Does your dog turn purple or blue? Never overlook this and go to your vet as quickly as possible because your dog could be drowning. Keep in mind that some dogs have bluish, purple and even black tongues by nature, but if your furry dog does not have this color of tongue normally and you suddenly see this color change, you must think that something is happening that needs attention veterinary as soon as possible.
In this oneHOWTO article we focus on the Purple tongue in dogs, its symptoms, causes and treatment, so keep reading if you want to know this topic well and take even better care of your dog’s health.
It must be taken into account that there are certain breeds of dogs that by genetics have the bluetongue, purple or even black, whole or spots, that is, they are already born with this type of coloration on the tongue and, therefore, there are dogs, either pure of one of these breeds or have a cross of any of these, which may have the tongue of these tones and not the typical pink color. Thus, in these cases it’s natural and it does not indicate any problem in the animal’s body. You will be able to see the purple tongue or blue or even the black tongue in dogs of these breeds:
It must be emphasized that the only dog breeds with blue or purple tongues in which all or practically all the individuals have it of this characteristic color are the chow chow and the shar pei, in the other races mentioned only some specimens have this characteristic, although in some it is not presented in a complete way, that is, it can this coloration occurs in some part of the tongue and not completely, that is why they can be observed spots on the tongue of dogs.
If your dog does not belong to the breeds described above and his normal tongue coloration is a pinkish hue and has changed to a bluish or purple hue, it is usually due to a lack of oxygen in your body. The most common problems that cause this are respiratory problems, heart problems and obstructions in the larynx.
There are also certain symptoms accompanying purple tongue in dogs, which are the following:
- Tiredness.
- Shortness of breath.
- Cough.
- Soft spot.
If your furry is not one of the cases of blue tongue in dogs, or a purple tone, and you wonder why does a dog’s tongue turn purple, the causes for which the color of your furry’s tongue has changed can vary a lot, as we have already mentioned before, although the most frequent are the following:
Cardiovascular insufficiencies
Heart failure is the inability of the circulatory system to supply the tissues with the amount of blood they need at all times. This disability may be due to a heart failure or failure of the heart to receive enough blood. This problem can be caused by pathologies such as the following:
- Dilated cardiomyopathy: This happens when the heart has trouble contracting properly, making systole and diastole difficult. It causes the muscular walls of the heart to thin and the atria and ventricles to enlarge. This causes an enlargement of the heart that cannot provide the body with enough oxygen, consequently producing periods of fatigue and suffocation. It is usually treated with diuretics, pimobendan and IEAS, all to reduce edema, to improve the contractility of the heart and as vasodilators.
- Valvular degeneration: This problem falls on the heart valves, which do not work properly, causing blood to back up into the atria. Consequently, as in dilated cardiomyopathy, it causes the heart to enlarge. It is treated using ACE inhibitors and diuretics.
Any type of heart failure can cause the dog to drown due to the lack of oxygen that this produces. In this link we tell you more about How to know if my dog has heart problems.
Pneumonia
Faced with this problem, the lung structures are inflamed, which is why the dog may have breathing difficulties and show a purple tongue because of it. The veterinarian will assess its severity by performing a good auscultation, to hear the sound that the lungs make, X-rays of this area and will check if the dog has a fever to apply the treatment that best suits his condition, depending on the cause.
Heatstroke
Heatstroke happens when your dog is exposed to high temperatures for a long period of time. This consequently produces an increase in the temperature of your dog’s body and can cause problems such as lack of oxygen and consequently a bluish discoloration on the tongue.
Foreign object in the airways
If your dog has ingested a foreign object such as a ball and it has become stuck in his respiratory system, most often in the larynx, you will notice that your dog keeps his head stretched in order to be able to breathe better and may also have a cough with the goal of trying to eject the stuck object. If you are aware that you are facing this problem, you can try to perform the Heimlich maneuver.
Pneumothorax
When a pneumothorax occurs, such as when the chest is damaged by a blow or injury. Faced with this, the dog can drown and it is because of this that it presents its purple tongue.
Pleural effusion
This problem can be caused by respiratory, heart, kidney, liver problems, pneumonia … It happens when there is an accumulation of blood or serum in the chest, preventing the dog from breathing normally.
Poisoning
If your question is “why my dog vomits and has a purple tongue? “, you should know that when faced with poisoning, the dog may also have a lack of oxygen due to the substance that it has ingested and that is now in its body causing damage. Given this you can also observe tremors, vomiting, diarrhea sometimes bloody , weakness and even respiratory arrest …
If you dog has a purple tongue and does not want to eat, vomits or presents any symptoms mentioned above that are warning you of a problem, go to the vet quickly since surely you can not do much about it to help him recover completely. In this other post you can learn more about How to know if my dog is poisoned.
