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I noticed the gum of my dog, and it doesn't look healthy to me.
I don't exactly know what is a healthy gum so I have no idea if it's normal or if there is an infection.
The gum is not pink, it's gray. And the part where the teeth starts, its outline is color black.
Is this normal or healthy? I'm really worried.
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Information about my dog :
Breed - Korean Jindo
Age - 2 years and 5 months old
Color - Brown
Gender - male
In most dogs, the gums are pink and you can test for issues with their gums using pressure (briefly turns white, quickly becomes pink if healthy), but some dogs can have black pigmentation that makes it hard to test. The American Kennel Club has some information on this that you might find useful, but black gums are not necessarily a point of concern. Inflamed, and reddish, gums usually indicate dental issues that need to be taken care of by a vet.
However, if you are still a bit concerned around this, having your dog into a vet for a checkup is just a good idea in any case. Having their teeth checked, since some issues can't be seen easily anyways, is really just good practice for having a healthy dog and maximizing their life span with you. From the looks of the picture I don't see any evidence of inflammation, so I unless he's not eating much or showing signs of discomfort, I don't think I'd worry about it and I would just have the vet take a quick look as a part of getting any shots or other regular treatment rather than making a special trip.
I'm a qualified vet nurse. If you are really as concerned as you say you are, take your dog to the vet. Some dog breeds do not have pink gums. Some breeds have blue gums or grey gum like you dog. How long has your dog's gums been this colour? How long has your dog been eating in the way you have described? He could be eating in this way due to dental problems. As I am vet nurse and not a vet I cannot legally diagnosed anything, but if he has any form of teeth or gum disease, it could be painful for him to eat. Dogs are made to survive in the wild and as such, will continue to eat, even if it hurts to do so, but if it is very painful, they can give up eating all together, although, their first priority (like any species), is to survive and that means eating.
Again, please take your dog to the vet and bring alone a fresh sample of his poo and urine (take the sample of the urine mid stream-not at the very beginning and not at the end but in the middle of when he does a pee). This will help the vet to see if anything is going on in his tummy or bladder that is causing his way of eating.
I hope this helps
