Regional Veterinary Surgery

STRANGULATION

• In dogs and cats accidental slipping of elastic rings or tracheal rimgs being slipped over the free portion of the tongue is a common cause.
• Foreign bodies which lodge in the oral cavity and penetrate the surrounding tissue, tracheal ring.
• Pieces of rubber etc may encircle and strangulate the tongue.
• In the horses by tying a string around the free portion of the tongue as a means of control when the animal is vicious causes strangulation

Symptoms

• The portion of the tongue distal to the tourniquet becomes swollen and cyanotic due to impediment in venous flow.
• Later necrosis will set in from arrest of blood supply in the distal portion.

Diagnosis

• Careful examination after sedation especially in small animals will aid in the identification of a ligature deep in the swollen tongue.
• The animal's efforts to remove these object by pawing and rubbing on the ground push them further posterially.
• This leads to severe passive congestion and oedema of the tongue .
• Treatment
• In early cases removal of the cause,  antibiotics, fluid and other supportive therapy should be followed.
• Amputation is indicated in necrosis of the tongue  .

  Amputation of tongue ( partial glossectomy) up to its half can be practiced .