Tongue of the dog

Last week Rosy went to the vet for her annual check-up. As usual, she had a mild panic attack at the vet’s office, which resulted in heavy panting, and because her mouth was wide open the vet noticed a couple of cuts that suggested she’d bitten her tongue at some point. The doctor asked me to keep an eye on it for a week to see if the cuts got any better or worse, and ideally to email a picture so she could decide if I should bring Rosy back in to have it checked out further. (Since Rosy has chronic tummy issues, her vet is hyper-vigilant about symptoms that could be reflux or food-sensitivity related.)

Turns out it’s not so easy to see a dog’s tongue when she isn’t panting heavily, let alone take a picture! I tried prying her mouth open but she resisted and crammed her tongue back where I couldn’t see it. (Can you blame her?) Then Geoff and I tried yawning in front of her on the theory that yawns are contagious, which actually sort of worked, but she politely turned away from us instead of yawning in our faces.

Then I got this great idea: feed Rosy peanut butter with one hand and hold the camera with the other. What could go wrong?

Okay, so it didn’t work. But jeez, this dog has a long tongue! A few other failed attempts:

Guess we’ll be going for a follow-up visit regardless. Oh well. That’s why I bought pet insurance.

Tangentially related, Rosy sometimes sleeps with the tip of her tongue sticking out. Come to think of it, maybe that’s how she bit it in the first place…