My Puppy is lethargic, dizzy and scared....

by Eric
(Pearland, tx)

6mo old mix. Fist my puppy was diagnosed with kennel cough about a month ago. We treated that and he gained 6 lbs in one week, was doing great. He's been fine and after 20 days of antibiotics seemed normal. New Years eve morning he was outside.

The next day he started pacing the yard aimlessly and slowly started to hyper-salivate to the point his entire chest was wet. Now he's been very lethargic, weak and unbalanced. No foaming or salivating anymore but eats and drinks only a little. Any ideas?



Hi Eric
I'm afraid that I'm not a veterinarian and can't give you a professional opinion about this, but from my personal knowledge and experience my first guess would be that your dog ingested something toxic, or at least extremely irritating, to his mouth.

As he was out in the yard, it's possible it was a plant, but it could have been a chemical or garden product, or just about anything he came across. It's also possible that he injured his mouth/teeth or got something lodged in his gums or between his teeth. Both these situations are the most common causes of excessive salivation (known as Ptyalism) in dogs.

The only other thing I can think of is if perhaps you had very recently put a topical flea preventative on him. Occasionally, agitation, excessive salivation, pacing and so on can occur as a reaction to these products.

It sounds as though the effects of whatever made your pup ill are not abating, and I would most definitely recommend a visit to your veterinarian for a thorough check up - as soon as possible. That way you may be able to pinpoint what has caused him to get sick, and get him any treatment that is necessary.

I wish you the best of luck and hope that your pup is doing much better soon.