Pale Gums
 

Good Afternoon,

I am hoping someone can help me. I did just come from the vet and have actually been there several times in the past two weeks.

My dog keeps getting very pale almost white gums. He also gets freezing nose, tongue and paws. Then in an hour or so generally he goes back to his normal pink color. His body temp goes back to normal. I have looked up his symptoms and it almost seems like shock. Except, his body temp is normal. He is eating and drinking normally. He urinates and poops normally. No vomiting. He is sleeping a bit more than usual but he is still active and alert. Though sometimes he does wake up growling, when he does his gums are usually white.

I have taken him to two different vets when his gums have been pale. The problem is by the time I get him to the vet his gums are always back to normal so I am not sure they are taking it seriously. I even took pictures the last time but the vet barely glanced at them. They did run blood work which they said was completely normal. They said he seems fine and send me home. Am I over reacting. Does anyone have any idea what could be going on?

He is 13lbs and 2 years of age. He is up to date on all of his immunizations. He did get neutered by laser 3 weeks ago but the vet said the wound looks great and she does not think it is the source of the problem.

[url]http://www.justanswer.com/dog-health/2dvo9-dog-tired-labored-breathing-pale-gums.html[/url]



This web site said being anemia could cause a dog to get pale gums . What are you feeding your dog?

Have you taken his temp at home when he's having an episode, Angelyc? Pale gums often indicate anemia. It almost sounds like his circulation is being impaired temporarily. Very scary.

I'm just paranoid enough that if it were my dog, I'd ask for a referal to a Veterinary Teaching Hospital to have him checked out by a specialist. It's pricey, but the few times we've had to drive over to the Cities to the VTH we got the answers we needed...

Hope you get some of those answers soon! :goodvibes:

[QUOTE=hazelrunpack;1060074]Have you taken his temp at home when he's having an episode, Angelyc? Pale gums often indicate anemia. It almost sounds like his circulation is being impaired temporarily. Very scary.

I'm just paranoid enough that if it were my dog, I'd ask for a referal to a Veterinary Teaching Hospital to have him checked out by a specialist. It's pricey, but the few times we've had to drive over to the Cities to the VTH we got the answers we needed...

Hope you get some of those answers soon! :goodvibes:[/QUOTE]

Do you know what kind of dog the OP has ?
[url]http://www.animalurgentcare.com/content.cfm?n=informationhttp://www.animalurgentcare.com/content.cfm?n=information[/url]


this link when you need to bring a pet to the vet right away.

The vet said the blood tests ruled out anemia. I have not tried taking his temp yet I will during his next episode. He is a jack Russell terrier.

I took his temp when his gums were pale and it was 99.8

[QUOTE=Angelyc209;1060091]I took his temp when his gums were pale and it was 99.8[/QUOTE]

[url]http://www.akc.org/public_education/healthy_dog.cfm[/url]



Does your seem to hard a hard breathing when his gums get pale? I am wondering if he has some kind of blockage or something stuck in his throat.

So his gums were nearly white this morning so I took him to a vet teaching hospital thanks to the poster who suggested this. . They said intermittent pale gums are a sign of heart failure. Waiting for test results now.

:fingerscr for good results!! :grouphug:

Wow, scary stuff. Thank goodness you've gotten him to a place that can truly diagnose him. :fingerscr:goodvibes: hoping things work out okay.

[QUOTE=Angelyc209;1060099]So his gums were nearly white this morning so I took him to a vet teaching hospital thanks to the poster who suggested this. . They said intermittent pale gums are a sign of heart failure. Waiting for test results now.[/QUOTE]

This does not give me much faith in vets when they tell a person their dog is fine when the poor dog could have a bad heart. I hope your dog will be OK .

Thanks for all the kind thoughts. The vet did an EKG and it was in fact his heart. They are keeping overnight so they can monitor him. They are trying to pinpoint the cause and figure out treatment options.

So glad I trusted my instincts instead of the vets who told me my dog was just fine.

He's a lucky pup to have you. A lot of people might not have noticed something as subtle as pale gums and a little bit of lethargy.

We have a dog here that has early stage heart failure. She developed a cough and some lethargy and they diagnosed it when we brought her in for a checkup. She's doing quite well on the meds. Hopefully, that will be the case for your little guy, too! :goodvibes:

Keep us posted, pls, on what they find out!

Heart problems are common in little dogs. I hope that this can be managed - so glad you got a diagnosis!

