help pug puppy question - foaming at the mouth

by anna johnson
(ohio)

my 4 month old pug puppy started foaming and drooling out the mouth yesterday so i rinsed his mouth and he was fine but this morning it happened again, any advise would help as our vet is closed today.

his behavior hasn't changed and he is still eating and drinking okay I just don't know if this is a thing pugs do as we've never owned a pug before, but the foaming is the thing that bothers me.

if anyone has any advice or thoughts on this at all please let me know thanks ;)







Hi Anna
As far as I know, foaming at the mouth isn't normal for any puppy, including Pugs.

The most likely cause is that he's eaten (or licked) something that is causing this reaction. Puppies are notorious for getting into everything, and they usually assume everything is edible until proven otherwise.

I'm not sure what he would need to come in contact with to cause the foaming, but my first guess would be a chemical or some sort. Perhaps a cleaning product, bathroom or hygiene item or something similar. Or perhaps a plant that is in your home.

If he was outdoors when it happened, then it could be a plant or shrub, some sort of chemical that's used on the yard, or (and this is one that my dog's tend to get into!) a toad or some sort. It may be the wrong time of year for this, but toads have a coating that is meant to discourage predators and if a dog tries to get one in his mouth it will cause excessive drooling.

The only other thing I can think of is that he's either injured his mouth on something, has a foreign object in his gums or throat, or he's having some problem with a tooth. I'd recommend taking a close look inside his mouth to make sure that there's no obvious injury etc.

If this continues you need to get him examined by your veterinarian to find out what's causing the problem, and get it fixed up. Best of luck, hope he's doing much better soon.