What are the clinical signs of gingivitis and stomatitis?
Gingivitis is an inflammation (redness and swelling) along the gumline where the gum contacts the tooth. Typically, there will also be bad breath (halitosis). When the teeth are brushed, the inflamed gums will often bleed.
Diagnosis is primarily based on medical history and clinical signs. Blood and urine tests are often recommended to look for any underlying systemic disease that could also result in inflamed gums or oral tissues. Intraoral dental radiographs (X-rays) are taken to determine if there is any damage to the tooth roots and other supporting tooth structures.
Normal Variations in the Color of Your Dog’s Gums
Sometimes, it’s normal for certain dog breeds to have dark-colored gums. A classic example is the Chow Chow. Their black gums are brought about by the abundance of melanin (a dark pigment) in their mouths.
It may also be normal for some dogs to have gums with a mixture of pink and black. Any dog with a black hair coat or skin may tend to have dark-colored gums. Chances are, this color variation is normal, especially if it’s been present since puppyhood.
There are several abnormal variations in the color of the gums. Depending on the issue that’s present, the gums may turn pale, bright red, blue, muddy-brown, yellow, or even splotchy. This article will tackle the possible reasons why a dog’s gums may turn red.
Being aware of these abnormal color variations of the gums, and what they could mean, can help you decide if there’s an immediate need to have your dog examined by your vet.
Red gums in dogs can mean several important issues. It could be a red flag for gingivitis, heatstroke, sepsis, toxicity, or increased destruction of platelets.
Gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) causes a dog’s gums to become very bright red. It’s the first and only reversible stage of periodontal disease.
Gingivitis may be caused by a bacterial infection from the plaque that has accumulated in the teeth and is usually a result of poor oral hygiene. Bacteria can enter into the gingival sulcus, the small space between the teeth and gums, where they can trigger an inflammatory reaction. The reaction between the bad bacteria and the body’s immune system leads to the release of enzymes that break down the gum tissue and cause inflammation.
Without appropriate treatment, the bacterial infection can spread to surrounding tissues that support the teeth and eventually pave the way for tooth loss. It can also increase the potential for heart, kidney, and liver disease when bad bacteria from the mouth enter the bloodstream and reach vital organs of the body.
While gingivitis in dogs is primarily associated with bacterial infection, a poor diet can also be an important predisposing factor. Some dogs, such as toy breeds, are more prone to gum disease because of their crowded teeth.
Signs of Gingivitis
The gums of dogs with gingivitis appear red and swollen along the gum line, where the gum meets the teeth. The inflamed gums tend to bleed when teeth are brushed. Bad breath (halitosis) is also typically present. In advanced cases of gingivitis, receding gums, loose teeth, and pain may also be present. There is also an excessive buildup of plaque and tartar.
How to Prevent Gingivitis in Dogs
Observing a good home dental routine is the best way to protect your dog from gingivitis. Daily brushing of your dog’s teeth is highly recommended to prevent plaque buildup and to remove bad bacteria.
Ideally, tooth brushing should be introduced as early as possible, making sure that these sessions are positive experiences for your pet. Always use toothpaste that’s specially formulated for dogs. Your toothpaste may contain ingredients that can upset your dog’s stomach or even be toxic.
Even if your dog’s teeth and gums appear white and healthy, your pet will need professional dental cleaning at least once a year.
How Gingivitis is Treated
Gingivitis is the only stage in periodontal disease that can be reversed. Treatment starts with professional teeth cleaning to remove plaque and tartar deposits and to polish the teeth. Without plaque and tartar, there won’t be spots that will favor bacterial colonization and multiplication.
Professional teeth cleaning generally requires a dog to be placed under general anesthesia for the procedure. This will ensure that the dog won’t feel any pain and will be under less stress. It will also be safer for the veterinary team to do their job when the dog is under anesthesia.
A dog with very red or bright pink gums may be suffering from hyperthermia or heat stroke. It’s characterized by a body temperature that is higher than 103° F (39.4°C) which is accompanied by other symptoms such as dry or sticky gums, excessive panting, lethargy, increased heart rate, disorientation, vomiting and/or diarrhea, collapse, seizure, or coma.
The bright red color of the gums is a result of the body trying to keep its core temperature down (cooler) by increasing the flow of blood to the dog’s extremities.
Heatstroke is often caused by exposure to excessive heat from the environment. Without prompt medical intervention, the body’s major organs will shut down and the dog may die when the critical body temperature is reached at about 107°F to 109°F (41.2°C to 42.7°C).
