How Well Do You Know Your Dog’s Tongue?

We all love our pups. It’s something all dog owners have in common on a universal level. We love them so much that we sometimes let them kiss us with their tongues. But did you know that your dog’s tongue also serves various other interesting purposes?Your dog needs his tongue to do lots of things. It even impacts the way his bark sounds, similar to how the length and shape of our tongue impacts the way we speak and pronounce words. Dogs need their tongues to do things like lap water, eat, cool down, and swallow. The tongue is a wonderful organ. It is a muscle which is controlled by nerves.

• It tells you if he is stressed.If your dog is constantly licking his lips or lapping at the air, he’s trying to tell you that uncertain or stressed about something.
• He uses it for dental hygiene.Dental hygiene and keeping your dog’s teeth and mouth clean is an integral part of taking care of a dog. There are lots of medical conditions that grow from a simple toothache or plaque build-up. Thankfully, you don’t have to worry much about the inner side of his teeth. This is because his tongue is very efficient when it comes to keeping that side clean. Make dental hygiene enjoyable for him by keeping him preoccupied with something he loves to do. Make it a game if you must, just never forget to brush.
• He uses it to demand attention.This is probably one use that almost all of us have experienced. Dogs are really hard to ignore when they’re all, up in your face with those wet tongue kisses. Whether we reciprocate the love or get annoyed, they still get what they wanted all along – attention.
• He uses it to cool himself down.Humans have sweat glands that allow us to sweat through almost every part of our bodies. Dogs don’t have this luxury. Their sweat glands are mostly situated on their paws. This doesn’t give them much relief so they rely on their tongues to regulate their body temperature. That’s why they pant so much after a good, long walk or an intense game of fetch.

Tongues play a major part in the overall health and well-being of your dog. Your vet can tell a lot by just looking inside your pooch’s mouth. White gums, texture and color variations, and foul odors inside the mouth can all be minor indicators to serious underlying medical conditions. That’s why it’s especially important to take your dog to the vet on a regular basis even if he seems fine on the outside.