Why is my dogs face swollen? Understand the common causes and find out what you should do next quickly.

Okay, so yesterday was kinda crazy. I noticed my dog, Buster, his face was all puffy. Like, seriously swollen. Freaked me out!

First thing I did? Google, of course! Typed in "why is my dog's face swollen" and got a million different answers. Allergies, bug bites, tooth infection… the list went on and on. I started to panic a little.

Then, I remembered my friend Sarah is a vet tech. Shot her a text with a pic of Buster's face. She immediately told me, “Get him to the vet ASAP!” That definitely didn’t calm my nerves.

So, I threw Buster in the car. He was acting pretty normal, tail wagging and all, but his face was still super swollen, especially around his muzzle. On the way, I tried to think if he’d gotten into anything weird. New food? Nope. Bee sting? Maybe… he was sniffing around the garden earlier.

Got to the vet, and they took him right in. The vet did a whole exam. Checked his gums, felt around his face, asked me a bunch of questions about his behavior and diet. She suspected it could be an allergic reaction or an abscess.

She gave him a shot of antihistamine, just in case it was allergies. Then, she started checking his teeth. Turns out, one of his back teeth was pretty infected. She poked around a bit, and some nasty stuff came out. Ugh, gross!

The vet said the infection was likely the cause of the swelling. She explained that the infection could spread up into his face. We scheduled a dental cleaning for him next week to remove the bad tooth and clean up the rest.

They gave me some antibiotics and pain meds for him to take at home. After the shot and the meds, the swelling started to go down a little bit. Buster was also acting a bit sleepy, probably from the meds.

Got home, made him a comfy bed, and gave him his meds with a little bit of peanut butter (his favorite!). He slept most of the evening. I kept checking on him every hour or so. Thankfully, the swelling continued to decrease.

This morning, his face is almost back to normal! He’s still a little groggy, but he’s eating and drinking okay. He even went for a short walk (with me keeping a close eye on him, of course).

Lessons learned?

• Don't freak out (too much) when your dog's face swells up.
• Google is your friend, but a vet is a better friend.
• Dental health is super important for dogs! I'm definitely gonna be more diligent about brushing his teeth.

Glad Buster is doing better! It was a stressful 24 hours, but hopefully, we caught it in time. Now, I'm just waiting for his dental appointment next week. Wish us luck!