Dogs kiss and lick their owners as a sign of love and affection. They do it quite often. So detecting that your dog’s tongue is cold is quite simple and not inconvenient at all.
That being said, you might be wondering the reason behind your dog’s tongue becoming cold. Let’s find out why your furry friends’ tongue is cold and what to do about it.
Why is my dog’s tongue cold?
Your dog’s tongue can be cold for both natural or medical reasons. It can happen if your dog sleeps at an unlikely sleeping position, drinks cold water, or eats ice. It can also be a symptom of a more serious medical issue. In such a case consultation with a vet is highly advised.
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The surface of your dog’s tongue can be cold for numerous reasons. It can be because it just ate a piece of ice or drank cold water. However, it can be a sign of a major health issue as well.
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why your furry friend’s tongue could be cold.
Sleeping position:
It might sound weird that the sleeping position of your dog can make its tongue cold, but it is true. Due to their unlikely sleeping position, blood might not flow through their tongue properly. This can happen just because of gravity.
As a result of the lack of normal blood flow into the tongue, it might become cold.
Saliva cooling it down:
When dogs feel hot, they produce more saliva. This is a process called panting, by which they cool down. The moisture on their tongue evaporates as they pant, and the flow of air around the moist tissue makes it cool.
So, saliva can also cool down the tongue through evaporation.
Drank cold water:
Immediately after having cold water or ice, your dogs’ tongue might get cold. It happens because of heat conduction, which is a very simple concept. The concept is a hotter object transfers heat to a cooler substance until both surfaces are at the same temperature.
The longer the cold water remains in your dog’s mouth, the colder its tongue will be.
Symptom of a disease:
A huge number of arteries, vessels, and veins of the dogs go through their tongue. As a result, the temperature of a dog’s tongue is a great indicator of its health.
If your dog is sick and its health is deteriorating, the normal blood flow in its tongue will get reduced. So, your dog’s tongue can be cold when it is suffering from some sort of disease.
Should a dog’s tongue be warm or cold?
The body temperature of a dog is slightly higher than that of humans. Its body temperature usually remains between 99.5 to 102.5 degrees. So, a dog’s tongue should be warm instead of being cold.
In fact, it might feel hotter than its body temperature after any activity or playing. However, the tongue shouldn’t be hotter than 103 degrees Fahrenheit because it is known to be dog fever.
Is it bad if a dog’s tongue is cold?
Your dog having a cold tongue is not necessarily bad. It can happen for various natural reasons. If it chews on a piece of ice or drinks extremely cold water, your pets’ tongue will be cold.
It can also happen if the dog sleeps in an upright position with its paws upward because the blood flow will get reduced in its tongue.
However, if a dog’s tongue is cold, it might also be a bad sign. It can be a symptom of a serious health issue that the dog is facing. This is because having a cold tongue can occur due to having restricted blood flow, fever, and various other diseases.
What does it mean when your dog’s tongue is cold?
It can mean a lot of things when your furry friend’s tongue is cold. It can be a sign of both serious and non-serious issues.
When your dogs’ tongue is cold, it can mean that it is sleeping in such a position that is causing hindrance in the normal blood flow to the tongue. It can also mean that some kind of disease is stopping the normal flow of blood into the tongue.
What to do about my dog having a cold tongue?
If your dog has a cold tongue due to its eating or sleeping habits, you can do a couple of things to make it stop. However, if the dog’s tongue gets cold due to a medical issue, it is best to take advice from a vet.
Let’s take a detailed look at what you should do about your dog having a cold tongue.
Find your dog a better sleeping position:
Sleeping position can cause your dog’s tongue to become cold. By sleeping in an unlikely position, the normal blood circulation into the tongue can be hindered.
If your dog sleeps with its paw up, or tongue out, it might be the reason for its tongue to be cold. So, you should help it to change the sleeping position and find a healthier position for sleeping.
Stop your dog from having extremely cold water:
Having extremely cold water is a common reason for the dog’s tongue to be cold. The reason behind this is quite simple, cold water reduces the surface temperature of the tongue, which makes it feel cold.
So, by stopping your furry friend from having ice water, you can prevent its tongue from getting cold.
Consult a veterinary doctor:
The tongue of dogs holds most arteries and sensory nerves. As a result, when it becomes cold without any known reason, it can be a symptom of a disease. It can occur due to blood loss, imperfect blood circulation, fever, and various other diseases.
So, you should consult a veterinary doctor as soon as possible when you detect that your pets’ tongue is cold. By doing so, you can ensure its proper treatment and cure its disease without many complications.
What temperature should a dog’s tongue be?
A dog’s tongue should neither be too cold or too hot. The temperature of the dog’s tongue should be in the range of 99 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Any temperature higher or lower than that will indicate that the dog has a fever or any other type of illness.
Why is my dog’s mouth cold and white?
The reason behind your dog’s mouth being cold and white can be a lack of hemoglobin or blood in its mouth. The lack of blood in the mouth makes it white and the lack of blood circulation makes it cold.
The issue in the blood flow in the dog’s mouth can be a symptom of anemia, kidney disease, acute blood loss, and more. The mouth can get white and cold because of internal or external bleeding caused by some sort of injury in its body.
How do I know if my dog is feeling cold?
You can know that your dog is feeling cold in numerous ways. One of the most effective methods is to check if its tongue is cold or not. If it is cold, your furry friend must be feeling cold as the dog’s tongue acts as a very effective indicator of its health condition.
In addition to that, you can also understand that your dog is feeling cold if it shivers, whines, shakes, or barks frequently. You can also know it if it makes a hunched posture with a tucked tail and looks for a place for shelter.
How do you know if your dog is warm enough?
You can know if your furry friend is warm enough by checking out if it is showing symbols of feeling cold. If it is warm enough it won’t shiver or curl up in the bed.
However, you can know for sure that your dog is warm enough by checking its temperature either by hand or a thermometer. If the temperature is its optimal body temperature, then your dog is warm enough and won’t catch a cold.
Final Thoughts:
A dog’s tongue being cold might not always be a symptom of an illness. It can happen for its different day-to-day activities. Your dog’s tongue can get cold if it has very cold food or water. However, you can not rule out the fact that it can happen for a medical issue.