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My dog has irritation on both sides of his mouth, what's wrong?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | 70 lbs

My dog has irritation on both sides of his mouth. Any suggestions or any idea of what is going on?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 7th, 2017

This type of swelling is often seen when something directly irritates the mouth. This can be due to chewing on certain types of plants, objects or small animals (like frogs) and bugs. One thing that tends to be a common cause is bees. Dogs love to chase and bite at bees. If one gets in their mouth, then it will sting and cause various amounts of swelling. The swelling looks mild right now, so I wouldn't worry too much. See if you can identify the cause based on my suggestions and remove it if possible. Sometimes the swelling can get much worse. If his face starts to look generally swollen, then he may be having an allergic reaction and should go to the vet for treatment. Otherwise, I expect the swelling will go down within a day as long as the source of irritation has been removed.

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    Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Hello and thank you for using Pet Coach! Judging from the photo, it looks as though the lip is reddened and dry / cracked a bit. There are several possibilities that could cause what you are seeing. I would suspect a bacterial skin infection, dry / chapped lips from excessive exposure to air (especially if the lip is always hanging out), contact dermatitis from a chemical, solar dermatitis (from the sun) or a burn. I have seen similar cases such as Diesel's but this is not too concerning. I would start by moisturizing the area with a natural lubricant such as BioBalm by Bayer. You can find this product on the internet fairly easy. I would apply the balm to the affected area on the mouth 2-3 times daily until resolved. If at anytime the lip is worsening or spreading to other areas, it is time to get Diesel seen by your vet for further testing and treatment. This may be secondary to a bacterial infection and might require oral antibiotics to treat it. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.I am also available via phone and text consultation if needed.

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