Bleeding tongue: A dog’s tongue is important for many things including eating, cleaning themselves, lapping up water, bonding with the pack and showing submission. Luckily, there aren’t many issues or illnesses that affect dogs’ tongues, however they are susceptible to injury perhaps during general investigation with their mouths by biting, chewing or picking up something which may be sharp or have rough edges. Injuries could also arise in many other innocent ways including chewing a bone, rough play or maybe even simply trapping their tongue between the teeth (hey, Im sure we’ve done that ourselves!)
Although small cuts or abrasions on other body parts may not be deemed all that much of a concern, tongue injuries can lead to significant problems. When a dog’s tongue is cut, it bleeds excessively and this bleeding can be difficult to stop.
When to See a Vet
See your vet immediately if the cut appears deep or the bleeding is difficult or impossible to stop.
An ice cube held directly on the wound will constrict the blood vessels, and help stop bleeding.
Applying direct pressure while holding the tongue with a gauze pad will work, assuming you can hold the tongue of course!
Everyday all-purpose flour can be used for small cuts to stop the bleeding. Simply pack the wound with the flour and then hold a gauze pad tightly against the wound. The flour should help the blood to clot.
If it’s a small nick, keep an eye on it for a day or two to make sure it isnt getting infected. If you can’t get the bleeding to stop, or if it stops and starts to bleed again, then don’t delay in calling your vet as your dog may need a stitch or two. If you are in any doubt, then call your vet.
Hi, I saw this post after my 2 year old golden retriever cut his tongue today (while out for a walk, not sure how). The cut is only about 1/4 inch but was bleeding a lot – when I saw your recommendation about ice, it was impossible to hold cubes on his tongue but he was happy to suck/chew the cubes. 20 minutes later, the bleeding has all but stopped – thanks for the tip!
lol … yes, holding icecubes with a goldie is somewhat challenging! … Im very pleased the tip helped though Gerry and I hope he’s all back to normal now xx
Many thanks for tip….our greyhound bit her tongue. She would not suck on an ice cube, but I put a bit of food on the palm of my hand, with an ice cube held over the top of it. Our greyhound licked the cube to get to the food. 1o minutes of this, every now and then letting her get to the food then replacing it and repeating the process, and the bleeding has greatly stopped. Many thanks
Well done you! … sometimes we need to “think outside the box” a bit and you certainly did that and it sounds like it worked a treat too 😉
Hey i tried to give my dog an ice cube since she has a cut in her mouth but it seems to be on the roof of it and she won’t take the ice cube. Have you any other suggestions?
Flour will stick and clot a bleed and is safe in the mouth if the ice cubes aren’t working. Getting the flour on the bleed, however, is a little more tricky! Good luck
Our blue heeler was poisoned and after vet care bit her tongue thanks so much .
Really pleased we were able to give you a bit of help and confidence. Hope she is on the mend xx
I was grooming my dog today and cut his tongue. I cried n cried n he only yelped! I wasn’t going to just give him an ice cube and monitor despite the bleeding had stopped. I took him straight to the vet. It was a very small cuy but a cut none the less. They will be suturing my lil guy as the vet stated it’s bettet for the healing process as dogs do a lot with their tongue and he even though the bleeding as stopped, it can potentially get infected without suturing. So my dogs at the vet due to my stupidity and im online trying to find ways to feed this guy onece he’s discharged from the hospital. Balling my eyes out!!!
oh you mustn’t blame yourself – these things just happen and nobody does it on purpose. The good news is that tongues are just about the fastest part of a dog to heal so once he is discharged from hospital, he should pretty much be very soon ready as normal. xx
Hi, I can see the cut is about half a centimeter but it’s been bleeding for about 30 mins now…. his little tongue is only a couple inches across so relatively speaking it’s a big cut for him. He didn’t take the ice or flour, so I put bits of his favorite treats in the flour but he keeps swallowing the flour with the treats… and the bleeding resumes any tips?
I would say get him to lick an ice lolly – the cold will really help slow the bleeding. Failing that, if it is still bleeding, then I would suggest a visit to the vet as it is clearly quite a serious injury, poor love.
