Charon, I'm checking all 5 of my gang right now.  I don't have words to tell you how sorry and shocked I was to read of Gayle's passing.  May her days at the Bridge be filled with love and light until you are reunited.

Thanks for sharing this, Charon.  What a wonderful way to honor Gayle.  I just checked out both Nova and Emmy's mouths.  Nothing on Nova's tongue at all, and the roof of her mouth is all black anyway, but looked good.  But I was a little stunned to find a bunch of dark spots on the roof of Emmy's mouth and a jet black lesion on her front gum, which has got me a little worried.  I've been googling for some pictures of oral melanoma in dogs, but not finding anything that looks like what I am seeing.  It's not ulcerated, nor is it firm.  It's flat and smooth.  Hoping that is a good sign.  It is very, very dark though.  Can you recommend a good place to find some pictures of what the lesions look like?  She was just at the vet a few weeks ago and no one noticed it, but I am not positive he even looked in her mouth.  Gayle has given me reason to be extra vigilant.

I work in (human) Cancer Registry, and it just so happens that I am abstracting all melanoma cases this month.  It is such a horrible, insidious disease in humans and pets.  Most of the cases I am dealing with are scalp and back, so I am not sure what oral melanoma looks like.

Sue