Dog licking problem

Aato

Hey guys, so recently I've noticed my dog is whining a lot and he keeps licking the air. I have changed his food recently to a brand he has never had before and he does seem to have more gas...I wonder is he in pain because of his stomach gas on the new food or is there some other underlying condition? Should I change his food again and see how he gets on or would you recommend I bring him to vet just incase?

Dog is a Morkie and about 14 years old.

irish_goat

What's the original and the new food? Licking the air can be a sign of a sore mouth, which can happen if the new food is harder or bigger nuggets. We find our cavalier struggles with the bigger nuggets that the labradors ear so we give her smaller kibble. Could also be a sign of dental disease which wouldn't be uncommon at that age.

Aato

irish_goat wrote: »

What's the original and the new food? Licking the air can be a sign of a sore mouth, which can happen if the new food is harder or bigger nuggets. We find our cavalier struggles with the bigger nuggets that the labradors ear so we give her smaller kibble. Could also be a sign of dental disease which wouldn't be uncommon at that age.

He would always get either lidls dog food or bakers dog food but this one is Earls adult dog food. Now that u said it it does seem quite hard food and he almost scares himself when crunching on it. What sort of dog food would you recommend for an older dog? Something softer and easy on his stomach?

jimf

how did you change his food

it needs to be done gradually

personally I wouldn't give an older dog very hard crunchy nuts

may have cut his gums or something even a cracked tooth

DBB

Air licking is usually a sign of pain, but not confined to just the mouth. It could very well be intestinal discomfort, but at the same time, it could be anything. With a dog of his age, I'd be looking for a thorough vet check, and blood tests, just to make sure everything is working as it should. Hopefully it's nothing you can't easily deal with!

Aato

jimf wrote: »

how did you change his food

it needs to be done gradually

personally I wouldn't give an older dog very hard crunchy nuts

may have cut his gums or something even a cracked tooth

Yeah thats my fault it wasn't done gradually as ran out of other food so was instant switch. I'll get him bakers tomorrow and see how he goes the next few days.
I'm hoping the licking and whining behaviour is because of his trapped gas and upset stomach and not something more serious

Dubl07

Vet-check first, but Maxi Zoo do 'soft' dried food in their Premiere range. It's not that expensive. I tried it for a while but my dog prefers the Red Mills "Go Native" which is small bites of kibble with organic protein - they're quite hard though so if yours has dental problems they'd need to be treated first.