If your dog’s normally pinkish gums suddenly have bright red splotches or appear to be purple, this may indicate petechiation (bruising). Signs of bruising on the gums may indicate a defect with the normal clotting mechanism of the body.
A very common cause is toxicity after ingesting rat poison. Certain rat poisons contain ingredients that interfere with the body’s clotting factors which can eventually lead to bruising and other toxicity symptoms.
Sometimes, a dog may suffer from immune-mediated thrombocytopenia in which the body’s immune system attacks its own platelets, causing platelet loss or destruction.
A dog suffering from sepsis or a blood-borne infection may also have bright, brick red gums.
What do normal gums look like?
Normal, healthy gums have a light pink hue. They should be slightly moist and shiny. Your dog’s gums are important indicators of several issues that may be present. For example, dehydration causes a dog’s gums to feel tacky or dry.
When you press lightly on the gums, they will normally turn pale but will return to their normal light pink color within two seconds. This is referred to as “capillary refill time” or “CRT”. A CRT that’s more than 2 seconds may indicate dehydration, poor circulation, or abnormally low blood pressure.
What the Color of Your Dog’s Gums Mean
We look at the colour of humans faces to determine their health; in dogs, on the other hand, we can get an idea of the dogs overall health by simply looking at the colour of the gums. Dogs gums and teeth are a great indicator of health and of course healthy teeth and gums are also key to maintaining overall good health.
They are easy to check and can be indicative as well as affected by a wide variety of things.
These mucous membranes act as a protective barrier but also have a rich blood supply which can indicate something is afoot if the colour changes. Colour is everything – and getting a base line of what’s normal for your dog when its healthy is vital.
There are a wide variety of pinks, pale and brighter; dark and black gums; and mottled! So it is key that firstly you familiarise yourself with your dogs gums when they are well.
Lift the upper lip to observe the colour of the gums just above the upper canine teeth
For all dogs, healthy gums should be moist and smooth, not dry or sticky or puffy. If they are sticky this is usually a sign of dehydration; if they are puffy then it can be a sign of gum disease.
Pink gums: should be a nice bubble gum or salmon like colour; and when pressed with your finger they should lighten to a white or pale pink colour and refill within two seconds once you take your finger off. It should not take longer than 2 seconds.
Black gums however are also completely normal if this is how your dog’s gums have always been; ditto gums with black spots on. It can be tricky to do the above test on black gums, examining the eyes instead by gently pulling the eyelid down and looking at the colour of the tissue here as a baseline can also be done.
The following are indicators of when you need to take further action, and in many cases this may involved seeing your Vet as soon as possible. You should not be using the below as diagnosis:
Pale Pink or White Gums: If there is a lack of blood or haemoglobin, then the gums may be pale pink or even white.
Blue or Purple Gums: If inadequate amounts of oxygen are being circulated through your dogs blood supply, its gums may turn blue or purple. This gum colour is referred to medically as cyanosis. Cyanosis can be caused by a variety of issues. Pneumonia, hypothermia, congestive heart failure, and other respiratory problems can cause this blue gum coloration if the condition is severe, because of a decrease in oxygenated blood. These conditions are all very serious.
Bright Cherry Red Gums: If your dogs gums are very red or bright pink then it may mean it is overheated but this is generally associated with panting in an attempt to cool their body temperature. Therefore, if they are not panting and showing signs of heat stroke it can also be a sign that they have been exposed to toxins, have high blood pressure, or carbon monoxide poisoning. All of which are very serious and require treatment.
Slightly red/inflamed at the gumline: This is a sign that there is inflammation in the gums or they are infected. This could be simply a temporary condition, such as from chewing on a new toy; however it could be indicative of the start of gum disease. There is more information on this below.
Yellow: This is very serious and is indicative of a liver problem, anemia, and/or massive destruction of red blood cells.
Growths on Gums: Oral tumors are commonly found on the gums of dogs. Sometimes these growths are benign or go away on their own, and other times they are cancerous or contagious. Pappilomatosis is a viral disease that is easily spread from dog to dog and results in pink, fleshy warts on the gums, along with other areas on the body. Tumors can be cancerous and cause serious health concerns in a dog in addition to causing problems eating and pain.
