Blood Red Tongue Color
Submitted by HankAndMom on June 20, 2012 - 5:07pm(CURRENT RED TONGUE) 
(NORMAL PINK TONGUE)
Hank has been on a new food for about a week now (ACANA, we decided to go completely grain free because of allergies and loose stool), and I'm not sure if the switch in food is related or not to his tongue changes. His stool is much firmer on the new food already, and he seems to love the food, BUT.....The past few days his tongue has been BLOOD RED (but not bleeding)... his gums are slightly redder than normal, but his tongue looks like he got into a pack of red food coloring it is so red. Normally, his whole life up until now his tongue has been a light pink.... very light actuallyHe is eating and drinking normally so I was just wondering if this change in tongue color is something anyone has ever seen before. We are in Michigan and it has been >93 degrees each day with stifling humidity but he's been doing relatively well... He only goes outside 3-4x a day, 1 of which is a walk when it's cooler in the evening so I'm pretty sure it's not the heat.... Our air conditioning is set at 68, so we have a VERY cool house for him. He's in great shape, young, and otherwise healthy besides some tail pocket and wrinkle issues we are working on.
Just curious as to what is causing this red tongue and if it's something I should worry about. I posted a picture above of the red tongue (it actually looks deeper red in person) and the light pink it normally is.
Just curious,
Hank and mom
- Hank and Mom
What was the protein level of the old food versus the new?
That could possibly be the issue. If the protein is too high, they can't absorb it all and it can have odd effects on them. Their urine can gain a very strong smell as well as other issues. I only feed a 25% or lower, most bullies just don't need much protein unless they are action heroes!
Amy and Sophia
Acana is a good food
so I wouldn't think it has anything to do with the food. This looks like his tongue is curled and the photo is of the underside of his tongue. Could that be? Sometimes the underside is redder then the top of the tongue like in the bottom picture. I would say it has more to do with the fact that it is hot outside. I certainly wouldn't worry unless there are other symptoms (ie not drinking or eating, lethargic, excessive drinking). I would also check his temp.