Sometimes our beloved pets may make strange noises and act strangely. Dogs, in particular, are more prone to such quirks. These sounds can sometimes frighten us, and we may think something is wrong with our lovely friend’s health. But we must not forget that our pets’ systems are different from ours. There may be many reasons for their behavior. For example, they may react differently when they lick something or have a bad taste.
They may sometimes quiver when they are angry about something and sometimes when they are very cheerful. Of course, observation is important to understand whether these mouth quivers are harmful or harmless.
The sense of taste and smell is very effective in dogs and is a way of perceiving their environment. Sometimes they want to lick when they smell something they like very much, which makes them go. Some things dogs lick can also cause mouth tremors.
Dogs’ Mouths Quiver After Licking Pee
That mouth quiver that occurs in your pet after licking something is called Flehmen Response. This quiver is usually slightly different from that of other animals. Their mouth quiver usually occurs when they taste bad things like pee, but the same tremor can occur when they smell something fragrant. Because of Flehmen Response, when your dog licks things like urine, her mouth starts to quiver because it doesn’t like it.
These mouth quivers can have many types, and these quivers may differ according to the causes. According to Canine Care, an animal care agency, dogs have chemicals secreted by glands called pheromones. These substances are found in saliva, stool, and urine. When they lick them, they naturally connect with another animal’s pheromones. This causes some reactions in these animals. These reactions may cause quivers. While these quivers may be scattered from region to region, they can also focus on the part of the body, such as the mouth.
Why Do Dogs Mouths Quiver After Licking Themselves
Your pet’s mouth trembles after licking itself are also due to Flehmen Response. There are wide varieties of this Flehmen Response, such as Flehmen grimace, Flehmen reaction, and Flehmen position. These are all involuntary reactions after licking or smelling interesting something.
Why Do Dogs Mouths Quiver After Licking An Opposite Sex?
After licking a female dog, a male dog’s mouth often quivers with excitement. In fact, if the female is angry, this can trigger the dog even more. Even if dogs are old and their testicles are not working properly, licking the opposite sex can often cause mouth tremors.
Such quivers are nothing to be afraid of because licking the opposite sex is interesting to them no matter what. Because the female has pheromones that attract the attention of the male dog. They are not picky like humans. The Flehmen Response occurs even if they do not mate with the dog they licked.
Why Do Dogs Mouths Quiver After Licking Blood
If a dog suddenly starts quivering when it licks blood, your dog may be hungry. It is recommended that you look for any drooling in your animal. Dogs can sometimes smell blood and tell what kind of animal has been injured. Then they try to lick the blood. Sometimes this blood can even trigger their hunting instinct. These reactions lead to quivering in their mouth. When you are injured and your animal licks or sniffs, a quiver may occur, but that doesn’t mean they want to eat you.
In such a situation, your lovely animal will probably worry about you and think something important is happening to you, but this will not prevent their Flehmen Response.
Other Causes of Mouth Quiver
Even if dogs don’t lick something interesting, sometimes mouth tremors can be seen, and there are also disease-level ones.
- Mouth quivers can be seen for many different reasons, from the dog’s cold to distemper, hepatitis, and poisoning. Determining why dogs tremble means taking the first step in the diagnosis. If your animal friend is in a cold climate, shivering may occur. The solution might be to keep your loved animal warm.
- Distemper is the nightmare of many animal lovers. If your animal is quivering, it may be due to this disease, but of course, this is a more serious dimension of tremor, accompanied by diarrhea and vomiting. In such a situation, a veterinarian should be consulted immediately.
- Hepatitis in dogs is a contagious and deadly disease. Symptoms include tremors. It also shows symptoms such as cough, redness of the eye, vomiting, and diarrhea. Just like distemper, it is extremely important to get vaccinated beforehand.
- Among the important symptoms of poisoning are tremors. The tremor may be in the mouth or other parts of the body. Depending on the substance causing the poisoning, some additional symptoms are also definitely seen.
- In such disease-induced conditions, tremors can be seen in the mouth and other parts of the body. For this reason, if there is a symptom, showing the animal to a veterinarian can eliminate many problems that you may encounter in the future before they begin.
Anxiety Or Stress
Dogs are generally friendly animals, but we cannot say this for every dog. Some of them may feel threatened and nervous when too many people are around. Puppies often experience this condition. This causes some symptoms in them, the first of which is tremors.
Sensuality
There may be some emotions that only a dog or only animals can understand. They want to show their gratitude in some way when you give or do something your pet loves. For example, they try to lick you. Their excitement sometimes causes quivering in their mouths, but there is nothing to worry about because your pet is showing her gratitude to you.
Adrenaline Rush (From Excitement or Fear)
If your lovely friend is excited and looking forward to something it loves, it may tremble with anticipation. Sometimes she may tremble with excitement when she licks something that tastes good or stimulates her hormones. You can generally expect to see tremors any time there’s an adrenaline rush, says Dr. Erich Barchasa. If you can’t find any possible reason why your dog is excited, nervous, or fearful, it could be medical rather than behavioral.
Take Attention
If your friend isn’t licking anything interesting, but its mouth is shaking for no apparent reason, it probably wants attention. If the quivering arouses positive attention, the dog will exhibit the quivering behavior whenever it wants affection from its owner.
Sleeping
Sometimes your pet starts to quiver its mouth in its sleep. Sometimes animal lovers who see this image at night may be worried, but there is nothing to be afraid of. At that time, your animal is either walking in the countryside or chasing a cat in her dream.
Mouth Pain
Dogs usually don’t show when they have pain. But quiver is an instinctive reaction. When your animal friend has mouth pain, quivering may occur when your pet licks or eats something. This tremor is a way of explaining their pain. If these tremors reach the upper dimension, it is useful to take them to the vet.
Dental Problems
If your pet has a dental problem, her mouth starts to tremble as a reaction when it eats or licks something. In such conditions, it can be painful to lick or bite something, so they can quiver involuntarily.
What to Do When Quivering Mouth Occurs
- First, check your dog’s general behavior
- If the quivering is due to things like crowds, or too much excitement, try to relax your dog.
- If the animal is trembling from something it licked, let the taste go for a bit.
- If these tremors are not caused by licking things, sleeping, or the physical environment and are accompanied by other symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhea, it is a good idea to take your pet to the vet as soon as possible.
When To Call A Vet For Quivering Mouth
If the tremor is accompanied by these symptoms, the veterinarian should be called.
- being out of breath
- abdominal swelling
- vomiting and diarrhea
- loss of appetite
- limping
Conclusion
Dogs are one of our most loyal friends, and sometimes it can be difficult to make sense of their actions, which can cause us anxiety. These include tremors in the mouth. As a result, quivering in your dog’s mouth can occur for different reasons. One of the causes of these tremors is licking certain substances. But sometimes, there may be factors that cause tremors, such as sleep state and emotionality. But sometimes, these tremors can be a harbinger of bad things due to some diseases.
If you notice temporary and infrequent tremors in the mouth of your pawed friend, there is no need to worry. Tremors can be resolved by observing and consulting a veterinarian, so animal lovers do not need to be afraid of every tremor. It is the underlying cause that is important.
