Tail injury

[SwimmingInTheBlueLagoon]

Please give me positive stories of tail injury getting better and not reoccuring or needing an amputation.

10month old cocker has a cut on the end of his tail. It started as a small graze but he keeps knocking the scab off. Vets have got it in some strange bandage thing which will hopefully allow it to heal but warned me it may come to partial amputation because of how much he smacks his tail against things (he is a super waggy spaniel) meaning he will likely keep on damaging it.

[BiteyShark]

I have no experience of this but you have my sympathies as my cockers tail is a lethal weapon with his wagging.

I did see someone posting previously how they used the inside of a kitchen roll to give it protection whilst allowing it air to heal

[stayathomegardener]

We have a whippet and a lurcher with very thin skin, the whippet is more velvet than fur really so they both split their tails every couple of years.

What I've found is you really have to be super vigilant until it heals.
We keep them on leads in the house or any enclosed spaces outside and take them for super long walks in open fields to wear them out.
It's a real pain but only for a relatively short time, usually about five days.
When whippet did his as a puppy the tail kept splitting as he was so boisterous so the vet provided a week of sedatives which made a huge difference.

[SwimmingInTheBlueLagoon]

I've stopped crating him (vet said it could help, since he often bangs his tail repeatedly against the sides of his crate when I'm coming down in the morning). He is currently walking up and down the landing - hope he settles in just his bed soon. He looked very wtf when I left him.

The bandage thing the vet put on is very odd it's like a mesh sleeve. Apparently it is specifically designed to cushion tail injuries, whilst maximising airflow. If he ever stops wagging long enough for me to get a pic, I will.

Bitey cockers do have seriously waggy tails. Mine even manages to hit his tail on his own ribs as he wags it so enthusiasticly his back end moves with it. I think their low tail carriage makes it worse. My Cavalier is just as waggy but because his is up very high when he wags it doesn't tend to hit things.

Stay he is very boisterous puppy, racing around and wagging constantly. At least he does have a decent amount of fur on his tail though. That's one thing that will hopefully help him.

[SwimmingInTheBlueLagoon]

And whilst I wrote that he seems to have settled down for the night. I can't hear him pacing up and down anymore, anyway.

[BiteyShark]

he wags it so enthusiasticly his back end moves with it

Oh yes ours does that, we call it the wiggle dance as it's so rhythmic . I got hit by ours the other day as he was greeting DH and it really hurts.

Hope it's heals soon as their tails are lovely to watch.

[SwimmingInTheBlueLagoon]

Tail cover is still on. Fingers crossed it stays that way and that his tail is healing well underneath it.

Last night he was good overnight, once he had settled and I think he was happy there in the end. Although my Cav had abandoned Cocker on the landing, got into the lounge and put himself in his crate last night.

[SwimmingInTheBlueLagoon]

He's chewed it off!

He was wearing the cone of shame and he's still managed to chew the damn tail bandage thingy off. He hadn't bothered with it at all until last night.

Wish I could explain to him that if he doesn't leave it alone he could end up having his tail partially amputated.

Back to the vets again

[BiteyShark]

Hopefully it's just the bandage he's chewed and his tails still healing .

Mine when neutered managed to chew the cone of shame off by chewing the plastic connections so I can't even leave him alone with that.

[SwimmingInTheBlueLagoon]

The bandage things are called "dog ends" very bizarre things.

It cost me £30 to have a fresh one put on him so I've just ordered myself a pack of 10 and an applicator - just incase it happens again.

[SwimmingInTheBlueLagoon]

Sadly things aren't looking good. Vets aren't happy with it. If no improvement by next week, they said we will have to seriously consider partial tail amputation .

I wish I could get him to stop being so waggy for a couple of weeks.

[BiteyShark]

Oh no . Stopping a spaniel from wagging its tail is impossible.

I know lots of working spaniels have partial docks anyway but I really love full waggy tails. Why can't they realise they need to help the healing and do as they are told

[SpanielsAreNuts]

As a last resort we tried manuka honey cream - obviously there was a big risk of it making him want to chew / lick his tail because of it. However, thankfully (touching wood) it seem to be paying off. He has to be kept very busy for the first hour after it is put on otherwise he keeps trying to lick it off but after that first hour he leaves it alone and it's working like magic. Vet was really impressed with how much it has healed, after looking so bad.

So fingers crossed he is going to be ok.