settle the stomach. I searched the Internet and the closest thing I found that resembled what my girl went through was "lick fits". Good luck with Hunter.


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## ggdenny

It sounds like nausea or stomach/digestive discomfort. Do you know if he ate something other than food? A vet appointment is a good idea at this juncture.


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## Enzos_Mom

For anyone having trouble picturing what I mean, it's kinda like this, except his head moves up and down in a slow "nodding" motion, so his neck doesn't do that weird hiccup-y looking thing.


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## Pammie

Awww, that poor doggie in the vid looks miserable!

My dog would occasionally have those symptoms with the inclusion of being _deseprate_ to eat grass or anything plant-like. My vet said he had acid reflux and had us give him OTC meds.


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## cubbysan

My mother's dog was doing something like this last year, spent many days at the vet being treated for nausea and upset stomach, ended up being it was her teeth.


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## Looni2ns

cubbysan said:


> My mother's dog was doing something like this last year, spent many days at the vet being treated for nausea and upset stomach, ended up being it was her teeth.


That's what I was thinking. Sometimes, my dogs will do that if they have something caught in their teeth.


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## cubbysan

Looni2ns said:


> That's what I was thinking. Sometimes, my dogs will do that if they have something caught in their teeth.


She actually needed dental work to fix the problem - not sure if it was just a deep cleaning or more involved.


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## Gr8Dog

My Mia Bella is doing the same thing & I can't find two people that agree what exactly this is. We can't afford to go to the vet for stomach scans & all kinds of expensive testing. I will do anything to help her I just need a more direct idea to narrow it down at the vet so they don't bankrupt us. All help appreciated! Thanks,
AJ (Mia Bella's Mama)


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## Tennyson

This recently happened to Deaglan. Ended up flossing his teeth (no easy task) and a piece of bully stick was between some of his teeth. He also does that when he eats peanut butter and it gets stuck on the roof of his mouth.


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## Billy Duangnapa

If all tests are passed and clear, the licking and swallowing can be for a variety of reasons; my golden does this before he sleeps, after he eats, when he wakes up, usually 3-4 swallows. Dogs do this to for some or all of the following 1.) calm down for sleep 2.) relieve nausea 3.)relieve stomach upsets/acid 4.)dry throat 5.) anxiety 6.)serious ailment or blockage. If its not a serious physical ailment then dogs are similar to humans once they pick up a habit that they can use to help cope with life they will continue it.

If they problem is from stomach acid and is diet related then try boiled rice, potatoes, with shredded chicken breast. Yams, celery, carrots, bananas and oatmeal seem to help too. 

If the problem is psychological, meaning for example, my dog got carsick and threw up, and then within a couple of weeks was attacked by 2 dogs and had someone in the family get hospitalized as well. This left him with extremely high anxiety on what was going on. So perhaps, this type of licking, swallowing is way for him to cope. But taking him for long walks throughout the day has made the situation better; introducing him to new scents. Next, he is a retriever, so taking him to play fetch at the beach reminded him of who he is and it seems to have calmed his night issues as I have a feeling he is waking up with nightmares and does a lot of this gulping. 

In short, physical activity is extremely important, they need to be active for hours throughout the day as opposed to traditionally just being in the house; this will make them stronger and settle their issues! If you need to hire a dog walker to help, you need to do it for the pooch! Good luck


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## Jafet Pretel

Hello everyone, my boy has been doing the same movements as the other babies on this forum. He was diagnosed with idiopathic head tremors but I'm almost certain that the vet has misdiagnosed him. He had blood work and xrays done. Everything came back normal. I payed over 800 dollars in vet bills and here I sit scratching my head. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


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## Billy Duangnapa

hello jafet pretel, this was due to stomach acid from eating a big meal and going to sleep right away...i started to BOIL my golden retrievers rice for his chicken soup and he never had this problem again..also dont let them sleep right after they eat...my dog eats rice, chicken veggies, like boiled carrots, celery, yogurt, salmon, eggs...you name it, he loves food include salads and fruits! ...try the food defnitely, it should help the gulping and swallowing due to acid coming back up the esophagus..let me know how it goes, i will be checking my messages to see if i can help!


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## Billy Duangnapa

hello Gr8Dog, this was due to stomach acid from eating a big meal and going to sleep right away...i started to BOIL my golden retrievers rice for his chicken soup and he never had this problem again..also dont let them sleep right after they eat...my dog eats rice, chicken veggies, like boiled carrots, celery, yogurt, salmon, eggs...you name it, he loves food include salads and fruits! ...try the food defnitely, it should help the gulping and swallowing due to acid coming back up the esophagus..let me know how it goes, i will be checking my messages to see if i can help!


