WreckitWhippet Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 It looks like one of our dogs may have broken it's tail, around about the 6th joint. We don't know how and we can't xray until tomorrow but I am fearing the worst. There is no obvious trauma to the outside of the tail and there's not a huge amount of swelling but it's basically limp from about the 6th joint down. He can still wiggle his bum and wag the first part. I feel sick looking at him, I'm sure there's some pain but there's not much we can do until the vet opens. Has anyone treated a broken tail and had it look normal and function again ? We are very sad , as he's one of our top winning dogs and I'd hate his career to end so soon, as well as being in any pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pointers Rule Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 (edited) Is there any movement at the end of the tail at all Warley??? I have read that if it is attended to straight away they are able to retain the whole tail. Edited January 1, 2008 by Pointers Rule Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted January 1, 2008 Author Share Posted January 1, 2008 (edited) Is there any movement at the end of the tail at all Warley??? Nope, not that I can see. It appears limp, he can wag the top but but nothing else that I can see. There doesn't appear to be a large trauma site, not a large amount of swelling, he basically looks normal except for the fact that it's not working. I don;t know what he's done ETA i read the same thing Edited January 1, 2008 by Warley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janba Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 (edited) I had a dally bitch that broker her tail at the fourth vertebrae. There was a lot of pain and reluctance to move it at the time, but it healed OK and she had full function. She did have a thickening of the tail at that point for the rest of her life. ETA Could it be frozen? Sometimes happens after cold water like a bath or swimming or a trauma. The tail paralyses temporarily but does recover fully. Edited January 1, 2008 by Janba Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted January 1, 2008 Author Share Posted January 1, 2008 I've called the vet and left a message, the vet on call is not the one that I prefer, I'd hoped to get one of the other three. He must be with another client at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pointers Rule Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 ETA Could it be frozen? Sometimes happens after cold water like a bath or swimming or a trauma. The tail paralyses temporarily but does recover fully. I was thinking "limp tail" but if there is no movement it sounds more like it might be broken. Chad hurt his tail a few days ago so I have done a bit of reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted January 1, 2008 Author Share Posted January 1, 2008 I'm trying to find as much info as possible before I go to the vets. I know many vets would say dock straight away if a break is the case and I want to know what other options there are, if it's the worst case scenario. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted January 1, 2008 Author Share Posted January 1, 2008 ETA Could it be frozen? Sometimes happens after cold water like a bath or swimming or a trauma. The tail paralyses temporarily but does recover fully. I was thinking "limp tail" but if there is no movement it sounds more like it might be broken. Chad hurt his tail a few days ago so I have done a bit of reading. I thought at first that maybe he'd put his back out and was dropping the tail, as they do when they have back pain. But it's now obvious that it works for the first so many joints and then nothing. I'm hoping that it's not a major dislocation, as I would expect to see more swelling and a knink in the tail. The tail itself is straight, unlike many of the sideways kinks that you associate with breaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 Do you have some vet wrap or similar you could use, to make a nice firm splint for it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuralPug Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 My neighbours had a mutt (huge schnauzery looking thing) that broke his tail right smack in the middle. Vet didn't even splint it - said it would heal on it's own and it did, a little crooked, but otherwise fully functional. But I also know of dogs who've needed broken tails amputated due to nerve injuries, sorry. I don't think you can predict either way without a professional opinion. I did find a personal experience webpage with some interesting links here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted January 1, 2008 Author Share Posted January 1, 2008 Just did a couple of checks over the phone with the vet, re feeling and bloody supply and he has both. I think the damage is limited but still painfull. We we whack him on some anti inflamatory pain relief tonight and will assess him again tomorrow and xray to see if it's broken. Vet said they would not touch is anyway as they are not specialist surgeons. I just let the girls across from the other yard into the kennels to feed them and he wanted to play with them, he seems quite happy just in some pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shantiah Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 Italian Greyhounds frequently break their tails. It can be as simple as shaking or wagging their tail too hard and close to something like a table or