Q:  My female Chihuahua named Sugar has no teeth on the sides of her mouth. You had previously answered my concerns regarding this. However, I am now concerned because Sugar always has her tongue hanging out of the left side of her mouth. Will this make her tongue dry out? She has a very long tongue. 

A:  In most cases like you have described, a dog’s tongue should be O.K. The tongue may look dry at times, but, again in most cases, a dog will bring in his/her tongue to moisten it ever so often. However, I would still monitor Sugar’s tongue to make sure it is not splitting, cracking or turning black at the tip. This most likely will not happen! If necessary, a surgery to shorten the tongue can be performed. Because of Sugar’s lack of teeth on the sides of her mouth and the tongue issue, however, it is always best to bring her to your vet who can actually inspect Sugar and make sure everything is O.K.