Why is my senior dog's tongue purple and breathing hard suddenly?

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!

Hello. This sounds like a mild hypoxic episode from hyperventilating. It is probably a normal response for your dog. If at her last veterinary visit everything checked out normal ( normal heart rate, pulses, gum color & no murmur detected ), then I would just assume that this was related to her panic, If, however, it has been more than a year since she was examined, then I would take her in. She may not need blood work, but a good physical exam can rule out many things Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.

I am very concerned for Bonnie, as a senior, she is more likely to have an issue with her circulation - this could be heart disease or possibly a tumor affecting her inside. The pale tongue and gums worry me. Take her to see your vet as soon as you can. I hope they will find something that can be resolved for her.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear about Puddin. It could mean a few things-likely liver disease is included in these problems but could be from many things. Without seeing your bloodwork results myself, it's hard to give you an exact answer as far as why they are elevated. Congenital issues like shunts can happen in the liver (changing the way blood moves back and forth in our bodies and is filtered), but what you are describing sounds a lot like seizure like activity. The tongue turning purple indicates a lack of oxygen in the blood-it could be a problem with circulation. If he is seemingly disoriented-there is a condition called hepatic encephalopathy (where the toxin buildup in the liver causes neurological symptoms like you have described). I would take your pet back to your veterinarian for a recheck-tell them your symptoms and see if they offer ultrasound or further testing. If you would like a consult, it may help us to be able to transfer more information back and forth so I could ask some questions as well. I hope this helps you so far!

Toy poodles can be prone to heart disease or she may have had a seizure. The excitement from the food and aggression may have been enough to accelerate her heart rate and its work load or trigger a seizure from stress. Either one can cause the passing out, but usually heart disease is more likely to cause a purple tongue and decrease heart rate due to lack of oxygen Your vet can do blood work and x rays to check for these things to see if there is medicine to help prevent further problems. You may need to keep them in separate rooms for food to prevent further occurrences also.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! One possibility that may not be clearly evident on radiographs is pulmonary hypertension. However, I would still consider other things possible such as pneumonia or heart failure which may not show up on radiographs when it is too early in the disease process. I would recommend rechecking radiographs and if nothing shows up, I would recommend considering a CT scan of the thorax which is more sensitive to pick up small changes in many instances. Good luck and have a great day!