How to Check Your Dog's Gums (And Why It Matters)

If you learn one hands-on skill as a South African dog owner, make it this one. Gum colour and refill time tell you about blood, circulation and hydration, and in a country with this much tick-borne disease that is genuinely life-saving information.

How to do it

Lift the upper lip on the side of the mouth, near the canine tooth. Look at the gum above the tooth. Then press a fingertip firmly on the gum until it blanches white, release, and count how long it takes for the pink to return. That is capillary refill time.

Practise on a healthy dog on a calm evening. If the first time you ever do this is in a crisis, you will not know what normal looks like for your dog.

What you should see

Bubblegum pink and moist to the touch, with colour returning within about one to two seconds. Some dogs have naturally pigmented black or spotted gums — in those, use the inside of the lower eyelid or the inner lip where there is a pink patch.

What the colours mean

• Pale or white — anaemia or blood loss. In South Africa the first suspicion is biliary. Emergency.
• Bright brick red — heatstroke, sepsis or severe inflammation. Emergency.
• Blue or grey — not enough oxygen. Emergency, immediately.
• Yellow — jaundice, from liver disease or heavy red cell destruction. Same-day vet.
• Tacky and dry with slow refill — dehydration.

Refill time longer than about two seconds means poor circulation. Under one second with brick-red gums also matters.

Say the words on the phone

When you call a vet, "his gums are white and refill is about four seconds" moves you up the queue immediately. It is the difference between being told to come tomorrow and being told to come now, and receptionists are trained to recognise it.