Good luck
Kerry
Don’t feel bad. I did the EXACT same thing a few months ago to our then 13-week-old Golden Retriever puppy. I was trimming up the fur between his paw pads with a brand new pair of grooming shears, when he suddenly turned his head around and licked the scissors just as I was making a cut. Talk about a blood bath! We rushed him to the ER vet and he had 3 stitches put in his tongue and he was on antibiotics for about a week and a half. In my 12 years of experience grooming our Golden Retrievers, I have NEVER done anything like this before and I felt BEYOND horrible. Even 3 months later, I still feel awful about it, even though he is completely fine now. The stitch at the very tip of his tongue wouldn’t hold and ended up coming out a day or two after it was put in, so he has a very tiny slit in the the left side of his tongue right at the tip. It’s very small, but still noticeable. I wish there was a way to fix it, but the vet said that a stitch will never stay in place at the very edge of the tongue and the slit is so small that it doesn’t cause him any problems at all and is purely cosmetic, but it still annoys me since he’s a show prospect! I know that it was a totally freak accident, but I still hate myself for it!
I was doing a sanitary groom and my doodle licked the clippers and cut her tongue. I felt so bad too. The ice cubes worked like a charm.
Oh they are monkeys aren’t they! So glad the ice cubes worked for you. Best wishes. Kerry
A couple of days ago my 11 month old puppy cut herself with a stick, we thought it was just on the side of her mouth but only just noticed that it’s under her tongue as well. We couldn’t figure out why she wont lap up water or give kisses anymore. The cut doesn’t seem to be bleeding but it is concerning…how long does a wound like this take to heal? I’m very concerned and any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Tongues and mouths heal very quickly as a rule because obviously if the dog can’t eat, he wont survive. I would honestly suggest having the dog seen by a professional because although it may well just look like a cut to you, there is always the possibility of a foreign body lodged in the wound, say a splinter of bit of wood or debris still in it. This would prevent it from healing up quickly and likely cause infection too. If she were mine, I would be straight to the vet on Monday
Good luck with her
My dog done the same thing she had a little to eat but hasn’t had any water or anythink and won’t let me look under her tongue feeling sorry for her self now is there anythink I can do
Hi Jade,
Im sorry to hear that your girl is unwell. Sticks are a nightmare and really can cause a lot of trouble. It is very difficult to check under a dog’s tongue because, as you know, they are very wriggly, slimy and it’s dark in there! I know things are difficult at the moment financially but there is a very real chance that there could be some of the stick left in your girl’s tongue and if you don’t get her checked out, this could become infected and/or travel into the body further and cause all sorts of trouble. Her mouth is one of the most important parts of her body and if she is feeling sad, she is obviously in pain. I really don’t think you can, or should, leave her without being checked by a professional. There isn’t really anything you can do as they may need to examine her under sedation to see what is going on.
Good luck and I hope she makes a quick and full recovery.
Kerry
When we noticed our dog licking his leg and it turned red from blood, we searched for what to do with a bleeding tongue. We tried the ice and then the flour but it kept bleeding because he kept licking his fur. We assume it was to attempt to relieve the pain or taste but also thought the licking kept opening the cut on the side of his tongue. So we got him in the car and headed towards the vet. As usual, he stuck his head out the window while we drove and we noticed he wasnt licking anymore so my wife and i drove around for 20 minutes. He spent most the time taking in the air but most importantly not licking! When we got home, no more bleeding! Thanks for the posts!
Absolutely ingenious! We would never normally advocate dogs travelling with their heads out of windows for health and safety reasons but wow! loved reading your post and how you managed to use his natural behaviour to help him. What a star pair of owners!!! I will post your comment on the main page of our Facebook account because Im sure our followers would love it as much as I did. Thanks so much for posting.
My 14 year old dog bit her tongue today whilst eating her food, what do you suggest she doesn’t have many teeth left in her mouth now. Keeps bleeding will it eventually stop
Hi Donna,
The easiest way to stop the bleeding is to let her lick ice cubes and water with ice in it – the cold water will constrict the vessels and help the bleeding to stop. If its really not working, you can try putting some flour on the bitten part of her tongue which should help to clot the bleed.
