Dog sucking on her teeth constantly? Driving me up the wall

poundapunnet

Ok, this isn't a massive problem but it's really driving me insane. I have a 15 year old border terrier, and in the last few weeks she's started constantly sucking on her teeth and licking her lips, and I mean CONSTANTLY. It's a horrible sound, and because she's quite old and a bit deaf and blind she likes to be really near me all the time.

I obviously always make sure she has plenty of water, tried mixing in a bit of milk with it to see if that would make her more interested but nope, so I don't think it's dehydration. Checked to see if she was after losing any teeth, she hasn't as far as I can see. There doesn't appear to be any irritation on the skin around her mouth, she is quite prone to skin complaints so I'd have a fair idea what to be checking for. There haven't been any changes in her diet over the last few months either.

I actually really can't afford to bring her to the vet for something that's only annoying me rather than hurting her, does anyone have any ideas? She's a lovely sweet dog but I am actually fit to kill her at the moment.

andreac

Please take her to the vet. Even the mobile blue cross one which is cheaper if you are stuck for money.
You should do your best to find out what's wrong and not have her uncomfortable so a vet trip if the poor dog is out of sorts.

poundapunnet

Oh if I thought it was something that was uncomfortable for her of course I would, but she doesn't seem at all out of sorts or like it's bothering her, she doesn't even really seem aware that she's doing it; also she doesn't do it in her sleep or seem to be woken up by any kind of pain of discomfort. Like I said if it was for her sake I'd bring her to the vet, this is just for my own sanity.

The only other thing I could think of is that maybe it's something to do with her sight and hearing deteriorating because of her age, that she's relying on her nose more and that has something to do with why she's licking it, or that her teeth are coming loose, but she's having no trouble eating and didn't mind me looking in her mouth to check for missing teeth so it's not that.

tk123

Could she have any loose teeth? The sound you're describing is like what my pup has been doing the last few weeks when she was losing her baby teeth.

poundapunnet

It's very possible because of her age, but she's got no bother with her food and doesn't seem sore around her head and mouth at all when I'm petting her, and I did check to see if there were any missing when it first started. I'm going to watch her closer when she's eating though actually, she hasn't been leaving food but now that I think of it she could be taking longer to finish it.

spurious

Sounds like it may be her gums. If you can manage it at all, get her to a vet.

Knine

I have BT's & due to the nature of their function they have a high pain threshold. She could be in a lot of pain. Please take her to the vet.

poundapunnet

Knine wrote: »

I have BT's & due to the nature of their function they have a high pain threshold. She could be in a lot of pain. Please take her to the vet.

Yeah I think I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and do that. Trust me though this dog is not backwards about coming forwards if there's anything up. She's inbred as well as purebred so she's never been the healthiest of doggies, prone to skin irritations and ear infections especially and more so as she's aged (which she's very vocal about) so I do keep always keep a close eye on her for any changes in behaviour/eating/sleeping/mood etc.

Now obviously I'm not saying it's impossible for me to miss something but I just want to reassure everyone who's been good enough to reply that I'm not neglecting her or taking this lightly, I've had her for most of my life and I'd never ever leave her in pain for the sake of a few quid on a vet visit. Vet it is!

maggiepip

Its the best thing to get her checked at the vet. Dogs can do that lip smacking /sucking thing when they are in pain. My dog was doing it when she had a sore back. Hope things go ok for you:-)

aonb

You obviously love your old dog, but any changes when they are so old, is definately worth having checked out. I know its a pain when you dont have the cash, but hopefully it will be just a consultation and wont cost much.

Just one thing to add - if this is just a habit that your dog has developed for whatever reason, you need to 'let go' of the irritation its causing you - I know its easy to say this - but when you become fixated on something your dog is doing (my dog CONSTANTLY licks a growth (its been checked!!) on his leg - he's 15 too) it can drive you nuts (specially when she likes to be near you) but you can work on getting out of being irritated by the sound/movement (trust me, I have stopped noticing my old guys licking!) - try putting headphones on for a few evenings, chewing gum noisily (!!), or deliberately not letting yourself get bothered by it - it works I swear! Let us know how you get on with her at the vet?

dave1982

Some vets offer free dental checks my fella was making them noises before, I brought him to vet for a free check up, vet ended up removing 6 teeth.

anniehoo

dave1982 wrote: »

Some vets offer free dental checks my fella was making them noises before, I brought him to vet for a free check up, vet ended up removing 6 teeth.

+1

If a vet visit is a push for you financially at the minute, then November is dental month with free dental checkups via Pedigree. I posted about this a few weeks ago in Bargain Alerts. There are lots of participating vets around the country, so you could avail of this free of charge at least ruling in or out dental issues. Your vet potentially could spot another issue while getting this done.

poundapunnet

anniehoo wrote: »

+1

If a vet visit is a push for you financially at the minute, then November is dental month with free dental checkups via Pedigree. I posted about this a few weeks ago in Bargain Alerts. There are hundreds of participating vets around the country, so you could avail of this free of charge at least ruling in or out dental issues. Your vet potentially could spot another issue while getting this done.

Excellent! Rang the vet up there and went through it with her, said if there was any swelling under the jaw to bring her straight in, there wasn't so I'll be in to her on wednesday, will keep ye posted, thanks everyone!