Why are my dog's gums white in morning but pink later on antibiotics?

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.

Pink salmon color is normal for pets. It is hard to tell based on the photo if there are also white areas there, if they are then that is a sign of potential anemia and therefore Bruno should be seen by your vet and tested. However, if the entire lip/gum area is salmon pink, this is considered to be a normal color and therefore nothing to be alarmed about. When we initially lift up the lip in dogs, some areas that are stretched or pinched can turn white, but then they should go back to normal pink color once the pressure/tugging is alleviated. Anemia is also diagnosed by getting a blood sample from the dog and looking at the red blood cell count. IF a pets gums turn pale white, then that is an indicator that there is anemia, so then it has to be decided what the cause is by evaluating the rest of the bloodwork, along with physical exam findings. Hemolytic anemia will certainly cause a pet to also act ill, such as lethargy, not eating and pale white gums, so that does not fit the description of your pet Bruno. I hope that this helps clarify things and also put your mind at ease. Best wishes with your pet Bruno and I hope that he continues to do well.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! None of this represents an indication of immune mediated disease and this cannot be diagnosed just based on appearance. This requires actually a biopsy of the tissue. I do not see an indication for a biopsy based on these pictures. This is likely just a normal change in pigmentation and monitoring would be fine. If at any point, he develops inflammation or wounds in that region have him evaluated by a veterinarian then. Best of luck!

I realize that looking up possible causes of pale gums points you down some scary roads with different cancers, bone marrow conditions or bleeding issues. Some medications can adversely affect the bone marrow, but at 1 year of age, I doubt that Spock has received any of these medications. Typical flea/tick and heartworm preventatives would not be expected to cause any of these issues. If Spock's gums are consistently pink (even with some variation in shade of pink) and he is otherwise eating, drinking and acting normally, these types of issues are far less likely. Try to determine if his gums change color throughout the day. During times of excitement or stress, a dog's blood pressure can rise a bit and cause the gum color to be a darker pink than the normal baseline. Concurrently, during times of rest and extreme relaxation, the blood pressure is a bit lower and can cause the gums to be a slightly lighter pink. If Spock's gums are every very pale and he is lethargic, this is an emergency condition and would need to be addressed immediately. Otherwise, you can continue monitoring his gum color as your vet recommended, or ask if he can be examined now if you need the extra peace of mind. :-)

It would be easier for us give you advice if you could post some photos. I would not say this is "normal". Some rule-outs would be: 1. vitaligo 2. lupus (DLE) 3. Mucocutaneous pyoderma (MCP) 4. Pemphigus foliaceus (PF) 5. Cutaneous reactive histiocytosis (CRH) 6. Uveodermatologic syndrome 7. neoplasia As you can see the list of differentials is very long (and that is not all of them) so I suggest you get your dog to your vet for an exam so you can discuss steps for testing. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

I'm not sure why you keep posting the same photo with different information. If you give a short course of medications there should be no issues with damage to the liver or kidneys. All you can do is give the medication as directed and have the kidney and liver enzymes checked periodically by your vet to make sure there is no damage being done. It is very rare for damage to occur from these medications even though it is possible for it to happen. This photo does not show any infection. The color change to the lips appears to be vitiligo. If there is an infection it is not evident by the photos. Please follow your vet's instructions as they are the one that have examined your dog in person.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is not possible to know the full extent of this just based on pictures though this does look like significant gingivitis and dental disease. Sometimes this is due to pure inflammation secondary to dental disease and sometimes there may be an infection. I recommend you have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck!