# Black spots on tongue



## Goldens_

I have heard so many different theories about this. Please let me know what you have heard. Are black spots on the tongue a fault if you are showing a dog? Would you pay top dollar for a golden whose parents have black spots on their tongue? What percentage of goldens have them? Where do they come from? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


----------



## Sophie_Mom

My Sophie has them. She is a very well-bred purebred Golden. Her mother has them as well. I don't know about showing purposes. I did pay what is pretty standard for very well-bred Goldens in my area. They are sort of like freckles, from what I understand. It's just part of what makes her Sophie


----------



## cubbysan

My golden has a black spot. The forum calls them "treat spots", because that is where you put the treat. 

I believe the treat spots are usually on dogs that have good pigment. It is not a fault that I know of.

Brady comes from very good lines. One interesting thing I noticed, is that he has a half-sibling on this forum, and his "treat spot" is identical to Brady's. Makes me wonder if maybe there is something genetic to that.


----------



## LauraBella

My Belles is presumably a mix (though her looks are very golden); she's "found treasure," so her family tree is open for conjecture. She has the black spots on her tongue and I've always assumed it came from her "mystery dad." So, I'm curious how you will be answered. (Bella has the spots on the roof of her mouth as well.) My vet said it was pretty common in retrievers, actually, but "commonness" doesn't really establish whether it's a fault or not, does it?


----------



## cubbysan

I read someplace that it is one of the most common reasons people make a veterinarian for a golden puppy.


----------



## fostermom

cubbysan said:


> I read someplace that it is one of the most common reasons people make a veterinarian for a golden puppy.


I can understand that. Danny's came up very suddenly when he was two years old. Darn that Google, I found a ton of things saying that it was cancer!


----------



## maggiesmommy

Maggie has a black spot on her tongue (we call it her spoil indicator...it waited until she was sufficiently spoiled...1 1/2 yrs...before it showed up.) I can't say anything about her breeding or show quality, but, I once read an article linking black spots to hemophilia, but then read 2 more stating that spotty tongues and hemophilia in dogs are about as closely linked as brown eyes and sickle cell anemia (as in..mostly coincidence)


----------



## tippykayak

It's just a birthmark. And just like freckles and moles, they can show up after birth. It doesn't mean the dog isn't purebred, and it's pretty common in Goldens.

HOWEVER, that said, when a new spot shows up on a dog's tongue, very very rarely, it can be an oral melanoma. Melanomas are often raised at least slightly, and an experienced vet can tell you in about two seconds that a spot is not a melanoma. It would be extraordinarily rare (and I've never heard of it) for a melanoma to completely mimic a spot of pigment.

If your dog gets a new one, keep an eye on it. If it continues to change shape, get larger, or becomes raised, then I'd worry. But like I said, I've never heard of a dog who had a melanoma that mimicked a pigment spot so completely that a vet missed it.

Oral melanomas are dangerous, so keep an eye on new spots, just like you'd keep an eye on human moles that change shape. Don't panic, though, 99.99% of the time, tongue spots are treat spots.


----------



## riddle03

My bridge kid Tucker had one on his tongue, it didn't show up until he was almost 2yrs old. It's their treat spots !!


----------



## Retrievers Rock

Molly's sire has a HUGE one, and it sure hasn't hurt his career! 

Here is a link to a good photo, showing the tip of his tongue: http://www.saracengoldens.com/index.asp?id=22

Molly has one too, but it's at the back, and to the side. Her dam's breeder says it shows she's extra smart.


----------



## NuttinButGoldens

Treat spots. Very common. As far as I know they are of no issue at all, even in events.



Goldens_ said:


> I have heard so many different theories about this. Please let me know what you have heard. Are black spots on the tongue a fault if you are showing a dog? Would you pay top dollar for a golden whose parents have black spots on their tongue? What percentage of goldens have them? Where do they come from? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


----------



## Kevin's Goldens

My bridge girl had one. I noticed it when she turned 4 or so. My vet said that they come with age and are very common.


----------



## K9-Design

The dog in my signature is an American show Champion with very large black spots on his tongue. Most of his offspring have them. It is absolutely NOT a fault in any show ring. Very common in goldens.


----------



## goldensrbest

My spencer had one, nothing to worry about, makes them special!!!


----------



## 58loosy

Lucy has one on middle of tongue only can see it when she yawns, that was a good question because I didn't know what it was. My other 2 goldens didn't have it, make sense she has very dark pigmentation.


----------



## Pointgold

It is nothing but pigmenation. Goldens are required to have good, dark pigmentation. And generally, dogs who do (black lip lines, black eye rims, and black noses...) also have pigment spots on their tongues.


----------



## Retrievers Rock

Pointgold said:


> It is nothing but pigmenation. Goldens are required to have good, dark pigmentation. And generally, dogs who do (black lip lines, black eye rims, and black noses...) also have pigment spots on their tongues.


