My sister’s yellow Labs just got back from the groomer. Pay attention to the one on the left. Has anyone seen this before?

12. panic-Google

If the dog is acting 100 percent normal, the spot is flat, the tongue is otherwise pink, and there’s no bleeding or pain, the odds are strongly in favor of benign pigmentation. In that situation, your best move is usually to take a picture, make a note, and mention it at the next routine exam if you want professional confirmation.

What I tell people is simple: look at the dog before you look at the internet. Is she running to the food bowl? Drinking water? Begging for the tennis ball? Sleeping in her usual weird pretzel shape? A bright, comfortable, hungry Lab with a spotted tongue is very often just a bright, comfortable, hungry Lab with a spotted tongue.

13. The bottom line on the Lab on the left

If the “mystery” is a pink tongue with scattered black spots and the dog is otherwise perfectly fine, what you’re probably