Dog's Tongues

[Roxy_and_Missys_Mum]

Missy seems to have cut her tongue.

When we came home she didn't do her usual excited bark, or even want to move much. We tried to get her to have some water but she wasn't interested (she is a big water drinker and never turns it down). She didn't have much trouble eating some ham but she couldn't do anything that involved sticking her tongue out. 

I put a little bit of peanut butter on my finger to see if I

could temp her but she couldn't stick her tongue out to lick it off.

With the heat today I'm worried she'll get dehydrated, so I've been hand feeding her some ice blocks which she seems ok chewing. Whenever she tries to poke her tongue out she gives a little cry with her tail between her legs.

I got my OH to hold her with her head on his shoulder (she is used to this position as she goes to sleep like it sometimes) and I tried to encourage her to open her mouth. She eventually yawned and I saw her tongue which appears to have a cut or a hole in it.

I've watched her closely for the past hour and she has started to drink with her tongue again (maybe the ice blocks numbed it)

I'm not going to panic just yet, as she is eating (and now drinking as well).

She just seems very sad and sore, poor baby.

Do tongues heal fast on their own or is a trip to the vet going to be required?

Edited to add: Missy puts everything in her mouth, she's most likely done it on a piece of bark or something.

She may have even bit her own tongue somehow.

Edited March 17, 2008 by Roxy_and_Missys_Mum

[lucknow]

One of my fosters bites his tongue evey time he barks silly bugger, though not as bad as your Missy has.

Tongues do heal very quickly in the normal course of things and of naturally don't take very well to stitches anyway. I would keep an eye on it, keep up with the ice blocks and rinse the mouth out several times a day to help remove loose tissue. Saline or salt water is usually safe to use but I would be careful not to let her swallow too much!

If she gets sorer get her checked out, antibiotics should help ward off an incipent infection.

[Guest Piximatosis]

Kaeleigh once had her tongue sliced quite deeply by Cordelia's cat (she had it coming, she pounced on the poor bugger) - within a week you could hardly tell.

I just tried to avoid giving her anything that involved major chewing... remembering the time I bit through my own tongue and found it really hard to eat without biting it again

[puggy_puggy]

As the others have said it should heal quickly as it has a large blood supply. Just keep an eye on it and make sure there is nothing still left imbedded in it.

[Danois]

Hey

Angs had a 3cm long x 1cm wide piece of his tongue removed recently after it became necrotic. It had stiches down the side.

It healed very quickly (notwithstanding that he is on cortisone for another condition).

Keep an eye on the wound area and make sure it stays 'alive'.