There’s a short list- and it takes a little bit of investigation – but read through all three of these. I think you’ll be surprised on the last one!
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1) Loose teeth.
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So this means that you need to look in your dog’s mouth. Look and see if the teeth are moving around. I’ve seen some mouths with teeth so loose that the tooth was hanging on by a string and every time the dog moved its tongue the tooth would get in the way of closing its mouth. Rotten teeth would make the dog do a lot of licking. And that’s an easy fix. Professional dental cleaning needed on that one.
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2) Itchy Mouth.
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Have you ever had the kind of allergies where it makes the inside of your ears itch and the roof of your mouth? So bad that you scratch the roof of your mouth with your tongue? Well, even dogs get this. So- if your allergic dog just stuck his face in a pile of pollen, try washing the face and it might take care of the air licking.
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OK drum roll please. Here’s the big cause:
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3) Upset Stomach or Difficulty Digesting.
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Food stuck above the diaphragm, and he needs to burp or swallow or something.
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If you’ve ever had food stuck in your throat- most of us have- you know exactly what this feels like. And you swallow and swallow and swallow, to try to get the food to go down. Depending on where it’s stuck, it might even be hard to breathe. A dog would air lick.
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The fix? Short term: pat the chest so your pup burps. Long term: might need chiropractic.
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Upset stomach and difficulty digesting- these dogs lick the air and their legs and the couch. They often eat grass. Sometimes they burp in the back of their mouth. They need stomach acid and digestive enzymes. Of course a food revision to be sure the food agrees with the pup. And the how to of stomach acid? Slooooooowly and with a health coach.
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Still seeing patients in Tampa, Clearwater, and virtually.