# Pink lips



## Riley_6months (Sep 4, 2010)

Hi there,

My 18 month old retriever has recently developed some pink spots on the side of his mouth. It's in the jowls where the skin is naturally quite bumpy so it doesn't look like a new growth, more like that the skin has turned from black to pink.

I read somewhere about this pigmentation change potentially being quite common and harmless, I was just wondering whether anyone else has experienced this with their dogs? I'm a little worried about the sudden change - it's been like this for a couple of weeks and doesn't seem to be healing. He is a vey allergy prone dog, I was wondering if something might have bitten him on the lip and it has flared up.

I've uploaded a small photo.

Thanks in advance!


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## ebenjamin85 (Apr 13, 2008)

We've definitely had pigment changes in the nose, tongue, and lips of Samantha as she's gotten older. I can't speak for Mulligan as we recently adopted him. 

In your picture it doesn't look like pigmentation to me but rather like a growth (unless that's his tongue?). I guess that all that I can add is that our vet has said that pigmentation change is normal. I would think that any growths though would not be considered normal.


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## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

I can't really tell what I'm looking at...can you post a different photo? 

Cosmo's chin turned pink at about 6 months and then returned to black. He has poor pigmentation all around.


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## missmarstar (Jul 22, 2007)

Is it just pigment change or are they actually raised growths? My first thought was it looks like canine papilloma virus but if they aren't raised, then I'm not sure.


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## Riley_6months (Sep 4, 2010)

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm finding it hard to take a clear photo, but to answer your question they don't appear to be new bumps, he has the same little black bumps on the other side of his jowls (in the folds), they're just the normal black colour.

Seems like a trip to the vet is in order!


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## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

Oh those little jowl bumps! I would say that's just pigmentation. Is it total smooth? Raw?


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## Riley_6months (Sep 4, 2010)

It doesn't look too sore or painful, and the 'pinkness' seems a little duller now.

I'm hoping it's nothing to worry about but you never can tell!


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