Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Purple Tongue Disease

Me: Hank, please don't eat that. You know what's gonna happen.


Me: Stick out your tongue and show the folks at home what I'm talking about.


I'm not sure what they call this in veterinary school; I call it Purple Tongue Disease.
I practically passed out the first time I saw all four equines come down with it, thinking they were all going to die.


Then I figured out that the tumbleweeds they love to eat contain something that stains their tongues.

13 comments:

  1. I think I would have been worried the first time I saw purple tongues too. Glad it's only from the tumbleweeds.

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  2. Hmmm, shall we change Hanks name to "Purple Plant eater"! ;D

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  3. Like blackberries or popsicles! Horse-icles!

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  4. This looks like the equine equivalent of what happens to children that eat purple popsicles.

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  5. I'd have worried too---like they weren't getting enough oxygen or something!
    I wonder how they digest the prickly things they eat and how they don't end up with a mouth full of spines.

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  6. must have something in it that also makes it taste good....like a grape popsicle...er something.
    I adore Hank....thanks for the close up goodness of his handsomeness. Oma Linda

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  7. I would have had a heart attack myself. Although, just watching what your equines eat amazes me.

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  8. How can those soft lips and mouths handle tumbleweed and cholla? Are you sure you've never heard them go ouch, ack, ouwouwouuuch when they are eating this stuff?!

    But Hank's bad knee looks pretty good to me in that photo; I think I've seen it much more swollen.

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  9. It must taste purpley good to eat through all those stickers.
    Hank looks like he just had a bath and you have nail polish on. What's going on out there?

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  10. What a good patient Hank is, sticking his tongue out on command like that. I would probably have freaked out, too, if I'd seen that.

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  11. Estella from Co.8/22/12, 12:50 PM

    One of my favorite colors (purple)...looks good on Hank. Thank goodness it does no harm. I bet Lucy looks good in purple as well. Hugs to all

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  12. Hmmmm. Hank's tongue isn't the only thing purple. What's that I spy - nail polish? Is that YOUR hand? With a manicure??? Something not right with that picture!

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