[QUOTE=MaxaLisa;1060110]Heart problems are common in little dogs. I hope that this can be managed - so glad you got a diagnosis![/QUOTE]

I never heard that before, I always heard that small dog can live longer.


[url]http://www.petmd.com/dog/slideshows/general_health/top-ten-signs-of-heart-disease-in-dogs#.UfX8TDbn-M8[/url]


This is a list of signs to watch for as they could mean a dog has a heart disease.

[QUOTE=Barkingdog;1060111]I never heard that before, I always heard that small can live longer. [/QUOTE]
In general, yes, maller lives longer. But there are genetic tendencies in some lines, and many smaller dog will get mitral valve disease. The Cavalier folks are usually most knowlegable about this, as it is very common in their breed: [url]http://www.cavalierhealth.org/mitral_valve_disease.htm[/url]

There are other heart problems too. At 2 years old, to have this advanced heart disease, is so sad. I hope that we get some encouraging news...

[QUOTE=MaxaLisa;1060115]In general, yes, maller lives longer. But there are genetic tendencies in some lines, and many smaller dog will get mitral valve disease. The Cavalier folks are usually most knowlegable about this, as it is very common in their breed: [url]http://www.cavalierhealth.org/mitral_valve_disease.htm[/url]

There are other heart problems too. At 2 years old, to have this advanced heart disease, is so sad. I hope that we get some encouraging news...[/QUOTE]

I was told by a vet small have joints problem , Marty's knees pop out and he has bronchitis so I sure hope he will not get heart trouble too!

I think knees are a big problem in malll dogs, luxating patellas???

I might wonder what is causing marty's bronchitis - does he have a thread here?

I think joint products, particularly with hyaluronic acid can help keep the tendons of the heart supple. My 1st girl had mitral valve disease and a broken tendon in her heart - if caught in time, it can be managed, which is the good news.

Worried that we haven't heard back from the OP :(

[QUOTE=MaxaLisa;1060125]Worried that we haven't heard back from the OP :([/QUOTE]

Maybe today :fingerscr

[QUOTE=MaxaLisa;1060125]I think knees are a big problem in malll dogs, luxating patellas???

I might wonder what is causing marty's bronchitis - does he have a thread here?

I think joint products, particularly with hyaluronic acid can help keep the tendons of the heart supple. My 1st girl had mitral valve disease and a broken tendon in her heart - if caught in time, it can be managed, which is the good news.

Worried that we haven't heard back from the OP :([/QUOTE]

I hope the dog is OK.

[QUOTE=MaxaLisa;1060125]I think knees are a big problem in malll dogs, luxating patellas???

I might wonder what is causing marty's bronchitis - does he have a thread here?

I think joint products, particularly with hyaluronic acid can help keep the tendons of the heart supple. My 1st girl had mitral valve disease and a broken tendon in her heart - if caught in time, it can be managed, which is the good news.

Worried that we haven't heard back from the OP :([/QUOTE]

I think posted something about my dog but I do not take attention away from the OP dog.

Sorry guys meant to post yesterday. After multiple tests they did confirm he has heart failure. They said the gums going from pale to pink was caused by a heart murmur. They are not sure what caused it he could have been born with it or it could have been caused during his neuter if he was not monitored correctly while on anesthesia. They also said he had fluid build up In His lungs possibly caused by the heart problems which they removed. They gave him meds for his heart and said he should be okay for now at least. Sad that it his heart but glad we get more time with him :)

I am glad that he is home with you - hope the meds keep him stable for a long time!

I hope he responds well to the meds, Angelyc. :goodvibes: Glad he's home!

Temporary pale gums
 

Hello, good afternoon!
Sorry to disturb but I have a dog with the same symptoms as yours did but I have been in many vets, made lots of exames including de ECG and nothing seems wrong. The vets never heard of a case of pale gums and I'm getting very nervous and worried about my baby. So please If anyone could help me it would mean the world to us. I saw a post of a member called, Angelyc209 and he/she said his/her dog had the same symptoms and that he had a heart problem. I wold like to know if it was really a heart problem or some information that could help us. So if this member or anyone else could help us I would be very gratefull. Thank you very much.

Can you give us some additional details about your dog, kaikamahine? How long has he been having the symptoms? What tests have they done? Does your dog also cough, or is he just showing pale gums now and then?

[url]http://www.thedogdaily.com/health/illness/dog_illness/index.html?target=healthy#.VoK2_OlFCM8[/url]



How does your dog stools looks are they black and gummy looking or normal looking ? Is there any blood in your dog stools ?