Manuela Chimera Have you noticed that your dog is chattering his teeth? There are several causes that can cause a dog to grind and chatter his teeth. Some of these causes indicate some behavioral problem, but others suggest an underlying disease or physical disorder.
A strange behavior that will baffle dog owners is when a dog begins to chatter its teeth. This entails repeated banging of the mandible and jaw, so the teeth hit each other. There isn’t any specific reason in real life why it occurs. At times, it’s very normal, while in other cases, it may be a sign of an underlying condition.
Causes of a dog chattering its teeth
We can split the causes of a dog chattering its teeth into two general groups: behavioral causes and causes due to real diseases.
Behavioral causes:
- Flehmen: It is an entirely normal behavior in which the dog sniffs very interesting odors using the Jacobsen organ (which humans don’t have). Also known as the vomeronasal organ, it allows the animal to perceive some odors more efficiently through both smell and taste. When the Flehmen response is initiated, the dog rhythmically slams its jaw and mandible to direct the odor particles towards the Jacobsen organ. This is typically seen in male dogs when they detect a female in heat, but it can also occur when they detect urine.
- Over-excitement: If a dog becomes too excited, then it will clatter its teeth forcefully. This is a built-in, natural thing that the dog does automatically.
- Cold: If a dog is chattering its teeth due to cold, the entire body will usually shake, not just the mouth.
Health-related causes:
- Oral Disease Conditions: Diseases like tartar, periodontal disease, stomatitis, or even mouth tumor could be so painful in a dog that it chatters its teeth.
- Object: in Mouth: Sometimes a stick or some other object stuck in a dog’s mouth may make it chatter teeth.
- Neurological Conditions: This type of mouth tremor is normally preceded by other symptoms, such as drooping of the lips, eyelid drooping, or difficulty opening the mouth. It can also be an onset symptom of a seizure in some dogs.
- Poisoning and Toxins: Tremors can be caused by some toxins. But when it comes to poisoning, the tremor does not only occur in the mouth but is generally generalized to the entire body.
What to do if your dog chatter its teeth?
What to do when your dog chatters its teeth depends on why it is doing so.
Flehmen or Over-excitement: Absolutely nothing needs to be done at all. It is normal behavior and the dog does not need to be punished or scolded.
If You Think the Dog is Cold: Bring the dog indoors, but watch out—owners mistakenly think over-excitement rather than cold.
If You Suspect a Health Problem: Start by calling your vet. After an examination, your vet will determine if there is a foreign body (in which case removal will be necessary), tartar with periodontal disease (in which case a dental cleaning, tooth extraction, and blood tests are necessary), or a neurological issue (in which case further blood tests, a specialist neurological examination, and possibly a CT or MRI scan will be necessary).
