black tongue

[chysun]

Can anyone help my friend has her horse in a livery yard and a new horse has just arrived. The new one is quite skinny and she told the owner that she thought it needed its teeth done as it was dropin the feed out of its mouth.
She then noticed that its tongue appears to be black obviously this isnt normal does anyone know what it could be.?

[showcatbenga]

This horse may just have a tongue with skin that is dark coloured. If you can look inside a horse's lips (without getting bitten) you will find that some have dark marks on the lip skin &/ or gums.
"Quidding" is the correct name for a horse dropping partially chewed fodder from it's mouth. To qualify it must be partially chewed & will be seen on the floor in soggy, chewed looking lumps. Just allowing bucket feed to fall from the mouth while eating is called greedy! lol.
You describe the new horse as 'quite skinny' but it may just be a lot fitter than the horses you are used to looking at. Hunters, eventers, team 'chasers, driving horses & long distance competitors will not carry as much weight as a happy hacker or an occasional competitor at dressage/show jumping. There is a recognised scale for scoring the body condition of a horse. The BHS, your vet or instructor will probably be able to explain it to you.

[Clanad]

I'd be concerned enough to isolate my horse from the one experiencing difficulties. At the very worst, it could be foot and mouth at the other end of the seriousness spectrum, it could be the horse has been in white clover or other plant that pis home to fungal infections which the horse has ingested (easily treatable).
Additionally, I would hope the owner seeks help from a veterinarian as soon as possible.
The affliction also sounds like a possible case of vesicular stomatitis (VS), a highly contagious disease. Although I doubt the black colored tongue is indicative, but rather secondary (if at all), a thorough examination of the horses mouth needs to be accomplished and this, especially if the horses mouth is really sore, can only be done under sedation.
Here in the western U.S., we have ranch working horses. In the spring another type of stomatitis can be encountered if the horse is in a pasture that has broomtail, foxtail or other grasses that have awns... the sharp ended seed pods that flare and give the grasses the distinctive "tail" look. These can become imbedded in the lips, mouth and tounge of the horse. A typical diagnostic observation is the horse tends to slobber a great deal. Making sure the horse has a lot of water is important, but, again, an examination by a vet is paramount...

Good luck!

[cheries]

I would be extremely concerned about the welfare of this horse; whilst I have owned horses since I was 5 (I'm 31) I have not heard of this before and no-one on here should be giving you any other advice other than for your friend to contact the vet to ascertain the safety of her own horse and also that of the new animal in question. For the sake of the new horse alone I would recommend a call to the vet; there's no wonder the poor creature's thin if s/he can't swallow food properly.

[figure]

Excuse me Cheries?????
"no-one on here should be giving you any other advice"

Haven't you ever had a situation or problem you knew nothing of and asked someone their opinion or what they thought?

If Chysun wasn't concerned about the condition of the animal they would not have asked. If you read Showcatbenga and Clanad responses you would see where they made suggestions of examination by a vet.

This is a questions and answers site. The answers given may not be a solution, but at least one gets input from others which might be helpful to them in making a valid decision. There are many experience and knowledgeable people on here.

[cheries]

Nope; if you check the top of the page you'll see a notice by AB encouraging users to garner opinions here rather than use the site as a diagnostic tool. Personally I'd have contacted the vet by now. But that's just my opinion (which, by your answer, you are giving me licence to broadcast).
Now if there were to be a vet on this site who could give some advice, maybe that would be another matter...although most vets I know would be very reluctant to diagnose a condition without having sight of the animal in question.

[cheries]

Anyway, I hope your friend's horse acquaintance is ok.

[Noweia]

Vets are definitely not very keen on posting an opinion without seeing an animal!

Fortunately here in the UK Vesicular Stomatitis is rare in horses. Horses do not get foot and mouth disease! However they can carry the virus.

There are plenty of legitimate reasons why a horse could be thin and quidding. His owner may already be aware that his teeth are giving him problems and he could be thin solely due to not being able to eat properly.

What did the owner say when your friend mentioned the horses needed a dental?

[chysun]

I certainley didnt mean to start a riot !!
Calm people !
I have also had horses all my life but have never ever come across this .
I always believe that you learn everyday with horses and many people experience new things daily . Therefore we learn through others experiences and them from us.
It is good to be able to reach out to people in the off chance someone has experienced this. advice given is appreciated.
Of course a vet should be called but it isnt her horse and there are knowledgable folk on this site.
I have passed on the info to my friend and she has since tried to prompt the owner to get the vet unfortuanetly to no avail yet.
I have told her if it where me id contact my own vet to ensure there is no threat to my own horse (as advised)which is what she is going to do.
Thank you all for your knowledge and advice i appreciate it.