Ruby constantly licking her lips and tongue looks very pink

[rosemary]

Hi my 8 yr old ruby is constantly licking her lips and her tongue is looking very raw underneath... I am taking her to vet soon for her monthly check up as she has bad heart but wondered what the licking of her lips was about... Would like to hear if anyone else has experienced this..

[Reptigirl]

Could be a dental issue? Broken, loose or sore teeth? Something stuck between the teeth or in the back of the mouth? One of my dogs likes to chew on sticks and I always worry about one getting stuck in there. I have found a sticker bur stuck in my German shepherds mouth before. I would look all around inside the mouth and have a vet do a dental exam.

I have 2 dogs that do it but it is believed to be due to there CM/SM. Medicine helped a lot but one still licks more then any normal dog should. The fur around his lips is red from staining due to being wet a lot.

Not sure what else it could be but I'm sure someone else will have some ideas

[rosemary]

​Thank you for your advice x

[Nicki]

I personally would take her as soon as possible, she is obviously uncomfortable about something, she will be sore with the raw tongue

Yes have a quick look around her mouth for any cause

[rosemary]

Thank you for your comments. Not been on here for a while cos ruby been quiete poorly... Her enlarged heart has gotten worse and her coughing really bad.. I been to vet every month but they do not seem to be able to do much for her apart from the meds that she is on... They say she is overweight, which i know and am really trying hard to keep her food intake down... She loves chicken and vet told me to cut that out.... Has anyone got any good recipes that I can do for a cav with enlarged heart.... She is such a gorgeous girl and I love her to bits. The vet has not told me how long and sometimes i think i should just give her what she likes within reason....Any ideas would be gratefully appreciated. Rose

[Charlifarley]

Sorry to read that Ruby hasn't been too well. I have a dog with an enlarged heart too and my vets advice has been to keep him as quiet and as stress free as possible which isn't always easy as he gets very excited whenever someone comes to the house and sometimes he shocks us by having the zoomies around the garden!! Any exertion like that always ends in a lot of coughing so we try to contain them.
With regards to weight - luckily Trapper isn't overweight but my other dog tends to be a bit chubby - I have cut his food down by approx a third and give him pieces of raw carrots and apples which he loves. I know some people give their dogs broccoli and green beans too. Plain unsalted rice cakes broken up are also good to use as fillers. The more overweight a dog is, the more pressure their heart will be under, so if you can manage to supplement Ruby's diet with some fruit and veg she might be able to slim down a bit and perhaps be a bit more comfortable as well. Best of luck.

[Kate H]

If Ruby's basic diet is a dry food, and you live in the UK, Burns High Oats is excellent for reducing weight without having to cut down too much on quantity. I wonder why your vet told you to cut out chicken - when my Meg was in congestive heart failure, freshly cooked chicken was the one thing she would/could eat.

Kate, Oliver and Aled

[rosemary]

Thank you so much for your suggestions Shirley and Kate.... I am wondering if I should just give her boiled chicken and rice every other day and on alternate days try the rice cakes and some fruit and veg.... I will look again on the web.... It is so sad to see her looking hungry.... She loves her chicken and has been brought up on it (maybe thats where I have gone wrong perhaps its got too much protein in) Oh well, I am to try some home made food and hopefully will be good for her..... Thank you..... If you know any recipes i can use I would be very grateful..... Thanks again.....