My dog has pale gums, rapid breathing, swollen belly. Is it serious?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If you are noticing an increased respiratory rate and her belly becoming larger, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine her so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I would recommend having x-rays done to help determine what the cause of these symptoms could be. 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.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Breathing from the mouth is very concerning and is a sign of possible heart disease or failure, and this unfortunately is common in Honey's breed and at her age. It is hard to tell from the picture, but if the facial swelling is of the skin and is around the eyes and the muzzle, this could be a bug bite and you can try an anti-histamine. You have to be careful with human drugs as any product with a 'non-drowsy' can be very toxic and fatal in dogs. I would suggest calling your local emergency clinic or vet to get information on over the counter drugs available in your area. Benedryl and Reactine can be used, but you have to make sure it is the right version without pseudoephedrine. If Honey is unable to breath, seems distressed, or if her tongue looks blue at all, then you need to get her to a vet right away. Best of luck with Honey, I hope she feels better soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is very concerning as severe vomiting can result in hypovolemic shock (decreased circulating blood volume) which can be life-threatening. This can result in pale gums and weakness as you describe. The vomiting can happen from many conditions such as a gastrointestinal foreign body ingestion and obstruction, pancreatitis, gastroenteritis, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you have her evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible for further evaluation and treatment. This is a medical emergency. At the very least, they can start IV fluids and start medications to try to stop the vomiting while they find out what is affecting her. I hope that she makes a full recovery! Good luck!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Mama! She is super cute! I would take Mama to an Emergency hospital and have her looked at as soon as you can. Anytime there is concern for breathing it could be life threatening, especially if she is also weak. Puppies can suffer from low blood sugar which can make them weak. The fast breathing could be from a fever, pneumonia, or pain. The distended belly may or may not be related. She could just have worms. The best thing for Mama is to have a Vet do an exam. I hope this helps and I wish Mama a speedy recovery!

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.

If she has pale gums then she needs to be examined by a vet immediately to determine the cause and treat, especially if she also has abnormal breathing. Please call your vet or go to an emergency clinic. She could have an infection, parasite, clotting/bleeding problem, hemolytic anemia, mass, etc. and may need immediate treatment.

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.