# Lab with Tail Injury/"Happy Tail"



## Nate23 (Dec 3, 2010)

Alright folks, I am in need of some advice.

This is Jackson, my 4.5 year old lab.  At 1.5 he pulled a Houdini, jumped the back fence and got hit by a car.  Two total knee rebuilds at UGA Vet Med and several thousand dollars later, Jackson was good to go.







A few months ago, we moved into a new home.  Shortly after moving in, Jackson injured the tip of his tail which has constantly gotten worse in spite of me trying every method known to mad to get it to heal.  I have bandaged it (which is pretty tough if you have ever tried to bandage a dogs tail)  and it is costing me a fortune - approx. $40 per week on gauze, tape, etc.  The bleeding has stopped, for the most part, but the wound secretes a mind-boggling amount of fluid (clear/light brown).  It also smells horrendous.  The vet said it is not infected and he is on oral antibiotics.  I also treat with prescribed antibiotic topical cream and peroxide between each bandage change (2 times per day).

He has been to the vet twice now and the vet believes that we are going to have to remove a portion of the tail.

What do you guys think? Can you think of any method to try out to get this thing to heal up on its own?  I really do not want to amputate a portion of his tail.











I thought about taking him for a second opinion, but still on the fence.  

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Nate


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## bkl021475 (Dec 3, 2010)

I have a buddy whose labs tail got ran over when he was younger, he had it docked like a spaniel and to be honest it looks pretty cool. That's no help to your question but it's not the end of the world if you have to get it docked. Beautiful lab btw.


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## GH22 (Dec 3, 2010)

How did the tail get injured?  That looks painful.


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## Nate23 (Dec 3, 2010)

It started out as just a little worn spot on the tail from wagging it on the concrete.  Then he kept messing with it and licking it.  Then it would scab over and he would knock it on a brick wall or door jam.


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## maker4life (Dec 3, 2010)

I'd try spraying it with Cut Heal before cutting the tail off . That being said that's exactly why breed has short tails .


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## JuliaH (Dec 4, 2010)

It looks like he is still licking it and irritating it. Put that e-collar (shown in your picture) on him and don't take it off unless you are there to watch him closely. 

Bandaging may not be your answer, but good antibiotics, keeping it clean and getting some meds on it that he can't lick off too. 

You vet has some stuff that can probably dry it off and medicate at the same time. Ask about Trypzyme spray and Intracell powder... 

But it IS important, no matter how much the dog hates it, to keep that elizabethan collar on him until completely healed.


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## doyle paulk (Dec 4, 2010)

*try this*

vetericyn read about it at vetericyn.com this stuff works


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## scoggins (Dec 4, 2010)

sea salt water works 


try the e collar and wonder dust (jeffers or valley vet supply)


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## egomaniac247 (Dec 5, 2010)

That's tough....looks like something a vet should be able to take care of easily.   If the vet can't figure it out, you probably won't find the answer here.

But that said, i just can't believe a vet can't fix that.  Maybe time for another vet to take a look?


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## Nate23 (Dec 5, 2010)

scoggins said:


> sea salt water works
> 
> 
> try the e collar and wonder dust (jeffers or valley vet supply)



I will have to look into the wonder dust.



maker4life said:


> I'd try spraying it with Cut Heal before cutting the tail off . That being said that's exactly why breed has short tails .



I have sprayed it multiple times with a form of liquid bandage that also has antiseptic in it.  It hardens up the wound  for a while (maybe a day) then goes right back to an open sore.  We have been through several spray cans of the liquid bandage. 



JuliaH said:


> It looks like he is still licking it and irritating it. Put that e-collar (shown in your picture) on him and don't take it off unless you are there to watch him closely.
> 
> Bandaging may not be your answer, but good antibiotics, keeping it clean and getting some meds on it that he can't lick off too.
> 
> ...



He lives in the E-collar while he is unsupervised.  At first, he could still get to the tip of his tail with the collar on, but we have modified it so that he can't get to it any longer.  The 
Trypzyme spray and Intracell powder look interesting.  I will have to give those a shot.



ekim22 said:


> That's tough....looks like something a vet should be able to take care of easily.   If the vet can't figure it out, you probably won't find the answer here.
> 
> But that said, i just can't believe a vet can't fix that.  Maybe time for another vet to take a look?



