My dog's mouth tightens, baring teeth, and he whimpers. Is it serious?

Question

Hi. My dogs mouth muscles seem to tighten up looking like he's baring his teeth but it gets stuck like that for awhile sometimes causing him to whimper or yelp. Any idea? How can I help him? It's becoming more frequent. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | neutered | 20 lbs

Debi Matlack · Accepted Answer

This could be a form of seizure activity. I recommend getting your dog seen by your vet as soon as possible for an exam and lab work. If you can get a video of the episode, please do, so your vet will know what you're seeing. Sustained or repeated seizures can cause the body temperature to rise to dangerous levels and increases the risk of brain damage. When you have a chance, take a look around and see if you can find anything he might have gotten into, since poisoning is one of the causes of seizures. If he has a history of liver or kidney disease, this is also a potential cause. Sometimes we never know why a pet has a seizure. If he does have a series of seizures, your vet will want to do an exam and bloodwork to try and determine a cause and potentially put your pet on anti-seizure medication to lessen the chances of this happening again in the future.

My dog's mouth tightens, baring teeth, and he whimpers. Is it serious?

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