door frame. Some people think it is a dislocation, some an actual break. I have never had any of mine xrayed. Symptoms range from swelling, kinked tail, bent tail (at right angle to the rest of the tail ) and "dead" tail. None have ever required amputation and I have one old girl who breaks hers once or twice a year Treatment is simple. You can either leave the tail and hope it heals straight. If it starts to bend, make a splint for the tail. I have used paddlepop sticks, syringes cut in half longways etc. Depends on how thick your tail is but you can improvise with all sorts of things. Get some elastoplast type tape and wrap the tail. If you have a splint underneath then you can wrap around the tail. If you dont use a splint make a "sandwich" with two pieces of tape stuck together then trim the edges. You DO NOT want to tape too tightly as if you cut off the blood supply you will need amputation. With the tail sandwich this is virtually impossible. Leave this on for 4 - 6 weeks. My IGs have gone on to win Royal BOB's with broken tails so it shouldn't cut your dog's show career short Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cody Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 My BF's Old English Sheepdog has a broken tail at the moment. He's not showing any signs of being in pain, although we're sure he probably is. His tail is limp and has a large sore on his tail too. I hope your dog gets better soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted January 1, 2008 Author Share Posted January 1, 2008 Italian Greyhounds frequently break their tails. It can be as simple as shaking or wagging their tail too hard and close to something like a table or door frame. Some people think it is a dislocation, some an actual break. I have never had any of mine xrayed. Symptoms range from swelling, kinked tail, bent tail (at right angle to the rest of the tail ) and "dead" tail. None have ever required amputation and I have one old girl who breaks hers once or twice a year Treatment is simple. You can either leave the tail and hope it heals straight. If it starts to bend, make a splint for the tail. I have used paddlepop sticks, syringes cut in half longways etc. Depends on how thick your tail is but you can improvise with all sorts of things. Get some elastoplast type tape and wrap the tail. If you have a splint underneath then you can wrap around the tail. If you dont use a splint make a "sandwich" with two pieces of tape stuck together then trim the edges. You DO NOT want to tape too tightly as if you cut off the blood supply you will need amputation. With the tail sandwich this is virtually impossible. Leave this on for 4 - 6 weeks. My IGs have gone on to win Royal BOB's with broken tails so it shouldn't cut your dog's show career short I've got some vet wrap, which is good stuff and only sticks to itself. I'll see what the xray shows and will work on splinting from there. If it is broken, the good news is that it's not sticking out at some weird angle Poor little man, he was all set for a big 2008 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsforall Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 hi warley i had one that hurts it's tail from around the first joint whole tail was limp and when you would pinch it he didn't even notice the vet wanted to remove it but i wanted to wait good news is he kept his tail and never had a problem with it bad news he never wagged it again he was never in pain from the tail as it was completely numb so i didn't see the harm in him keeping it but would have took it off had it caused problems had to be careful that it didn't get caught in things as he couldn't feel it or try and remove it given the same choice i would def keep the tail if possible next time but hopefully there won't be a next time i still have no idea how it happened but he lived out the rest of his life very happy and it was cute in a weird sort of way best of luck and paws crossed it is just something minor and rest will fix it dfa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny123 Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 It's not this is it http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/coldtail.html ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rysup Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 (edited) I used to groom a CKCS who broke his tail and had to have it amputated Probably not a common thing though, I would hope. Edited January 1, 2008 by Rysup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny123 Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 Is it one of the Pointers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Monster Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 I'm guessing it's Clarkie? I've seen him with a few congrats on show wins (from lurking in the Pointers thread) Hope everything is ok Warley! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted January 1, 2008 Author Share Posted January 1, 2008 The more I look at it and the more I read, the more it looks like cold tail. He hasn't been exposed to water and he's super fit but I guess that it can happen anyway, it is said that it can be associated with hard workouts and he's certainly on the go all of the time. He looks a little better this morning after a dose of anti-inflamatory. He's a bit upset that he was let out of the kennels with the Pugs and not the other Pointers Poor Clarkie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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