Good luck
Thank you so much! I have a particularly tongue happy poodle. She stuck her tongue out right as I was trimming her muzzle. I didn’t even realized it was cut until I was wiping her face off and I had blood on my hand. She does like ice cubes so I managed to get her to lick one for 5 min or so. Bleeding persisted so I moved to flour. I couldn’t really tell where the bleeding was coming from so I grabbed a spoon full of flour and stuck her tongue in it. This seemed to help a little more but bleeding still was not stopped. That’s when I read your comment about the car ride. Loaded her up cause she loves to put her head out the window anyways. Drove around town doing 20-25 mph for about 15 minutes and low and behold the bleeding has stopped. She is none the wiser and my anxiety attack is over. Thank god for the internet.
Awesome!!!!!!!!! Now that’s the kind of post we like to read … xx
We took my dog to the groomer this morning and when we picked him up they explained a small cut in his tongue due to licking while being groomed. Upon driving home the tongue started bleeding uncontrollably and we took him to our trusted vet. They gave him medication on the surface of the cut to stop and clot the blood. We were sent home with gauze and told to take up food and water until later and only feed soft foods. I’m very nervous to feed him later as I don’t want the bleeding to start again. They explained he would need to return later to have the wound possibly cauterized if the bleeding continues. Please send any advice.
certainly eating, drinking and licking can set it off again so do give it a while before you let him eat. If it does start to bleed then ice cubes can help it to stop, flour on the cut or even cold air. I would say keep an eye on it and if it starts and you are unable to apply pressure to stop it, then ring your vet back straight away to organise a suture or cautery xx
I was petting my dog a lot and as I noticed he suddenly started to lick repeatedly. I thought he had gotten something in his mouth but he was bleeding. I tried doing what you said to do. And it was difficult but I managed to do it for a while. I’m worried because it’s still bleeding a little bit. He’s 4 months old and he’s very active. Though during this time he’s napping.
Most likely he has a loose tooth as he is just a puppy or possibly he may have just bitten his tongue. I would think the tooth is the most probable and this would cause him to lick too. Keep an eye on him and you will probably find a tooth either missing or one appear on your carpet! Good luck with him
I was grooming my dogs paws (cutting some hair in between her paw pads) yesterday and in the space of a second she stuck her head there to see what was going on and I snipped her tongue!! 🙁 I started panicking. I gave her a lovely ice cold ice pop so the bleeding would stop and it did! I didn’t think I had to go the vet cause I controlled the bleeding straight away! But there’s a sort of chunk of tongue hanging from her tongue due to the snip, and every time she licks anything the piece of tongue will just open because of where it’s placed. So it doesn’t look like it’ll heal properly? But she seems ok. I’m gonna give it a few days and then if I see any sign of infection I’m going to bring her to the vets. Any tips? I feel so horrible, please help
Hi Jess, what a horrible thing for both of you! Im glad the icepop worked. Without seeing the size of the cut I can’t really advise on whether it will heal satisfactorily itself or whether it may need a stitch or two. The plus side, however, is that mouths heal very quickly so if the injury isn’t too extensive, you may well get away with it. Just keep an eye on it as you are doing and if there are any problems at all, get straight to the vet.
Sir,
Thank you, Couldn’t find the wound but solved the problem by giving a huge bowl of ice no water (or only enough water so the ice wouldn’t stick). Dog went to town licking ice.
Awesome! that’s great news. Take care
I was cutting my dogs fur and his brother came up and was trying to play and he was trying to lick his brother and I cut his tongue. This happened today and I’m scared. My dad said he will be fine and not to go to the ER. I gave him some ice cream and he is still bleeding its been about 15 minutes. Should I take him to the ER it looks like about two or one centimeter long.
Oh heck Kat, Ive only just seen your post which is obviously too late really. I hope the bleed has now stopped. If it were a small cut then using icecubes, iced water or flour should have stopped the bleed. If it were as much as 2 cm long then I would certainly have been phoning the vet to ask for professional advice. As I say, Im sorry Ive only just seen this and hope your dog is doing OK. Best wishes
I also cut my dogs tongue trimming his face when he suddenly stuck it out. After no luck of putting ice on my dogs tongue we decided to shred ice in the blender with a little shredded cheese mixed in the blender as well (Mexican mix if anyone is wondering). Our dog couldn’t get enough of the ice in hunt for the little bit of cheese mixed in. His tongue stopped bleeding and he has been fine the entire day.
Thanks to this website we were able to stay calm and focus on the remedies posted. It’s always comforting to know this type of incident doesn’t only happen to yourself… Thanks….
