Download Digestive System

Tongue
Affections
Tongue:
The most versatile organ in the oral cavity.
It is responsible for food prehension, water
lapping, sucking, mastication, tasting,
swallowing, grooming, thermoregulation,
and vocalization. These functions require
precise motor control by skeletal muscle.
Disorders of the tongue
1) Congenital disorders:
Tongue malformations such as macroglossia,
microglossia, and tongue deviations are rare
in dogs and cats. Ankyloglossia is a
congenital disorder in which the lingual
frenulum is abnormally short and thickened,
restricting movement (in Anatolian shepherd
dogs breed). Affected dogs have difficulty
suckling, licking, swallowing, and vocalizing,
resulting in stunted growth, ptyalism, and
difficulty eating.
Disorders of the tongue
2) Infectious disorders:
 It may be occurs by Virus infections like FMD
and blue tongue in cattle and sheep or by
Actinobacillus lignieresi infection (wooden
tongue) in cattle and rare in horses.
 The infectious diseases in dogs and cats is a
rare, but lingual abscesses in dog may result
from penetrating injury through the oral
mucosa, they caused by E. coli, Pasteurella
multocida, and an unidentified gram-negative
cocci.
Disorders of the tongue
 Treatment consists of injections of penicillinstreptomycin combined with sodium iodide
crystals 5-10g in feed daily for 2 weeks or 10%
sodium iodide solution IV for 3 day. In some
cases surgical operation is necessary.
 Trauma: the spiny vegetation (fine thorns) or foreign objects sometimes
cause penetrating injuries to the tongue in all species. The street
accidents, sharp tooth fragments, and burns cause laceration wounds.
Treatment is sutured them under general anesthesia. The conditions of
severe mutilation, the amputation are work well in horses, pigs, and also
in sheep. But amputation in cattle must be avoided because the loss of the
prehensile function of the tongue.
Disorders of the tongue
 Paralysis of the tongue (Glossoplegia): the tongue
paralysis may be peripheral or central in origin; it is the
result of meningitis, hydrocephalus, or some other the
brain lesion. If the hypoglossal nerve is paralyzed the
tongue shows on one side of the mouth called unilateral
paralysis (monoplegia). In bilateral paralysis (diplegia) the
whole tongue is flaccid, hangs out, and protruding from the
mouth. It is treated in generally with Nux vomica and
potassium iodide. If this treatment dose not response, the
amputation will be necessary in the case of diplegia.
Disorders of the tongue
 Neoplasia and Hyperplastic Lesions:
 the most common malignant oral tumors in
dogs are malignant melanoma and squamous
cell carcinoma followed by fibrosarcoma.
Gingiva is the most common site for oral
tumors in the dog followed by the tonsils and
lips. Squamous cell carcinoma accounts for
approximately 70-80% of all oral tumors in
cats followed by fibrosarcoma. The gingiva and
tongue are the most frequent locations for oral
tumors in the cats.