Reading the clinical signs of stomatitis

Oral inflammatory disease, such as stomatitis, is common in dogs and cats. Stomatitis is often painful in its early stages and can present clinical signs.¹ Naomi Hoyer, DVM, DAVDC, an associate professor of dentistry and oral surgery at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, provided insight about stomatitis, in a continuing education (CE) session at the 2026 Veterinary Meeting & Expo (VMX) in Orlando, Florida. In an interview with dvm360 at VMX, Hoyer discussed the common clinical signs of stomatitis in dogs and cats.

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The following is a transcript of the video, lightly edited for clarity:

Dvm360: What are common clinical signs of stomatitis?

Naomi Hoyer, DVM, DAVDC: Stomatitis, unlike a lot of other dental diseases, often dogs and cats will actually show up, telling us that they're painful. And when I say that, I mean things like bloody drool or difficulty eating, changes in food behavior. So ‘I always used to eat dry food, and now I only want to eat canned food,’ shying away from having the face touched, sometimes even changes in behavior like development of aggression—all can be signs of oral pain. In those situations, I would want to rule out stomatitis.

In cats, one of the most common [clinical signs] is actually decreased grooming. Cats will stop grooming because it hurts to stick their tongue out because of where the inflammation is.

RELATED VIDEO: Examining dental radiographs

Reference

Hoyer N. Stomatitis in cats and dogs: Tackling the inflammation! Presented at: Veterinary Meeting & Expo; Orlando, FL. January 17-21, 2026.

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