Hi Jeff, what a totally genius idea! Well done you for keeping calm and coming up with a solution .. (Ill keep that one in mind for future enquiries!!). Stay safe and good luck for the future. Kerry
Thanks so much for this great post! Was sharing a snack with my Airedale tonight and suddenly discovered my lap and hands smeared with blood, as I went into the kitchen for better light I then discovered big droplets of blood all over, for a second thought it was me, but then could see it was my pup. Had him lick 6 ice cubes while on the phone with a neighbor preparing to head to the Emergency Vet and in 10 minutes bleeding stopped completely and I could see the small cut and that it was not punctured or torn. Will keep an eye on it but thrilled to not have to rush to the vet at 10pm.
BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now this is the kind of post we love to get. Well done you for keeping it together and lots of love to your pup too xx
I accidentally cut my dog’s tongue while I was grooming his paw. There’s no blood dripping but when he licked his paw, it turned red. He doesnt want to show me his tongue and doesnt want to drink iced cold water but I gave him super cold milk and after he finished drinking it, the bleedings stopped. After 30mins, he’s running around again. Wish that it wont get infected.
Just keen an eye on him … Im sure he’ll be fine
My dog cut under her tongue the back bit with a stick diddnt bleed very much she seemed fine at frist but won’t drink she’s had somethink little to eat iv Tryed to look but as it’s under her tongue at the back I can’t see very well she’s feeling a bit sorry for her self is there anythink I can do As the vets is asking a bit to much money to see her and with work at the moment it’s somethink I can’t afford
Mt German shepherd found a stick in the yard and decided that he just had to chew it up into mulch… well his tongue got cut in the process and I freaked out because his entire mouth was bloody. only after forcing him to drink water did I realize that the cut wasn’t too bad. pressed some powdered sugar on it (sugar reduces pain) and gave him a bunch of ice cubes. He doesn’t even seem to notice it’s there, but he was spilling blood all over the kitchen just a while ago! I was a little hesitant using flour because its not recommended that you give dogs flour (and they’ll probably start licking just to get rid of the taste) but i think the powdered sugar is a great alternative. I froze up some simple syrup into ice cubes just in case this happens again.
I hope he’s doing well now – poor lad that must have been so uncomfortable for him
Hi Kerry
I like your posts have been helpful. My dog lacerated her tongue and literally split it. 2 inches easy. Took her to vet where it got stitched but 3 days and stitches popped. This time to emerge vet where they stitched again. The tip of tongue doesn’t seem to hold sutures. What should I do. I have her head in cone and sedated for few days. Feeding soft food. She is a 4 moth old puppy. I am afraid to take her for a 3 procedure because of anesthesia. Please help
Hi Lydia,
Poor love that’s awful. Honestly, this really is a vet job. I would give them a ring as soon as possible and ask their advice as to whether there is any other means of suturing/sticking the tongue. I’m afraid Im all out of ideas … a tongue is a very slippery customer and, with such a young puppy, I wouldn’t be taking any undue risks.
Im sorry I can’t be more help but honestly a trip to the vet or at the very last a phone call is definitely required her.
Take care
Kerry
Hello! I posted a few days ago, and tried the flour, ice and mixing soft food with ice too, and things seemed to be going okay, but I noticed my pup was bleeding again today. I think he tried to eat some soft kibble which I had moistened and reopened the wound. Should I take him to the vet?
I found my dog having blood in his mouth but that was not just an injury but there was some other problem. checked with vet and also advised about pyoderma. dogs generally lick his bottom and when pyoderma is observed the bloog stains may be seen in his mounth.
https://dogclub.online/pyoderma-in-dogs-best-food-treatment-causes/
Something which worked for me was coffee. It was impossible to keep an icecube for my doberman. Instead i put coffee powder and bleeding stop within 5 minutes
Hi there, we would advocate flour as a means to clot rather than coffee. Pets are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine than people are. While 1-2 laps of coffee, tea or soda will not contain enough caffeine to cause poisoning in most pets, the ingestion of moderate amounts of coffee grounds, tea bags or 1-2 diet pills can easily cause death in small dogs or cats.
