[kellyyyj]

My dog has been lip smacking along with swallowing/yawning constantly for the past 3 months. This started very abruptly 3 months ago so I took him to the vet and hospitals. He has had xrays, ultrasounds, CT Scan, endoscopy, blood work, etc. Everything has basically come back normal. We've tried a new hypoallergenic diet which hes been on for almost 2 months and no changes. We have also tried numerous medications (pepcid, prilosec, metronidazole, budesonide, amoxicillin, zyrtec, prednisone - you name it we've tried it.

This lip smacking is so excessive and I am at a loss of what to do now. I feel like I have done every test I can and have no answers. I can tell this isn't behavioral and that something is bothering him. It kills me to know that he's in discomfort and that this is going on 3 months now with no success. Has anyone experienced this before? He is 5 years old and has never had any issues his whole life until now. Like i said, this randomly started one day out of no where and hasn't stopped since. I am desperate for answers.

 

[Deacon.dog]

all of those are a signs of nervousness.. maybe that?

 

[Shell]

Those are stress signs (although also sometimes pain signs, the vet work described would likely out rule that)

Those are a lot of medications to have cycled through in a few months and each also has the potential of side effects.

Any changes at home when the lip smacking etc started? new work routine, new neighbors, any home improvements or major repairs, are any humans in the house having a change of health like pregnancy?

It sounds like you are ruling out behavioral reasons but it is not clear why you should rule situation/stress/nerves out either.

 

[kellyyyj]

Those are stress signs (although also sometimes pain signs, the vet work described would likely out rule that)

Those are a lot of medications to have cycled through in a few months and each also has the potential of side effects.

Any changes at home when the lip smacking etc started? new work routine, new neighbors, any home improvements or major repairs, are any humans in the house having a change of health like pregnancy?

It sounds like you are ruling out behavioral reasons but it is not clear why you should rule situation/stress/nerves out either.

Hi - I appreciate the response! There have been no changes at all. I’ve tried to think of every possibility. The reason I rule our behavioral is due to no changes in lifestyle or anything and also just a gut feeling and knowing my dog well. I can just tell that he’s in discomfort. I am open to any suggestions though at this point since it’s been going on for so long. I can’t think of anything that would cause nervousness.

 

[Deacon.dog]

sounds weird but have you checked all over his body? Maybe he has a splinter in his paw pad- you never know.

 

[kellyyyj]

sounds weird but have you checked all over his body? Maybe he has a splinter in his paw pad- you never know.

Definitely a great thought. I’ve examined him along with three other doctors now. Everyone seems to be baffled with his ongoing symptoms that haven’t been resolved. Figured it was worth a shot to post this and see if someone out there experienced this as well. Seems anyone else that dealt with these symptoms their dog was nauseous, swallowed something or had acid reflux which has all been ruled out for my dog. Other than this he is healthy and has an appetite which I’m thankful for.

 

[Shell]

Any chance that someone nearby is using an ultrasonic device, like for pest control or maybe an industrial machine?

 

[kellyyyj]

Oh wow I never thought of that! I’m not sure how I would be able to find that out. However, we spent 4 days at a family’s house and the symptoms continued so that might rule that out. I really appreciate all your suggestions!!

 

[Shell]

Is it possible that he DID have a physical issue that has since resolved but he's now reacting to all the vet visits, medicines and your stress with stress symptoms?

I'm kinda thinking that trying all those medicines in a short period of time may be causing side effects. They are all useful medcines for different issues but its a lot on the body to cycle through them.

Any chance you can mentally recreate that day it started to look for triggers? Check your phone for any photos or fb posts that day of anything unusual?

Is he fixed?

How's his gait / limb movement?

 

[kellyyyj]

This is definitely something I’ve thought of as well. He’s seen an internal medicine specialist who is aware of everything and recommended the meds. He’s currently on Zyrtec & Prilosec (both which are okay to be on daily for long periods of times) along with metronidazole (to treat IBD if that’s the case) and budesonide which also treats IBD. My next step is to talk to the doctor in a week or so to see if he can be taken off the medications since they aren’t seeming to help. They said it can take time so I’m giving it a little more time. As for the day it all started I remember vividly following our normal schedule in the AM and he ate his breakfast and was perfectly fine, then a few hours later after napping (his usual) he came up to me with the constant licking and swallowing. That’s when I took him to the vet for the first time and they did an X-ray and said he probably just had an upset stomach because the X-ray didn’t show anything. I took him home and it continued so I took him to a highly recommended doctor at a hospital whose been seeing him since. He’s been home for almost a month now with no visits to the hospital or vet. Again this still continues. I’m baffled by it, specially how it all came about when he was perfectly fine that one morning and it came out of no where.

He is fixed and has been since he was a puppy. His gate is normal and he seems to get around fine and has an appetite.

 

[Shell]

I think if it was gastro-intestinal that you would have, um, observed something of the effects?

If he is eating normal dry food, it seems tooth pain might not be likely but have his teeth been closely examined? a cracked tooth is something that can happen suddenly.

Does he have a tail? if he does, does he wag it normally?

Any ear pawing, head shaking or signs of inner ear infection?

Could he have gotten an acute pain during his nap? an electrical shock, bee sting, etc?

 

[kellyyyj]

They have throughly examined him when he was put to sleep - Mouth, esophagus, stomach, etc. Yes, he wags his tail normally. I did ask about inner ear and they said they looked at his ears and they were fine and that the CT scan would have shown it there was a deeper issue.

He is usually always laying down but can’t seem to get comfortable so he changes positions a lot. He even lip licks and swallows when laying down trying to sleep.

Im not sure what could have happened when he was napping all I know is it was very sudden and hasn’t stopped since.

 

[Shell]

Is your house haunted by any chance?

I wish you luck on getting to the cause of your dog's distress. I do think if it were my dog, that I would back off the meds completely and reevaluate after that.

 

[kellyyyj]

Hahah. Yes, I do agree. I don’t want him to continue on any meds that aren’t showing any difference. I hope it gets resolved soon. I can’t believe it’s been going on this long. I will happily update if there are any changes! Fingers crossed. Thank you again for your suggestions and help!