Monday, July 20, 2015

Another case of purple tongue disease

They think I've come outside to remove their muzzles and masks. Wrong.



I've really come out to check on Hank, because that is what one does 87 times a day
when one has a horse recovering from a snakebite. 
My own version of PTSD (post traumatic snakebite disorder)
has me convinced that every time I go outside I will find Hank with a great big swollen face
and a new bite. I really need to get over it. 
While there was no new bite this time, there was definitely something else going on,
and thank goodness I had seen it before or surely I would have gone into panic mode
and called the vet.



Me: Come on, Hank. Open up and show the folks at home what I'm talking about.




Purple tongue disease, a harmless condition caused by eating tumbleweeds 
before they dry up and tumble. 



 The purple stuff in the stems is what stains Hank's tongue and teeth. 
Either that, or he's got a stash of red wine somewhere that he's not sharing.





13 comments:

  1. You know, that condition you see in your friends as the evening wears on. You go into the bathroom to check your own teeth and, *gasp* "It must have been the tumbleweed!"

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  2. Looks like me after I drink my coffee in the morning. Do they make toothbrushes for horses?

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  3. Another FB friend had 2 horses get bit about the same time as Hank. She commented that she had never had the same horse bit twice. Hank is wiser now.

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  4. Hank is not about to share his red wine. And he will go along with all the check ins so long as he gets some watermelon now and again.

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  5. I learn something new here all of the time. Everything looks so green there right now. Beautiful pictures!

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  6. When I was little I had a purple tongue all the time in the summers due to EBPT. Extensive Blueberry Picking and Tasting.
    And yes, you cracked me up again with that red wine thing. ������

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  7. Lucky Hank, he doesn't have to share with all the asses in his life. He doesn't even have to look at the pain and longing in their eyes.

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  8. I thought you were showing us President Lincoln's teeth! Actually his teeth look like my weiner dog's teeth. Happy Monday. Good thing Hank's tongue is fine.

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  9. I thought it might be a case of PPT -- purple Popsicle tongue, but I guess that's more common in children than in horses.

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  10. An American in Tokyo7/20/15, 5:45 PM

    I'm gonna bet on the red wine! hee hee! ;)

    Glad to see him and everyone looking fine...

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  11. Yup, I also am betting on the red wine stash!! Especially after that last rattler experience!! He deserves it.......

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  12. I would have panicked too seeing a purple tongue.
    Glad Hank is recovering well

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