Oral care is an extremely important item in the daily life of pets. Many oral diseases can worsen over time or, in some cases, can lead to other pathologies. Constant attention and proper physical examination are essential for the owner to realize that something is wrong with his dog and go to the vet as soon as possible You have to remember that the definitive diagnosis and treatment of any pathology is the responsibility of the veterinary specialist.
In this article on our site, we will talk a little about black gums in dogs, their causes and how to treat them, in if possible.
Is it normal for my dog to have black gums?
Our dog's gums provide us with extremely necessary information about his he alth status. Not only dark gums in dogs should be a cause for concern. The bluish gums (cyanosis) or yellowish (jaundice in dogs) are also indicating that the state of he alth of our dog is not optimal, however, we could talk about these colorations in another article.
We must bear in mind that some canine breeds have black pigments both in the gums and in the tongue, that is, gums with black spots in dogs are not always a cause of disease, as we see in this other article on Purple tongue in dogs.
This feature is absolutely normal and the owner need not worry. The color abnormality can be diagnosed when the dog is not born with this characteristicor does not express it from puppyhood and suddenly his gums begin to darken. An easy way to differentiate disease from he alth in this case is that black gums, when caused by some pathology, are accompanied by other signs, such as bad breath, dental loss, fever, inflammation and in some cases loss of appetite.
Why does my dog have black gums?
As mentioned above, some dog breeds tend to have certain black pigments on their tongues and sometimes on their gums. If your dog does not have this characteristic and you suddenly see black gums, you should ask your veterinary clinic what could be happening.
What does it mean when a dog has black gums?
There are not many diseases that can turn the gums of dogs black, but we can mention a few:
- Periodontal disease: if the animal is not provided with correct and constant oral care, it may suffer from periodontal disease and this, over time, is capable of darkening the gums because their irrigation is compromised.
- Acanthosis nigricans: Acanthosis is a skin disease, well known in humans, but described in dogs, characterized by darkening areas of the specific body. The gums are also affected and in many cases they also tend to darken.
- Periodontal tumors: any abnormal growth at the level of the periodontium will compromise irrigation and hypoxia will lead to darkening of the gums.
It should be taken into account that the change in color of the gums can be observed as a long-term consequence of any of these conditions.
What to do if my dog has black gums?
In the event that the black discoloration of your pet's gums is associated with a pathology, the first thing you should do is go to the vetFree will medications are always contraindicated, and more so in these types of cases in which we speak of mucous membranes, which can be severely affected by erroneous medications. Here we leave you an article on 10 prohibited medications for dogs, so you can see how dangerous it is, not only to self-medicate our pets, but also to provide them with medications for human use.