Makes sense. Chloe had a brown nose as she got older, and no dark spots on her tongue. Molly's parents both still have black noses, and they have the spots on their tongues.


----------



## HovawartMom

Priska had one,on the back of her tongue that you could,only,see when she yawned and she was purebred!.


----------



## Willow52

Hank's brother/littermate has one. I also was told it's a sign of good breeding and strong pigment.


----------



## IDKaren1

Moses has two- on either side of his tongue iin back and you can only see them when he yawns big. At first I freaked out thinking something was wrong till I came on the board and everyone told me it was common. PHEW!


----------



## Golden123

Sadie has a small one on her tounge.


----------



## autumn

Millie just got her Treat spots about a week or so ago. I was all excite4d when I seen it because of this forum I knew it was likely she would develop one.
She actually has two way in the back side by side


----------



## MilosMommy

Milo has 4 of them and he is almost 9 months old. 2 in the back that you can only see when he yawns. And 2 in the front. He got the bigger one in the front when he was 6 months old, I sware it started out the size of a little pen dot, then grew. He got the second one when he was 8 months old and was the same way, starting as a tiny little pen dot. At first I was so sad about this, but now I feel like he would look weird without them.


----------



## jackie_hubert

Cosmo has a bunch but his pigmentation otherwise is not that great. He's got a partially pink nose already as a puppy.


----------



## Willow52

Hank's brother has a treat spot, but Hank doesn't. I'm jealous! I wish Hank had one, I think they are cute.


----------



## NuttinButGoldens

I don't know why they happen, but I know they are not a fault. In fact they tend to be prevalent in respected lines.

I've heard dogs with excellent pigment are more likely to have them.



Goldens_ said:


> I have heard so many different theories about this. Please let me know what you have heard. Are black spots on the tongue a fault if you are showing a dog? Would you pay top dollar for a golden whose parents have black spots on their tongue? What percentage of goldens have them? Where do they come from? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


----------



## firedancer722

My Charlie has tons of treat spots! Of course, I am not 100% certain that he is purebred, but my vet certainly believes so. He has a few towards the tip of his tongue, but when he yawns, he has several very large spots on the very back of his tongue! Everyone at petstores, dog park, etc. always thinks he is a "chow mix." I very politely tell them that those spots are very common in Goldens and other breeds too.


----------



## midited

*Spots*

Our Golden Max just started getting them and he is just over two yrs old. I thought he may have chewed up a sharpie or something because he got them overnight. He seems fine and they don't feel raised, but they are getting bigger. Should I be concerned?


----------



## tippykayak

midited said:


> Our Golden Max just started getting them and he is just over two yrs old. I thought he may have chewed up a sharpie or something because he got them overnight. He seems fine and they don't feel raised, but they are getting bigger. Should I be concerned?


Definitely nothing to be concerned about at all. Totally normal.


----------



## Yuki

This is my previous golden Saya, my beloved girl <3 she had a dark spot on her tongue and a little pink on her nose.


----------



## Doug

Some people tease that your golden is not pure bred unless it has a treat spot. 

Both of my goldens have been complimented on their great pigmentation. One has a couple of treat spots one does not.
It is odd how all of a sudden that one day they just show up where there were none before!

Does anyone else have some cute names for them?


----------



## Melanie

My first Golden, Goldie had a black spot on her tongue I assumed it was some sort of birth mark :-s


----------



## botebum

The answer to this question is why I joined this forum.
I have a Golden that I got from the pound as an eight week pup (he's 8 months now) so his bloodline is unknown. He has all the traits of a full bred except for the spots on his tongue. I've heard everything from "It's normal for Goldens." to "He must be a mix." I'll never know for sure but this keeps the possibility open. Thanks for the help.

His name is Tiller, like you'd steer a sailboat with. My 5 (now 6) year old daughter named him that because "You need a dog to keep you straight, Dad."

Doug


----------



## AmbikaGR

Doug said:


> Does anyone else have some cute names for them?



Oriana has three on her tongue. Looks like a "pawprint" tattoo.


----------



## Cathy's Gunner

Gunner's treat spot...he also has some way at the back that you can only see when he yawns. He's also a zipper nose, as you can see in his pictures.


----------



## Luccagr

Lucca has one too right smack in the center of his tongue.


----------



## cubbysan

Brady has one. What is interesting is he has a half-sibling on this board ( same father ) and their spots look almost identical. Same place on tongue and same shape.

Does anybody notice any similiarities on the spots of related dogs?


----------



## 3 goldens

Not only goldens have the spots---both of my Irish setters, no kin at all, had black spots on the backs of their tongues. When I saw the the one on the back of Red's tongue (she was a stray tha showed up at our house), I freaked. Vet told me ntohging to worry about. After he went to the bridge, 9 week old Boots was given to me by son's girl friend (took her a few weeks to get a good Irish located) and he got spots on his tongue as he got older.

same with our toldens--have had 4 full goldens, and one mix (tho most take her for full golden) and a coupole had spots.


----------

