GANGRENE OF THE TONGUE 113 



Etiology.— Mechanical.— Obstruction to the circulation 

 from foreign bodies is not uncommon. Rubber bands are 

 occasionally slipped over the tongue by children; rings of 

 cartilage from the trachea or aorta from cadavers upon 

 which the dog has been feeding, have been found around the 

 tongue. 



Infectious.— Gangrene of the tongue may be caused by the 

 Bacillus necrophorus and often is associated with gangrenous 

 stomatitis. 



Chemical.— The action of concentrated drugs may be so 

 severe as to cause a gangrene. 



Pathology.— When the tongue is encircled by foreign 

 bodies which shut off the blood supply that part of the tongue 

 anterior to the foreign body becomes swollen and in a few 

 hours very dark and gangrenous and will slough off in three 

 or four days. In cases of infection, the process begins as a 

 small ulcer which rapidly extends and may involve the entire 

 organ. Chemicals usually cause only small areas of gangrene 

 which do not show a tendency to spread. 



Symptoms.— The animals refuse food and drink, and saliva 

 flows freely. If the tongue is much swollen it may protrude 

 from the mouth. The inconvenience causes the animal to 

 appear depressed. General disturbance is not noticed in the 

 early stages but later, from the absorption of the gangrenous 

 toxins, an elevation of temperature and symptoms of sapremia 

 are seen. 



Diagnosis.— The presence of the foreign body around the 

 tongue partly obscured by the swelling, or in infection the 

 rapidly spreading ulcer. 



Prognosis.— This depends on the degree of compression 

 by the foreign body, and the length of time it has been on 

 the tongue. Complete obstruction of the blood supply for a 

 few hours (4-6) will often result in loss of the tongue. The 

 infectious form is favorable if treated early. 



Treatment.— Remove the cause if a foreign body. When 

 due to infection or chemicals, remove the necrotic material 

 with a curette and thoroughly cleanse with antiseptic solu- 

 tions (see Gangrenous Stomatitis.) After removing the 

 foreign body from around the tongue a few hours should 

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