A puppy’s tongue has only around one-sixth of the tastebuds a human’s tongue has, approximately 1700. Puppies can distinguish salt, sweet, sour, and bitter flavors like humans. However, they use their nose far more than their mouths before deciding what to lick, bite, or eat. The reason is that the number of cells in a puppy’s nose exponentially exceeds its taste cell number.
A quick fact worth noting, a puppy possesses up to 300 million smell receptors while humans have about only 6 million of them, and its brain is 40 times more capable than a human brain in processing smells. Remember that deep pink indicates a healthy tongue in dogs, and the ideal time to look at a canine fur baby’s tongue is when they are relaxed.
If you notice changes in your puppy’s tongue color at any point in time, you might want to get your pet checked by the vet. For instance, a pale tongue can be a sign of anemia; a yellow tongue can be due to liver or gallbladder issues; a blue or purple tongue can be because of toxic ingestion, heat stroke, electrical shock, etc.
If your furry baby doesn’t belong to one of those colored tongue dog breeds and the tongue color looks unusual, maybe it is time for a vet visit. The best pet insurance comprehensively covers a canine fur baby and can be costlier when compared to cheap dog insurance policies available in the market.
Contemplate your puppy’s health needs and the policy coverage to purchase a plan that suits your budget. In the meantime, read this article to learn three things about a puppy’s tongue.
Fact 1: A puppy’s tongue is generally warm.
Suppose your puppy licks you, and you feel it is extra warm; your immediate question should be: Is there a problem?
Probably, no! Why? Because the normal temperature range in puppies is 38.3⁰C – 39.2⁰C or 101⁰F – 102.5⁰F.
If your pet pooch suffers from a fever, its tongue is probably even hotter. For an accurate body temperature reading, you must use a rectal thermometer apart from taking the temperature in the mouth. Measuring the temperature using a thermometer placed in the mouth is unreliable, complicated, and unsafe for the reason that your puppy might panic and behave unpredictably.
If your puppy has been chewing ice cubes, frozen treats, or snow or panting in a cold room, its tongue may not be warm due to the saliva drying up on the tongue surface. The crucial point here is your puppy’s tongue must revert to normal temperature when it stops panting.
Fact 2: Tongue color depends on several factors.
A happy, panting pup is assumed to have a bright pink tongue hanging from the mouth to the side. Usually, a healthy pup has a pinkish, moist to wet, or saliva dribbling from the mouth. In contrast, two Chinese dog breeds – Chow Chows and Shar Peis have blue-black or blue tongues. Some can have blue-black spots on their tongues too.
Fact 3: Some dogs have longer tongues.
Sometimes puppies are born with a rare condition of abnormally large tongue known as “Macroglossia” in medical terminology. The large tongue makes it challenging for a young puppy to latch onto its mother’s nipple and feed normally. At the same time, short-faced dog breeds and a few others have tongues oversized for their mouths.
Longer tongues make it difficult for puppies to eat and drink, and they may accidentally injure themselves while nibbling food, playing with toys, or snapping at a dog treat. Injuries and trauma can’t be ruled out in a case like this.
The best pet insurance helps puppy owners tackle unplanned vet bills and emergencies. Cheap dog insurance makes providing timely medical care feasible for puppy parents with little economic troubles, which is why they must consider purchasing a policy.
