Glad you found some more info. Guess I didn't google deep enough! Hope your dog improves soon!
Through extensive research I discovered that thrombocytopenia is a symptom of Anaplasmosis Phagocytophilum.
Most of the time, Anaplasmosis is not seen in the acute phase and therefore most vets do not see the full-blown version of the disease. Usually a subclinical infection is common among dogs.
Thrombocytopenia is not always a symptom in Anaplasmosis. It is the deficiency of platelets in the blood which cause bleeding in the tissues, bruising, and slow blood clotting after injury. On dogs the gums and ears are pale.
During my research I also discovered that not all topical flea/tick remedies work on all species of ticks. We used one in our area which does not kill the ticks in our area. Great! Wasted money.
There is a website which details the vectors and the treatment for each species. Too bad we cannot post websites.
Hi. I am not really familiar with this so hopefully someone with more knowledge will answer soon. As far as I can tell, these are not symptoms of the disease. Very pale gums/ears often indicates internal bleeding somewhere. I would go back to the vet or at least give them a call. It can also be a symptom of shock which could be possible if the dog was in enough pain. Good luck and please keep us updated.
Addendum:
It is called Anaplasmosis Phagocytophilum.