Tongue Trauma

Causes

• Lacerations e.g. tin cans, cat fights
• Penetrating foregin bodies e.g. sticks or bones
• Linear foregin bodies e.g. string
• Electrical burns e.g. from chewing electrical cable
• Chemical burns e.g. from caustic agents
• Damage due to infection e.g. feline herpes, panleukopanenia, calicivirus, fungal or necrotising stomatitis
• Damage due to glossitis caused by azotaemia
• Macroglossia- if too large may become traumatised by teeth etc (common in brachycephalics)
  

Diagnosis

History

• Cat fight
• Seen playing with or eating a foreign body
• Chewing electric cables
• ingestion of caustics ETC

Clinical Signs

• drooling saliva
• reluctance to eat
• bleeding
• pawing at mouth
• secondary infections

Definitive Diagnosis

Inspection under a general anaesthetic making sure to check under the tongue for foreign bodies.

Treatment

• Caustic chemicals: exagerated flushing of the mouth with water 
• Lacerations: Primary surgical repair or second intention healing with sloughing +/- debridement
• Amputation: if severe injury. Animals can function very well with 40-60% of the rostral tongue amputated
• General: Antibiotics, palliative treatment aimed at reducing oral discomfort including anti-inflammatory drugs, mainly corticosteroids. Assisted feeding (Naso-oesophageal, oesophageal, ventricular or enteral) should be used if normal feeding cannot be maintained
   

Prognosis

Dependent on cause and severity.

References

Ettinger, S.J., Feldman E.C. (2000) Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine 5th Ed

Fossum, T.W. (2002) Small Animal Surgery

Tutt, C., Deeprose, J. and Crossley, D., (2007) BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Dentistry (3rd Edition) BSAVA