Tongue

The dog’s tongue is full of surprises – it consists of well over a dozen different muscles and is simultaneously a drinking tool, a grasping hand, an air conditioner and a taste organ. Anyone who has watched their dog drink water once suspects how much lies behind it.

How is the dog’s tongue structured?

Inside, a dense network of muscle fibres works, allowing the tongue movement in practically every direction. On the surface, there are different types of papillae that perform different tasks: mushroom-shaped papillae are responsible for taste, thread-like ones for tactile sensing – such as when licking – and circumvallate ones for intense taste stimuli. The entire tissue is traversed by a dense network of blood vessels, which plays the decisive role during panting.

What do dogs use their tongues for?

Anyone who has ever watched in slow motion how a dog drinks has the principle before their eyes: The tongue rolls into a ladle, strikes the water lightning-fast and pulls back – thereby tearing along a column of water that the dog catches at the right moment. This has nothing to do with human sucking. When eating, the tongue takes on the job of positioning chunks and conveying them towards the palate.

The sense of taste is significantly simpler in dogs than in humans: around 1,700 taste buds compared to our approximately 10,000. For the basics, this is still sufficient – a dog can easily distinguish sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Interesting: Dogs can also actively taste water, an ability that we humans simply lack.

The most important function is probably cooling. Dogs have hardly any sweat glands – their body regulates temperature almost exclusively through panting. Saliva evaporates from the tongue’s surface, and the blood in the vessels lying closely beneath cools down. Simple, but effective.

What does tongue colour reveal about health?

Normally, the dog’s tongue is pink to dark pink – this is the range where everything is fine. If it becomes pale, this can indicate anaemia or circulatory problems; then one should not wait long but go to the vet. A bluish discolouration is a warning signal for oxygen deficiency. Unusually intense redness, in turn, can point to fever or inflammation.

Everyone who likes Chow Chows or Shar Peis knows two exceptions: In these breeds, the tongue is genetically blue-black – completely normal, no cause for concern. Dark spots can also appear in other dogs. Most of the time, these are harmless pigment accumulations, similar to freckles in humans.

Which tongue problems occur frequently?

Injuries happen faster than expected: sharp-edged bones, hard toys or licking frozen metal surfaces in winter – all of this can leave small cuts or wounds. Minor injuries often heal on their own; larger ones should be treated by a vet.

Inflammations show themselves through redness, swelling or hypersensitivity when touched. Triggers can include food allergies, chemical irritants or bacterial infections. Affected dogs often no longer eat properly or drool more than usual – both are signs that should be taken seriously.

Neurological problems manifest differently: The tongue hangs out uncontrollably or can hardly be moved anymore. This makes food intake difficult and requires thorough investigation by the vet.