Dalmatians are not known to excessively drool, although all dogs will drool at some point depending on the situation. As with all dogs, drooling is usually a result of saliva being produced in a larger quantity in preparation for food to be swallowed and digested. This means it will occur when your Dalmatian thinks it is about to receive food, regardless if it is or not. Drooling is usually centered around food but can occur in other situations both positive and negative. This excess production of saliva can spill out of your Dals mouth onto the floor which is why it is called drool. They have been known to spread this drool by wiping their faces on things, such as your nicely pressed work pants.
What is drool?
Drool is saliva being produced in a dog’s mouth by 3 different glands. This helps a dog produce different types of saliva depending on the situation, such as eating dry or wet food or licking wounds or cooling down. Just like humans, dogs constantly produce saliva that is swallowed to help keep the mouth moist, bacteria free and help protect teeth. Saliva spilling out of the mouth is called drool.
When and why a healthy Dalmatian drools
A healthy Dalmatian will consistently produce saliva to keep the mouth, gums and teeth healthy and clean. This usually goes unnoticed just like us humans. This saliva becomes drool when it escapes the mouth because more saliva is being produced for some reason. The normal and healthy reasons for excess saliva being produced is:
- Preparation to eat – When your Dalmatian thinks they will receive food, they will produce more saliva in preparation, creating drool that will overflow and drip onto the ground. This may even be caused by your Dalmatian sniffing out a random food odour. The extra saliva helps in carrying food to the digestive system and helps in digestion itself.
- Stressed – This may be caused by fear, anxiety or being yelled at. All Dals are individuals so there are many reasons why they may feel fear or anxiety.
- Licking wounds – Although this doesn’t usually cause the dog to drool, extra saliva can be produced when a dog is licking wounds to help with cleaning. The reason dogs lick wounds is to prevent infection via cleaning. This is usually counter-productive but it’s the only solution dogs have without us humans to help them.
- Excited – This may be in preparation for a walk, the walk itself, playing games or visitors arriving.
- Heat – Since Dals don’t sweat to aid in cooling, they pant and produce saliva creating the evaporative cooling effect.
Although some of these situations listed above are negative, they are normal situations for a Dalmatian to drool and not a reason to be concerned, unless the drooling or situation doesn’t resolve itself such as your Dal overheating.
When drooling is a warning sign
If your Dalmatian is drooling for a reason other than the ones listed above, it’s usually a warning sign that something is wrong. These warning signs are:
- Stomach irritation – Nausea or upset stomach caused by something they ate or a virus or sickness of some kind.
- An oral issue – Some kind of irritation or infection in the mouth, an obstruction in the throat or something wrong with their teeth.
- Poisoning – This may be caused by plants or random things your Dalmatian eats off the street (they love to do that so be careful).
- Car/motion sickness – Some Dalmatians may get nauseous due to car travel, usually more so in stop/start traffic than freeway driving.
If your Dalmatian is drooling for these reasons listed above, you will need to quickly take them to the vet (minus the motion sickness). Make sure the vet is aware of the cause or potential causes of the excess drool. If you’re unaware of why your Dal is drooling and won’t stop, explain to the vet the circumstances surrounding your Dalmatian when it started or when you noticed. It is very likely the dog has eaten something it shouldn’t have.
Drooling is completely normal for a Dalmatian in the right situations. It’s usually at the sight or smell of food or due to your Dals emotions such as fear or anxiety. Excess drooling outside of these situations may be cause for concern, as mentioned above. In comparison to other dog breeds, Dalmatians are on the lower end of the list when it comes to drool. They don’t have big jowls like other dog breeds to collect all the excess saliva, creating excess drool more often than not. Drooling is usually not the issue that turns away potential Dalmatian owners.