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## Billy Duangnapa

hello gr8dog this was due to stomach acid from eating a big meal and going to sleep right away...i started to BOIL my golden retrievers rice for his chicken soup and he never had this problem again..also dont let them sleep right after they eat...my dog eats rice, chicken veggies, like boiled carrots, celery, yogurt, salmon, eggs...you name it, he loves food include salads and fruits! ...try the food defnitely, it should help the gulping and swallowing due to acid coming back up the esophagus..let me know how it goes, i will be checking my messages to see if i can help!


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## K9 owner -

Enzos_Mom said:


> Hunter has been doing this thing lately where he sort of nods his head up and down while licking his lips and swallowing a lot. Has anyone ever had a dog do this before? If so, any idea what caused/causes it? It looks really weird and I'm at a loss about what it might be all about. Thanks!


Did you every find out why your dog Hunter was doing that? Much appreciated if you’d reply, as my dog is doing the same thing and it would help Vet narrow things down.


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## DblTrblGolden2

K9 owner - said:


> Did you every find out why your dog Hunter was doing that? Much appreciated if you’d reply, as my dog is doing the same thing and it would help Vet narrow things down.


I have a post on here currently, I started it Monday. My guy suddenly started tipping his head up while eating, and just randomly. He also developed a cough, not constant, a few times during the day. He was also gulping by Monday. It started as just a cough last Thursday night. I took him to the vet Monday morning expecting to here he had and irritated throat, maybe a mild strand of kennel cough since he's vaccinated against it, or stomach upset. The vet wanted to do an endoscopic study which I thought was overkill on Monday. He was fine in every other way. By Monday night into Tuesday morning I couldn't wait to get him back to the vet. He was nodding his head, trying to get outside to eat grass, coughing more and the cough sounded more like a gag...

They diagnosed him with Megaesophagus. I don't necessarily believe that is your problem. It is my understanding that it is rare, but you may have a problem like reflux. I just wanted to tell you about my experience. I could have easily let it go on longer, but I tend to know my dogs and I knew it wasn't normal so I pursued it. 

It would be worth asking about a digestive issue.


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## K9 owner -

DblTrblGolden2 said:


> I have a post on here currently, I started it Monday. My guy suddenly started tipping his head up while eating, and just randomly. He also developed a cough, not constant, a few times during the day. He was also gulping by Monday. It started as just a cough last Thursday night. I took him to the vet Monday morning expecting to here he had and irritated throat, maybe a mild strand of kennel cough since he's vaccinated against it, or stomach upset. The vet wanted to do an endoscopic study which I thought was overkill on Monday. He was fine in every other way. By Monday night into Tuesday morning I couldn't wait to get him back to the vet. He was nodding his head, trying to get outside to eat grass, coughing more and the cough sounded more like a gag...
> 
> They diagnosed him with Megaesophagus. I don't necessarily believe that is your problem. It is my understanding that it is rare, but you may have a problem like reflux. I just wanted to tell you about my experience. I could have easily let it go on longer, but I tend to know my dogs and I knew it wasn't normal so I pursued it.
> 
> It would be worth asking about a digestive issue.


Thanks very much for your reply and information, much appreciated. Hope your dog gets well.

Yes mine is just nodding and sticking tongue out, he’s not swallowing with it. Mostly the triggers are picking up toys and eating food, has occasionally pawed the right side of his muzzle and shook his head (as if he’s wet) tilting his head to one side. 

His bowels seem fine and otherwise he seems fine, still has appetite; just this nodding/tongue issue. He does have tartar on his teeth and bad breath. 

If Vet get to the bottom of it, I’ll post it...maybe help someone else.

If anyone else has any ideas or experiences with this type of thing, I’d be sincerely grateful.


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## Val King

Also sounds similar to gulping!


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## K9 owner -

*Nodding head and licking/repeatedly sticking tongue out*

I’m just updating with what was causing my dog to repeatedly nod his head and stick his tongue out, in case it’s of any help to anyone - it’s not a substitute to a visit to the Vet of course.

Vet found my dog to have a loose tooth which was causing him discomfort in his mouth after he ate food, chewed or picked up a toy; he had the tooth removed. 

:grin2:


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## Abraun

Is it possible it could be sinus drainage? My dog is a rescue and does this constantly! She has been doing it for 2years. Vet said teeth are good but her breath smells horrible!


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## DblTrblGolden2

Abraun said:


> Is it possible it could be sinus drainage? My dog is a rescue and does this constantly! She has been doing it for 2years. Vet said teeth are good but her breath smells horrible!


Try giving a Pepcid 2x a day for a few days and see if breath and symptoms improve. Reflux causes bad breath and same symptoms. There are other meds but this is easy to try


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