Health
The whites of his eyes have gone yellow, his gums look lemony, his urine is like strong tea. Jaundice is a sign, not a disease, and needs a vet the same day.
Caution. Eyes, gums or skin with a yellow tinge: ring your own vet today. Go straight in if he also has very pale gums, weakness, brown urine, a fever after ticks, repeated vomiting or any bleeding.
Do not look for the answer in a Facebook group, on TikTok or on a forum. Look for someone trained for this: your dog's own veterinarian, the only person who can examine, investigate and treat them.
Use this page to know what to observe, what to note and what to ask at the appointment, not to treat at home. If you still have doubts after a consultation, ask another vet or a specialist (dermatologist, internist) for a second opinion, not a group. And if you do not have a regular vet yet, find one now, while your dog is healthy: how to choose a veterinary clinic.
You wipe your dog's eyes in the morning and notice the whites aren't white any more. They're yellowish, like an old page. You lift his lip and the gums have a lemon tinge you've never seen before. Maybe his urine is orange too, like strong tea, or he has been flat for a couple of days and picking at his food. That colour is called jaundice (vets also say icterus). It isn't a disease in its own right; it tells you something is wrong with the blood, the liver or the route the bile takes. Some of the causes are serious and get worse quickly, which is why jaundice goes to the vet the same day. Here is what it means, what to write down and what not to do before you get to the practice.
Any yellow tinge to the eyes, gums or skin means a phone call to your own vet today. Don't wait for an appointment, go straight in, if alongside the yellow you see any of these:
On the phone, say when you first noticed the colour and what other signs he has. The vet will also ask whether he has had ticks, whether he is vaccinated against leptospirosis and whether he has been near stagnant water, rats or household chemicals, so have those answers ready.
First, briefly, where the yellow comes from. Every day the body breaks down old red blood cells. What is left is a yellow pigment, bilirubin, which the liver picks up and sends through the bile into the gut. Jaundice appears when bilirubin builds up in the blood: either too much is being made, or the liver can't keep up, or the bile has nowhere to go. Vets sort the causes into three groups, and knowing them helps you understand why they ask what they ask.
| Group | What is happening | Examples | What else you usually see |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before the liver | Red cells are being destroyed too fast | Babesiosis (spread by ticks), anaemia where the body attacks its own red cells, some poisonings (onion, zinc) | Pale gums, weakness, dark urine, sometimes fever |
| In the liver | The liver is diseased and can't process bilirubin | Leptospirosis, hepatitis, poisoning (the sweetener in chewing gum, some mushrooms), some medicines, tumours, inherited liver disease in some breeds | Vomiting, poor appetite, heavy thirst, a dull dog |
| After the liver | Bile can't get into the gut | Pancreatitis, gallbladder problems, tumours pressing on the bile ducts | Belly pain, vomiting, pale, clay-coloured stools |
The table is there to help you follow what's going on. You can't pick the cause from it; only tests show that.
Before you set off, jot down a few things. It takes ten minutes and cuts a lot of time off the route to a diagnosis.
Lift the upper lip above the canine tooth, in daylight. A healthy gum is pink, moist and shiny. In dogs with pigmented, black gums, look at the whites of the eyes or the inside of the lower eyelid instead. Press with a finger for a second: the spot goes pale and should get its colour back in under two seconds. A yellow, pale gum that is slow to recover means you go straight in. Practise this while your dog is healthy too, so you know what normal looks like for him.
For the vet, jaundice is only the starting point. The cause is usually tracked down in these steps, sometimes all on the same day:
Treatment depends entirely on the cause. It might mean a stay in hospital on a drip, a blood transfusion, treatment for an infection, surgery or a special diet for the long term. Ask which result you are waiting for and when the next check-up is: with most of the diseases behind jaundice, repeat blood tests are what tell you whether the treatment is working.
Some of the causes can be avoided. Tick protection is kept up all year: in Romania, the tick that spreads babesiosis is active on mild winter days too. The leptospirosis vaccine is boosted when your vet says, especially for dogs who spend time near water, in woodland or in the countryside. Keep the bin closed, chewing gum and medicines out of reach, and mushrooms in the park away from his mouth. In older dogs, a yearly blood test sometimes picks up liver disease before any yellow appears.
What dog owners search for most often on the internet about this problem, with the short answer. The answers are a guide only: the decision belongs to your dog's own vet, after an examination.
Because of bilirubin, a yellow pigment that builds up in the blood when red cells are destroyed too quickly, when the liver can't keep up or when bile can't drain into the gut. Behind it there may be babesiosis, leptospirosis, a poisoning, liver disease or pancreatitis. Whatever the cause, the tests are done the same day.
It can be. Some causes, such as babesiosis or the anaemia in which the body attacks its own red cells, can become life-threatening within days. Others move more slowly. You can't tell them apart at home, so jaundice is seen by a vet the same day. If he also has pale gums, weakness or brown urine, go straight in.
Usually a complete blood count and a blood smear, which show anaemia and sometimes the babesia parasites themselves, biochemistry with bilirubin and liver enzymes, a urine test, tests for leptospirosis and other tick-borne diseases, clotting tests and an abdominal ultrasound. Sometimes, at the end, a liver biopsy. Your vet decides the order from the dog's signs.
Yes, if the jaundice comes from leptospirosis: it passes to people through the dog's urine and through contaminated water. Until your vet has ruled it out, clean up wearing gloves, wash your hands and keep children away from where he has wee'd. Babesiosis doesn't pass directly from the dog; only ticks spread it.
Whatever your own vet recommends after the diagnosis, because the diet varies a lot from one liver disease to another: some need less copper, others carefully chosen protein or small, frequent meals. The dog isn't starved, and liver supplements are given only if your vet recommends them, after tests.
The information on this page is educational and does not replace an examination. For full details and a diagnosis, consult your dog's own veterinarian.
They often come together: the same causes, plans that complement each other.
Ten days ago he was in long grass. Today he will not get up or eat, and his urine is the colour of strong tea. Babesiosis does not wait for morning, and neither should you.
A week of rain, a puddle, then a flat dog who won't stop drinking. Leptospirosis starts out like a tummy upset, goes for the kidneys and spreads to people.
Repeated vomiting, a sore belly and the praying position, usually after a fatty meal. Pancreatitis needs a vet today, not weak tea and fasting.
A hard bead with legs on his neck after the woods, or black specks on the sofa that turn red when wet. Both can be sorted out, and neither with oil or garlic.
We work with your dog's behaviour, not its health. For any sign described here, book an appointment with your own vet; the related services page explains how to choose a clinic.