Dark spots that suddenly appear on the tongue, gums, mouth or skin of older dogs could be a sign of canine melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma or oral cancer. Any new spots or an existing spot that has a change in texture, colour, size or shape should always be checked by your vet
Bleeding Gums: Stomatitis, gingivitis and growths can often cause a dogs gums to be very sensitive and prone to bleeding. If your dog has bleeding gums, he should be checked out by a veterinarian to assess the underlying cause. More info on that below
If the blood (colour) in the gums takes longer than 2 seconds to refill (capillary refill time) after pressing against the gum, then it could be a sign of the following:
This can also be a sign of trouble. According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, this may be an indication of “fever, heat stroke, distributive shock, or an early compensatory stage of hypovolemic shock
Bad breath: Bad breath (known medically as halitosis) in dogs can be indicative of a dental condition from poor dental hygiene, infection, tooth decay, or even something as simple as food stuck in their teeth. However, metabolic diseases like kidney disease or failure can cause bad breath. A decrease in kidney function can make a dog’s breath smell like ammonia, as the waste products that are normally eliminated by the kidneys build up in the bloodstream and then show up in the breath. Diabetes can also make a dog’s breath smell unusual, giving it a sweet, almost fruity smell. Uncontrolled diabetes can also “suppress the immune system, allowing bacteria in the mouth to grow unchecked.
If there is a disturbance in the gut and food is not digested properly then you will also get bad breath; so feeding a biologically appropriate diet is also key to preventing bad breath.
Gingivitis: Latin for gum (ginga) and inflammation (itis). Gingivitis can be painful for your dog and can hugely affect the immune system and studies go as far as linking gum disease directly to pulmonary heart and kidney disease! Not to mention that it can be very painful for your dog.
Exactly the same as in humans, dogs get plaque – particularly if they are dry fed; kibble is 80%+ carbohydrates (sugars) – and if not cleaned off can harden into tartar which is even harder to get rid of. Dry food is not tough enough to abrade any plaque or tartar, and the sugars feed the bacteria developing now developing in this warm, blood rich area. These bacteria trigger the immune system to send its army out leading to inflammation and pain. And if left further still, the gum membrane can break down allowing bacteria to enter the blood stream, creating issues in other key organs.
Stomatatis: A condition where the soft tissues in an animals mouth, such as the gums and tongue, become irritated and inflamed. It can become a major issue if bacteria or an infection enters the dogs blood stream, in the same way as gingivitis. Symptomatic differences from gingivitis include the presence of ulcerated tissues, excessive drooling or saliva and fluid buildup in the gums making them seem a lot larger. It can be very painful for your dog.
Start your dog’s dental care routine as soon as possible. Your dog needs to get use to you poking around in their mouth. Get your dog accustomed to your finger, start by simply lifting your dog’s lip and then eventually get them used to feeling around. Make sure to praise him/her for allowing you to do this.
Absolutely without doubt, the best tip is to feed a biologically appropriate diet. This will help your dog to establish and maintain the correct oral and digestive environment, which will in turn prevent build up of plaque and tartar. A raw food diet contains natural enzymes that help resist bacterial plaque. Many veterinarians and pet owners have seen healthier teeth and gums in dogs eating raw food diets and raw meaty bones.
Good dental hygiene. Some people recommend brushing dogs teeth, however I have found that appropriate chews that naturally scrape and clean the dogs teeth are more effective… and preferred by your dog! Personally I like to use raw bones, however you might prefer to also look into using things like hoofs, antlers, yak chews; there are a multitude of options on the market these days. Bones must be raw, and the size should suit the size of the dog. Some dogs will get so excited by bones that they can get very protective of them, so be careful when getting them back!. Sometimes that also chew so vigorously, that they can even fracture teeth therefore they should always be supervised when chewing bones, antlers, or other chewing products, because of the risk of choking or tooth damage. Avoid any treats that claim to be healthy chews which contain rawhide, gluten or corn Syrup. Note: Short nosed breeds and toy breeds often have teeth that do not meet normally, such breeds will not effectively remove debris from their teeth even with vigorous chewing.
Supplements: There are a plethora of options on the market these days that can help to reduce plaque build up, and even remove it. Look out for ones that contain things such as
Vet clean up: If despite the above, or quite often in the case of rescues, you find that the tartar is building up and the gums are looking inflamed then you might need to get your dog’s teeth professionally cleaned by the Vet. A dog needs to be put under anaesthetic for a tooth clean as it can be super uncomfortable; so its important to make sure your dog is healthy enough to go under anesthesia and that you are happy your Vet is qualified and experienced to do the teeth cleaning.