My dog has blanched gums and low blood counts. What's going on?

Question

Hello! My 6 yr old chinese crested powder puff is acting the same as usual but has had blanched gums since a stomach bug he had last summer. At his most recent appt, the dr heard a heart murmur and his bloodwork came back low (hemat, hemoglob, RBC, WBC, neutro, lympho, & mono are low; platelets are high). Any idea what's going on? Behavior, energy, eating, weight are all normal. No symptoms but the blanched gums.

Jacqueline Nobles, DVM, DACVECC · Accepted Answer

Hello, The blanching of gums is probably due to a low red blood cell count. The low red blood cell count and white blood cell count is concerning for tick borne disease, bone marrow disease or autoimmune disease. In order to make a diagnosis, I recommend screening for cancer with chest x-rays and abdominal ultrasound, testing for tick borne disease, and possibly a bone marrow aspirate. If results are negative for infection and cancer, this is likely autoimmune and warrants immunosuppressive therapy with steroids. The only other possibility is an adverse drug reaction so discuss any medications your pet is taking with the veterinarian.

My dog has blanched gums and low blood counts. What's going on?

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