Dog's tongue purple from car anxiety: when to see a vet?

If her gums and tongue turned blue (cyanosis aka cyanotic), this is a sign of not getting enough oxygen. This can come from a heart problem, a tracheal issue like tracheal collapse, a severe allergic reaction, poor pulmonary perfusion (pneumonia, cancer, fluid around the lungs, etc) and much more. I would strongly recommend to take her to the vet for an exam to see if they can figure out what caused her to be cyanotic and hopefully prevent it from happening again. Lack of oxygen can be fatal if not immediately treated. I hope this helps!

If your dog's tongue has changed to a dark gray or purple color than he should be examined by a vet to make sure there isn't a problem. Your vet can do a complete examination, check bloodwork to evaluate his red blood cells, and take an x-ray, if needed. Without an examination, it is difficult to know if there is a problem.

A purple tongue is concerning for a lack of oxygen in the blood stream. You mentioned she is having trouble breathing as well! This sounds like it could be an emergency and I recommend to have Molly examined right away! Call ahead so they can be prepared for her. Try not to stress her in handling her and stay as calm as possible. Since she cannot talk and tell you what is happening, playing it safe is the best option. A sudden breathing problem can indicate a blood clot thrown into her lungs, a stroke or a heart attack. Any breathing problem is always worrisome and should be treated seriously. I hope this helps and that everything turns out for the best!

While car sickness does not normally make pale gums, there is a slight possibility that your dog gets so nauseous and upset, that his body centralizes his blood circulation and pulls most of the blood towards the Lungs , heart and brain , similar to what happens in a shock condition. Apart from that it just may be a transient matter and if your vet cannot find anything wrong with Mylo, then likely everything is fine.

His tongue does not appear to be critically discolored or alarming. It is actually quite pink still. If it seems darker to you, you could always take him in to have his blood checked to make sure he does not have any red blood cell abnormalities or clotting disorders. Otherwise, it is too difficult for me to give you an exact diagnosis without examining him. I would have a vet examine it just to be on the safe side if it is still there and you are concerned about it. A hands on exam will give you so much more information than a picture.

The color of the tongue and gums and skin can change shades based on things like hydration level, blood pressure (which is influenced by hydration and activity level), ambient temperature, oxygenation, red blood cell level, etc. In this case, if Brooke's blood pressure is just a little lower because she has been sleeping, then she may appear a little more pale. Shades of pink are good! White, blue, gray, or purple are bad. But often there can be severe medical issues and the gums can still be nice and pink, so it is rarely a true indication of disease.

Hello, thank you for your question about Lulu. Based on the symptoms you are describing and the recent history of significant travel I would suspect that she is experiencing anxiety/stress secondary to this large change. If this behavior continues or Lulu develops any other symptoms I would recommend having her seen by a veterinarian to look for any other underlying problems. Hope this helps!