Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with severe tongue swelling from abscess treated successfully
By Lee, Dohee et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2026·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Successful Medical Management of Severe Macroglossia Associated With Lingual Abscess in a Dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old male French bulldog was brought in with a swollen tongue that made it difficult for him to eat or drink. A CT scan revealed a fluid-filled area in his tongue, which was identified as a lingual abscess (a pocket of infection). The vet treated him by draining the abscess and giving him fluids, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatory medication. Within four days, the swelling went down, and his tongue returned to normal size. He has not had any further issues since treatment ended.
People also search for: dog swollen tongue treatment · French bulldog abscess · dog tongue infection antibiotics
Abstract
A 9 yr old castrated male French bulldog, weighing 13.9 kg, presented with acute tongue swelling. Physical examination revealed marked macroglossia. Computed tomography (CT) showed a cavitary lesion extending from the lingual root to the body with rim enhancement. These CT findings were highly suggestive of a lingual abscess, and the lesion was aspirated. Cytological examination revealed degenerate neutrophils and intracellular bacteria, confirming a lingual abscess. Following aspiration, fluid therapy, systemic antibiotics, and anti-inflammatory dose of prednisolone were administered. The macroglossia improved rapidly, and the tongue size was normalized on day 4. Neisseria animaloris was isolated from the culture of the aspirated fluid. Treatment was discontinued 22 days after presentation, and no recurrence has been reported to date. This case is the first report describing the CT findings of a lingual abscess in a dog and demonstrates a successful outcome with medical management alone, without surgical intervention.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41759895/