Yeah, it doesn't seem like something so minor would be so aggravating and annoying and call for desperate measures such as tail amputation.  The vet is pretty sure a portion of the tail is going to have to be removed.  I am going to take him in for a second opinion this week.  The problem is that the tissue may be necrotic and he just keeps wagging that tail like nobody's business.

Thanks for all the help.


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## pine nut (Dec 5, 2010)

I would reccommend amputation.  Skin does not grow over a hill nor over a valley or crevice. This looks like a degloving wound, and likely it either peeled off at the time of the injury or lost it's blood supply or innervation and peeled off as a result.  I think it will be much better and faster and a more permanent solution to amputate rather than invest in so much time trying to do the very likely impossible!  In the long run less suffering, less time and less money and more permanent cure.  Not doing the amputation will leave a weakened condition of the skin on the tail tip which is an area that on most active dogs gets a heck of a lot of abuse.(read it will be a constant problem).  Take it off just at the next joint above the injury. Do be advised also that with a nerve injury it could continue to slough off above where it is at present.  It would be your Vet's call!


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## pine nut (Dec 5, 2010)

BTW I'm a retired vet.  Forgot to mention it.  Get it off and with a good job on surgery it ought to be the end of his problem.  Only exception I can think of would be if it is a nerve injury... That can be difficult to ascertain.


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## pine nut (Dec 5, 2010)

BTW I'm a retired vet.  Forgot to mention it.  Get it off and with a good job on surgery it ought to be the end of his problem.  Only exception I can think of would be if it is a nerve injury... That can be difficult to ascertain.


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## pine nut (Dec 5, 2010)

BTW I'm a retired vet.  Forgot to mention it.  Get it off and with a good job on surgery it ought to be the end of his problem.  Only exception I can think of would be if it is a nerve injury... That can be difficult to ascertain.


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## pine nut (Dec 5, 2010)

Sorry my computer goofed up and I posted three times!


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## Nate23 (Dec 6, 2010)

No worries - thanks for the info pine nut.  I am trying to get as many opinions as possible.  Jackson's regular vet has recommended surgery as well.  I have spoken with several other people who have been through the issue and it appears that the longer the wound is open the less likely the wound is going to heal.  I have spoken with one person who battled the same injury (less severe than Jackson's) for 6 months.  She had the tip (2 inches) removed from her dog.  The following month, she had to remove the entire tail (2 inches remain) and said she wished she had done the entire tail from the beginning. 

Thanks for all the advice.

Nate


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## gsu51 (Dec 6, 2010)

Nate, 

I have a lab who had the same exact looking issue except it was on his right front leg.  If he was left alone he would alway lick his wrist area.  The hair went first then the hide. The sore looked identical to your dogs tail.  I tried calling our trainer to get the name of the stuff we used but she was out.   Its a purple sticky ointment that dogs don't like the taste of and it sort of crusts over the wound until it heals.  I wish I had the name of it for you.  Another solution may be carterizing the tail.  When my son was born his belly button would not heal up so the doctor used some type of cartarizing agent on a long q-tip painless and did the job in a second.  

I would do everything you can not to amputate.  Labs rely on their tail while swiming an awful lot and I don't think it would be good to take it off.  By the way Im not a vet just a lab owner, I have three Chocolates.  Good looking dog by the way.  That tail looks disgusting though.  I can only imagine what the misses is saying if he gets that stinking juice in the house.


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## Nate23 (Dec 6, 2010)

Thanks, he is a great great dog.  Just a little wild with the tail action.  

Just spoke with the vet and he would like to remove just the portion of the tail that is necrotic.  I am going to schedule an appointment for the surgery and hope that the surgery cures the issue.  I am going to ask for some good pain meds to try to knock him out for a week so that hopefully it will heal up.

The misses is definitely not thrilled with the smell.  We have scrubbed blood spattered walls more times that we would like as a product of the injury.  Bloody and all, he just loves wagging that tail.


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## K-Ro (Dec 21, 2010)

How is it now I have a pointer with the same problem.


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