Yellowing in Canines: A Veterinary Guide by Liz McCalley, DVM, CCRT, reviewed by Brittany Kleszynski, DVM on 03/28/2025, and published on 03/28/2023. Sharing options include Facebook, Twitter, Email, and Print.
The color yellow in dogs can sometimes signal trouble, contrary to its cheery association with sunshine and smiles in everyday life. This unfamiliar hue on a pup's skin or eyes could be a sign of a serious condition called jaundice, a situation that shouldn't be ignored. Let's dive into what jaundice looks like, its causes, symptoms, and available treatment options for our beloved canine friends.
So, what's this jaundice thingallabout?
Jaundice, also known as icterus, is a visible yellow discoloration of the skin, whites of the eyes, and gums due to excess bilirubin (a yellow pigment) in the bloodstream or body organs. Normally, bilirubin gets produced when the body breaks down old or damaged red blood cells and gets processed by the liver. But when there's an issue with this process, it can lead to jaundice.
What does jaundice look like in dogs?
Unfortunately, dogs' fur coats can make it harder to spot jaundice compared to humans. In dogs with lighter skin tones, owners might notice a yellowish tint on inner ear flaps or on the hairless areas of their bellies. Generally, the easiest place to detect jaundice in dogs is the sclera, or whites of the eyes.
Causes of jaundice in dogs
Generally, jaundice falls into three categories: pre-hepatic, hepatic, and post-hepatic.
- Pre-hepatic jaundice may occur due to severe anemia resulting from the bursting of red blood cells. This overloads the liver with more bilirubin than it can handle. Possible causes of hemolytic anemia in dogs include primary autoimmune disorders (the most common reason), tick-borne infections, drug reactions, cancers like hemangiosarcoma, and venomous snake bites.
- Hepatic jaundice, the most common type, occurs when there's serious liver disease in dogs that prevents them from processing or moving bilirubin properly. This can happen due to various causes such as liver cancer, bacterial or viral infections (hepatitis), leptospirosis, toxin ingestion (like Sago Palm, blue-green algae, or xylitol), or drug reactions (such as Tylenol or phenobarbital).
- Post-hepatic jaundice can appear when there are obstructions in the common bile duct or gallbladder. Conditions leading to post-hepatic jaundice may include severe pancreatitis, abdominal tumors, gallbladder mucocele, gallstones, gallbladder rupture, and so on.
Early detection and diagnosis of jaundice in dogs are essential, so if you spot any yellow discoloration or symptoms like vomiting, inappetence, lethargy, fever, or increased drinking and urination, contact your veterinarian right away. A complete blood cell count, blood chemistry panel, urinalysis, and possibly an abdominal ultrasound will help your vet find the underlying cause. Treatment for jaundice depends on the determined cause or probable cause and might include IV fluids, antibiotics, blood or plasma transfusions, surgery, or a specialized diet.
By keeping your dog up to date on vaccines, avoiding giving them over-the-counter medication without consulting a vet, managing medications properly, preventing exposure to toxic plants like Sago Palm, and getting regular screening blood work done, you can take steps to prevent some causes of jaundice in dogs.
Proper understanding of mental health plays a vital role in maintaining overall health-and-wellness, including that of dogs.
Just as jaundice is caused by an overload of bilirubin in a dog's body, the onset of mental health issues can be triggered by various factors such as genetics, trauma, or toxic stress, leading to conditions like anxiety and depression.
