Bluish, black gums and bad breath

by Julie
(Loganville, GA)

Showing black gums above teeth

We just got a black lab husky mix puppy yesterday. She is 7 weeks old. She has really really bad breath. Looked in her mouth and gums almost look black.

There is pink right at the teeth. Teeth are pretty jagged. She sleeps a lot, which I know puppies do, and has small fast breaths. Is she sick?

We have 1 year old puppy and don't want to make him sick or ourselves.






Hi Julie
It's not normal for a puppy to have bad breath and it could be that she has parasites, an infection or something similar. However, I doubt the color of her gums is related to that, the gum pigment is related to the color of a dogs skin and fur. Black or dark haired dogs often have dark gums and lips.

As for her loss of appetite and shallow breathing, those are probably perfectly normal. Puppies take a few days to adjust to their new home and may lose their appetite, sleep a lot and seem sad at first. You can find out what to expect during these early days on my Bringing Home A New Puppy page.

Fast, irregular or erratic breathing is also normal for a puppy who is anxious, or when asleep. Check out my Why Is My Puppy Breathing Fast? page to learn more.

I would strongly recommend that you have her checked out by your own veterinarian though as soon as you can. It's always important to make sure a new puppy is healthy and up to date on all puppy shots and parasite treatments. Both for their protection, and the protection of other family pets.

Hope this puts your mind at rest. Best of luck with your new pup.