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Ask the Veterinarian/pine processionary moth (Thaumetopoea wilkinsoni)

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Expert: - 2/16/2011


Question
Long story short. Puppy ate 3 of these caterpillars. 3 hrs later in extreme pain and salivation. Discoloration of the tongue to brown NOT black. She is at the hospital since this morning and on cortizone and a bunch of ivs. This morning vet said that the swelling stopped and also tongue edema should stop with meds. Now he said that we wont know if tongue amputation is needed unless 2-5 days pass. What is the progress of necrosis please? Can her tongue be saved or is it dead alredy?? Can she live with her tongue cut off? Please help. im desperate.!

Answer
That would be hard to say without looking at it. Brown is not usually the color of necrosis but could be from eating the caterpillars themselves.
Necrosis is generally black. Once tissue starts to become necrotic it turns black right away.

I would not know the long term outcome of a dog's health or life with a tongue amputation. I would think that it would be difficult for her to eat and drink especially since dogs use their tongues to drink water. They lap it up with their tongues.

You might want to do research online about it. I am sorry about your puppy eating these, you just never know what they are going to get into.
I hope that she does well and makes a complete recovery.  

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

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PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

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Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

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Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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