Dog breeds with purple tongues include the Basset Hound, Bloodhound and the Basset Fauve de Bretagne. These dogs are known to have a purple pigmentation on the interior of their tongue.
The color of a dog’s tongue can be an indication of health, although it is not a reliable indicator. Dogs that have black, brown or gray tongues are typically healthy. Green or blue-tinted tongues may indicate an infection or illness in some cases. Red tongues are also possible but rarer than other colors and often indicate an infection of some kind. A pink tongue can be a sign that your dog has been eating human food, while a purple tongue is usually benign (although sometimes indicative of liver disease).
Purple Tongue Breeds
Dog breeds with purple tongues include the Basset Hound, Bloodhound and the Basset Fauve de Bretagne. These dogs are known to have a purple pigmentation on the interior of their tongue. The color occurs in other animals as well — including cats — but it tends to be more common in dogs than cats because so many varieties of purebred dogs exist today.
Dog Breeds With Purple Tongues
Dogs with purple tongues do not show any other symptoms besides their unusual coloring
Here are the dog breeds with purple tongues:
Dalmatian. The Dalmatian’s tongue is a dark maroon color. Despite the breed’s association with fire trucks, this coloration is not caused by licking flames. Instead, it’s due to a genetic mutation that causes excess amounts of hemoglobin in the blood vessels in their tongues.
Boston terrier. The Boston terrier has an almost black tongue that can be seen through their lips when they’re panting or otherwise excited. Like the Dalmatian, this is due to excessive amounts of hemoglobin in the blood vessels of their tongue, as well as some other internal organs like their kidneys and spleen.
English bulldog. The bulldog’s tongue is pinkish-red with a black tip — like a hot dog! This is because of another genetic defect that affects its blood vessels, which causes them to leak dark red blood into their mouth and onto their tongue while they’re eating or drinking water or milk.
Bull mastiff (American). This breed has a very dark red tongue — sometimes almost black — that can be seen through its lips when it’s panting or otherwise excited just like the Boston terrier and English bulldog above do as well
A purple tongue is a normal condition that does not indicate any health problems in dogs. The color of a dog’s tongue may be influenced by its diet, as well as by its breed.
A dog’s tongue is usually pink because it contains large amounts of blood vessels and capillaries. When these blood vessels dilate, the tongue appears redder or darker in color. In some cases, this color change can be permanent, but it usually goes away after a short period of time.
Most dogs have pink tongues, with some exceptions including:
Chihuahuas and other small breeds that have short muzzles and long snouts are prone to having black tongues due to increased heat loss through the mouth during cold weather and exercise.
Australian shepherds with blue merle coat patterns are more likely than other breeds to have blue-tinted tongues.
Some dog breeds develop black pigmentation on their tongues due to pigment deposition disease (PDD), which can lead to mouth sores that require treatment from a veterinarian.
Dog tongues can come in a variety of colors, some more unusual than others. The color of your dog’s tongue can be affected by genetics, environment and health conditions. Here are some of the most common colors you might see:
Blue-colored tongues are most often seen in Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes and other northern breeds. These dogs’ tongues turn blue when they are cold or stressed out.
Pink tongues are common in small breed dogs like Chihuahuas and Maltese pups. They have pink tongues because they lack amylase, an enzyme that breaks down starch into sugar for digestion. This condition is called congenital sucrase-isomaltase deficiency (CSID).
Purple tongues are usually associated with a bacterial infection such as Staphylococcus or Erysipelas (erysipela). However, these types of infections usually occur on other parts of the body like around the mouth or on the skin instead of just on the tongue itself.
A tongue is a small, fleshy outgrowth found at the bottom of the mouth in many animals. It’s used primarily for tasting and manipulating food, but it can also be used to manipulate other objects. A dog’s tongue has many uses, including:
Flavoring food. The main function of a dog’s tongue is to help flavor food as it is eaten. Dogs have taste buds on their tongues that allow them to tell what type of food they are eating. This helps them decide whether or not they would like to eat it.
Sucking up water or juice from bowls or from puddles on the ground. Some dogs have been known to drink from toilet bowls and other sources of water when they are thirsty, even though this can sometimes make them sick (called “toilet bowl syndrome”).
Wiping dirt off their faces and bodies after rolling around in the mud or after playing with other dogs who might have rolled around in the mud first. This also helps keep their fur shiny and clean-looking by keeping dirt out of it while they’re rolling around with other dogs that are covered in mud themselves!