My 3-day-old lamb's gums are gray. What's wrong and what should I do?

If he has a deformity of his ribs then I worry he could also have a deformity of his diaphragm and a diaphragmatic hernia where abdominal structures herniate into the chest and prevent proper oxygenation. This can produce a whitish gum color. The kitten could also be pale from anemia caused by parasites or other infectious diseases. I would highly encourage you to have him evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible. They will be able to access the kitten and give you a more realistic prognosis based on their physical examination findings. Best of luck and I hope he improves! Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the pictures you have provided, I would say that Nova's gums look more pale than I am comfortable with. This could be due to dehydration, hemorrhage, destruction of the red blood cells from an immune mediated process, an infection, cancer, etc. I would recommend having Nova evaluated by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I would recommend having her blood tested to start to see if she is anemic and to see what other values may be abnormal. The sooner she is seen the better in case this is something severe that needs immediate treatment. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Oh dear! Pale or white gums can be associated with severe anemia, shock, or heart failure - this is a very concerning sign that warrants immediate veterinary attention. A warm dry nose is a pretty non-specific sign that doesn't really mean anything in particular, and a pale or thinning haircoat can be associated with any kind of long-term illness. It sounds like Bae may be seriously ill, so I would recommend taking him to an emergency clinic tonight to be seen. If this isn't possible, then I would take him to your regular veterinarian first thing in the morning. Your veterinarian can do blood work, x-rays, or other testing if needed to help diagnose the problem and see what kind of treatment is needed.

Hello. Yes, these guns look normal. He has dark pigmentation which is normal for him, but you can see that he does not look anemic as a nice pinkness is still evident. If he is having difficulty eating dry puppy food, you can soak it in the milk replacer until you get an accurate age at your vet appointment.

The white or pale gums are a sign of severe anemia. It could be due to a high worm burden or it may have another underlying cause. Vegeta should be seen by your veterinarian to diagnose the underlying cause. Given current circumstances, you may need to drop him off at the clinic then wait for your veterinarian to call you. Supportive care may be indicated until he is feeling better.

The color of gums can help us guess at the red blood cell level, but it is a poor guess. White gums would mean really, really sick, and pink gums don't tell us that a pet is healthy. Mello may have an upper respiratory infection, which most cases are viral. But they can hit the body hard and often the kittens need oral antibiotics, fluids, supplements like Lysine, nutritional support, etc. I would really recommend that you have him examined by the vet since this has been going on for a week and he isn't any better.

White gums in any animal is concerning as it can be a sign of shock or anemia. Based on your attached photos, I would not be alarmed about the color of the gums. They are not pale, they are an adequate pink color. Unless you notice other changes such as weakness or lethargy or vomiting, then I would not worry and just monitor for further changes.