Treatment of Discoloration of Saliva in Dogs
Depending what your veterinarian finds in your dog’s mouth, his treatment can vary. If your dog is experiencing severe periodontal disease and tartar build up, a dental cleaning will be recommended. If there are lesions in his mouth, surgical removal may be warranted. If there is a foreign object penetrating your dog’s mouth, your veterinarian will remove it and clean the area. Anything that is wrong with your dog’s mouth will be addressed and treated in a proper manner.
If your dog is suffering from a systemic disease simultaneously, treatment will be issued for that as well. Without treating the underlying cause, you will just be masking symptoms, not curing your dog’s problem.
Things you can do at home involves at home dental and mouth care. Brushing your dog’s teeth with a specific dog toothpaste is a good way to start. There are also dog treats to help freshen your dog’s breath and clean his teeth or even an additive you can put in his water that can help. However, you will still need the dental cleaning by your veterinarian to give your dog the best clean he can possibly have. If there are any infected teeth, your veterinarian will remove them in order for the area to heal. Additional treatments will be administered according to your dog’s needs.
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Diagnosis of Discoloration of Saliva in Dogs
Your veterinarian will begin by performing a full physical exam on your dog. While the issue may be focused on his mouth she will want to check for additional symptoms he may be experiencing simultaneously. She will also collect a verbal history from you; she will want to know when his symptoms started, if the discoloration has been progressing, if it is constant or intermittent, and similar questions.
Your veterinarian will then focus her exam more on your dog’s mouth. Your veterinarian will want to check in his mouth for sources of infection, puncture or any other cause of his discolored salivation. In order to do this your dog may need to be sedated temporarily in order for her to perform a thorough evaluation. She will want to check his teeth, gums, roof of his mouth, his tongue and under it. Any abnormality can be the cause of his abnormal salivation.
Your veterinarian will want to perform lab work to ensure your dog is not suffering a systemic infection in addition to the discolored salivation. Diagnostic testing will include basic blood work consisting of a complete blood count (CBC) and chemistry panel to check for any abnormalities within the blood or organ levels. This will be helpful when trying to assess what is going on internally. The blood work will also be able to rule out any other systemic diseases that may be associated with the odd salivation. Your veterinarian may way to also take radiographs as part of her diagnostic process of your dog’s mouth to check how deep the periodontal disease penetrates.
It’s best that dogs showing excessively stained body parts have an examination by a veterinarian to look for potential underlying health problems. As there are so many potential causes of porphyrin staining, each option and the pet’s whole-body health must be carefully considered when determining the appropriate diagnostic testing and treatment.
The skin and fur on the feet, knees and other body parts are also not locations where tears or saliva would naturally appear. Have you noticed your dog constantly licking the same spot? There may be a primary health problem causing staining in these areas.
Yes and no, as there are certain locations that will be invariably stained by the presence of porphyrins. It’s quite natural for the beard to undergo color change, as saliva originates in the mouth and some of it is bound to end up on the lip and mouth. A normally functioning eye produces tears to lubricate the eyeball so that the eyelids don’t stick to it. A small amount of staining from natural tear production can be expected, but a prominent tear-tract from the inner or outer edge of the eyelids is abnormal.
“It’s quite common for light-haired canines to have color changes in the fur around the muzzle or face.”
Yes, there are a variety of health problems, some mild and others severe, that can contribute to excessive accumulation of porphyrins on bodily surfaces.
Why Has My Dog Got Thick Saliva? Is Thick Mucus Becoming A Real Problem? | DogVela
Recently I learned the discoloration in certain areas on Harley are actually saliva stains on my dog. I first saw small traces about two months or so ago. It became more prevalent a few weeks ago, so I discussed this with their Doodle Doc…
Harley’s always been white! I’m talking typewriter paper white! Now he’s got these rust colored spots around his eyes and mouth…
Salvia (and tears) contain a substance called “porphyrins” which can stain white/light fur (hair) pink, red, or brown.
Harley’s not a dribbler, but he does lick and during allergy season his eyes will even water.
Here’s your chuckle for the day; When I first noticed the discoloration around his mouth and then under his tail, I started thinking about his paternal (Cooper Red Poodle) genes. Could his lightish apricot coloring he had as a puppy be coming back now in his senior years? #truestories #pleasedontjudgeme