Lecture note of Dr. Bikash Puri

1. Clinical signs
• Pawing of the mouth and rubbing the head on ground to remove
the object
• This activities pushes the object more caudally
• Finally causing the passive congestion and edema of tongue
causing protrusion of tongue form mouth and easily traumatized
by the teeth.
• The tongue becomes swollen and cyanotic in front of ligature.
• If relief is not forth coming within 24hrs the distal portion
undergoes necrosis form arrest of blood supply.

2. Treatment
• First attempt should be made to immediately remove the
ligature or ring.
• Scarify the swelling on the dorsum, to prevent pressure
necrosis by engorgement. (The hypoglossal are not wounded
by superficial incision as it is deep seated )
• Haemorrhage should be controlled properly.
• Antibiotics, fluids and other therapy should be instituted.
• If it is necrotic (if condition is more than 24hr old ) then
amputation of the tongue is advised.

3. Procedure for Partial Glossectomy
Dorsal and ventral edges of each arm of the ‘V’ are brought
together with absorbable interrupted sutures.
Remove the tourniquet and check for bleeding
Ligate the lingual artery and veins.
Give ‘V’ shaped incision with base toward the root over the
tongue.
Two clamps are placed transversely across the tongue or
tourniquet may be used to encircle and stabilize the tongue.
Application of mouth gag
Under General Anesthesia of animal
The amputation of
tongue from the base
is not advised as it
make difficult for
animal to eat and
drink. However,
amputation of half or
less is well tolerated.

4. Postoperative Care
• Healing of tongue is usually rapid due to good
vascularity.
• Liquid diet is recommended for at least ten days
after surgery.
• Keep the animal under analgesic and antibiotics for
a minimum of five days.

5. Necrosis and gangrene
• Strangulated tongue if invaded by clostridium sps,
streptococcus sps, staphylococcus sps etc may leads to
gangrene formation
• In dog gangrene may be seen after complication of
stomatitis, distemper, etc.
• Treatment:
• Mouth irrigation with H2O2 and KMO4 solution until and
unless dead part is cast off.
• If condition is life threatening go for Glossectomy.

6. Sublingual Abscess
• Occasionally, an abscess is seen beneath the tongue and
causing swelling in the floor of mouth in intermaxillary
space.
• Treatment
– Provide environment to mature abscess.
– Incise and facilitate for drainage
– Irrigate with iodine solution or paste with boro-glycerine
paste or pain with iodo-glycerine solution.
– Antibiotic therapy
– Place the animal in liquid diet.

7. Self Suck
• It is a behavioral problem in which animal learn to
sucks its own teat.
• This condition is commonly in nutrient deficient
animals
• This condition is difficult to control by mechanical
intervention designed either to keep the animal from
reaching the udder or to create sufficient difficulities
in removing the mild form the udder.

8. Management
• Nutritionally boost up animals
• Use of collar (Elizabeth or craddle). However, it is not advisable for
animals on pasture because of possibility of entangled in fencing.
• Metallic tags, rings and soon are sometime inserted in the frenulum of
the tongue to discourage self suck.
• Among these the most successful technique for dealing with this problem
is to surgically alter the contour of tongue by removing the triangular
or elliptical shaped segment form the ventral surface of the tongue.
• This create a more rounded contour on the dorsal surface which then
prevent the animal from cupping the tongue around the teats.

9. Surgical Procedure for correcting self suck
This surgery reveal significant changes in tongue from its
dorsal surface, from concave to convex
To minimize the blood loss start suturing before removing
the full ellipse or triangle and alternatively cut and suture
with non absorbable interrupted suture
Remove the incise portion
Give the triangular incision on the mucosa of ventral
surface of tongue
Gauge bandaging may be used to encircle and stabilize the
tongue as well as it also minimizes the hemorrhage
Immobilize the tongue by assistant after application of
mouth gag
Sedate/tranquilize the animals + Supplement with local
analgesia
Properly restrain the animal
This procedure brings
change in the contour
of dorsal surface of
tongue and animals
can’t cupped its tongue
around the teats and
ability of self suck is
removed.

10. Partial Glossectomy
• A portion of tongue is excised form the tip of the tongue in
diagonal manner
• For this two haemostatic forceps are placed diagonally across
the tongue.
• Rest as above.

11. Glossopiagia
• It is paralysis of the tongue
• It is a rare condition and prognosis of such cases is often grave.
• Clinical Signs:
• Tongue becomes flaccid and hangs out of mouth.
• Treatment:
• If there is no involvement of hypoglossal nerve then systemic
administration of antibiotics and corticosteroids produces remarkable
recovery within a few days.
• However, if there is involvement of hypoglossal nerve then response to
therapy will not be so quick.

12. SMOOTH TONGUE
• This is a congenital disease reported in Holstein Friesian
and Brown Swiss cattle but not in Indian cattle and buffalo.
• It is characterized by loss of horny papillae on the dorsal
surface of the tongue, giving tongue smooth effect.
• Clinical signs:
– Loss of prehension as a result there is loss of body condition and
retardation of growth.
• Treatment:
– Has not been indicated.

13. Snake Bites
• In pasture grazing animals, the snake may bite on the tongue.
• Common poisonous snakes are: Cobra, Krait and Viper
• Snake venom contains mainly 3 toxic factors-
1. Neuro toxin: causes initial stimulation of CNS followed by
depression.
2. Haemorrhagin: Responsible for haemorrhage
3. Cytolysin: Causes local tissue necrosis
Note: The venom of cobra and krait are rich in neurotoxin and viper’s
venom rich in cytolysin and haemorrhagin and acts on cardiovascular
system.

14. Treatment
• The wound is cleaned and washed with potassium permagnet (KMNO4)
solution.
• Traditional application of tourniquet and incision at the site are not in
practice now a days.
• Administration of intravenous polyvalent Anti Snake Venom
(ASV)together with saline in slow drip is effective against cobra krait and
viper venom.
• This injection results in anaphylactic reaction, hence it is wise to keep
simultaneous IV needle and apparatus ready for adrenaline
administration.
• After the control of reaction , Antisnake venom plus saline drip is continued
until symptoms disappear.

15. • thanks