Dog snout pain

by Sandra
(San Francisco, CA, USA)

Leia is a 5 year old, female blue-nose pit (not spayed). She hasn't eaten in two days (only nibbled yesterday morning) but is drinking water. She had a fever last night but it was gone by this morning and no diarrhea or vomiting at all. She yelps if I touch her snout. Her energy is very low, slowly moves when she goes outside to pee then comes right back inside. She hasn't consumed any house plants, though she tends to nibble on grass. What could be bothering her?

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Mar 15, 2022
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Dog Facial Pain
by: Jeff

Hi Sandra,

While I'm not a veterinarian (I'm the publisher of Dog Health Guide) I can offer some suggestions that can provide some general guidance.

The type of pain your dog is experiencing is called orofacial pain or pain that occurs anywhere on your dog's face. There are many muscles and nerves in the face that connect together. Each dog will react to pain differently in this area.

There are many reasons for this type of pain. A common cause is dental disease, but other less common causes include mini seizures, behavior issues, facial lesions, dermatologic issues or even trigeminal neuropathy (numbness in the face).

We suggest visiting or consulting with a veterinarian who can take a history and do a full physical examination. The vet will check for dental disease and check the throat. Blood work can check for any problems with organs or the blood. An X-ray or some type of imaging can rule out other causes.

Treatment will focus on the pain. For example, the medication Gabapentin is an anti-inflammatory that has helped in these types of cases.

If there is a dental or similar cause conditions tend to worsen vs. get better. For this reason, we would consult with a veterinarian sooner rather than later.

Best to your dog. Let us know what the veterinarian finds out.

Best,

Jeff

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