(continued)
Tongue problems
Let’s today look at ailments associated with the tongue.
Pretty much any inflammatory condition of the tongue, irrespective of the origin, is called Glossitis or Sore Tongue.
The tongue is quite a magnificent organ. It has three sets of muscles running vertically, longitudinally and transversely. This means that the tongue can take on various shapes. Dogs don’t do too much chewing. Basically, they bite and swallow. The tongue helps propel the food backwards towards the oesophagus, that tube which connects the mouth with the stomach. In addition, the tongue is coated with sensitive taste buds which allow the animal to be discerning as to which food it accepts or rejects.
Since the tongue is such an important component of the mouth, any ailment of the tongue will make eating difficult. This condition could eventually lead to starvation.
The dog/cat will firstly rely on its sense of smell to try to ascertain whether an object is worth investigating further with the objective of consuming it. However, having made the decision to carry the investigation further, the tongue will probe the object. Therein lies the origin of many a sickness of the tongue.
I had mentioned that dogs and cats, especially the young ones, are naturally curious beings.