My pooch cut her tongue and was licking her legs and bleeding for an hour and a half. I found your website and decided to try frozen yogurt spread in the bottom of a bowl then I added crushed ice. She lapped it up and I repeated it just to be sure the bleeding stopped. It did!! I’ve had dogs for over 40 years and this was a FIRST!!!
Thanks so much for all these great suggestions.
awww thats brilliant! Well done you for solving the problem so easily. Hope your pup is feeling more comfortable now.
Hello Kerry,
My maltese got his tongue knicked by the groomers scissors today because he couldn’t keep his tongue still. It was a very small cut but he bled heavily until she was able to bring it under control about 10 minutes after putting brown sugar and ice on it. She also held a towel around it for a few minutes. I sprayed some colloidal silver on it and gave him cold water. He is just very sleepy now – but he’s old and sleeps a lot anyways. He is a very picky eater and I don’t know what kind of soft foods to feed him. He rarely eats canned food and never dry dog food. He wouldn’t eat the vanilla ice cream or strawberry yogurt that I tried to feed him. He licked them each once and didn’t like either. Do you have any suggestions on what I might try to feed him?
thank you! xo
Aw Celeste, that’s a shame.
I would guess it is merely that his tongue is sore just now which is what is putting him off eating and obviously licking with a sore tongue is no fun. I would, instead, try feeding him with something like a wet dog food, directly off a spoon in a chunk so that he isn’t actually licking it as such. Ive only just seen your message and I would hope that by today, he is less uncomfortable and probably more likely to eat anyway.
Fingers crossed he is feeling better
Best wishes
So after noticing that there was blood all over my 11 year old pattie (Diva Dee) stomach and front paws I finally realized it was her tongue bleeding. It was quite a bit of blood too, she would not let me see her tongue and just kept licking her paws and the bedding she was laying on. I watched a video of putting pressure on it until it stopped and she wasn’t having it then I started reading the comments on here and tried the ice ( nope, she still wasn’t having it) I went to put ice back and seen vanilla ice cream that she loves and gave it a try and sure enough she liked on her ice scream then drank a good amount of water and within 5 minutes the bleeding stopped and she is now snug as a bug right beside me. Thanks to all the comments on here..
Wow good stuff!! Im so glad you were able to get things under control for her.
Wishing her all the best with her tongue!!!
Kerry
The thing is I don’t think vets always help. The stress the animal feels and in this case the sutures on a cut (unless it is deep) seem a bit invasive as well. (One person said the sutures just came out anyways)
My dog got snipped on her tongue by a groomer today it is about 1cm or less deep at the very tip of her tonque. I did by instinct use an ice cube, then I phoned the vet they had no appointments for a week. So I had a choice pay triple for the “emergency vet” or go buy antibacterial spray at the pet store. I bought a spray called colloidal silver (holistic) and I gave her some CBD for the pain. The spray seems to be safe but reading online it’s controversial I think due to silver having some effect on the kidneys or liver, I am only using it during this injury time to prevent infection. The cut does not seem worthy of emergency status. The bleeding stopped after 10 minutes, but the next day a very small amount resumed when she ate.
I think she is ok but I will watch and see.
Im sure she will be fine very soon. Hoping she is much more comfortable x
Hi, I have a super energetic cockapoo who went to a new groomer today, while he seemed to have had fun there, the groomer told us he had bit his own tongue. The groomer gave us a bowl of ice so my dog can lick it, he loves ice so that wasn’t an issue. When we got home the bleeding had stopped, so I decided to take a look at the cut. Firstly it isn’t very big but it’s red. Second the cut doesn’t look like he bit it himself, it looks kinda like when you get a really deep paper cut and that flap of skin stays on, if you get what I mean. Personally I think the groomer may have cut his tongue but I’m on here to ask what to do. The ice stopped the bleeding but I don’t know if I should be concerned with the flap of tongue tissue, my dog isn’t in any pain he ate some treats and it acting normally. I’m just worried about that skin that’s flapping around in his mouth (TMI I know sorry) please if you see this let me know if you think I should take him to the vet or if ice will heal him.
Hi Nicole, if there is no bleeding and the dog is not having trouble eating, then I would just watch him but mouths do heal very quickly indeed so I wouldnt be too worried. If he shows any problems in drinking or eating then yes, a vet visit would be a good idea but otherwise, he should be ok provided the cut isnt too deep/extensive.