Tail injury.

[Hannah4181 260]

My collie cross bitch somehow managed to injure the very tip of her tail when out this morning. The end is open and sore, but more annoyingly she never stops wagging it and is now leaving blood everywhere! Nightmare.

 

Am i right in thinking that i read on here a while ago, for injuries like this, a piece of plastic pipe put over the end and secured with vet wrap will do the job???

 

Or have i totally imagined that!

[amitchell 0]

Damn, at not at home and don't have the internet there so this isn't much use Im afraid but I was flicking through Jackie Drakeford's "House Lurcher" the other night and noticed there was a whole illustrated section on the type of tail injury you describe. If anyone has it to hand maybe someone could look it up? Sure someone with direct experience will come up with something first. Pipe and vetwrap sounds like a good plan to me though and I'd use homeopathic hypericum internally.

Hope she recovers soon, good luck.

[Hannah4181 260]

Thanks, well i couldn't get pipe so had to improvise with some of the thick pipe insulating foam stuff . . . . . it seems to have worked so far, in as much as its still on!

 

And trust me this dog can wag!!

[sounder 9]

have a look at this i just found it and not sure is it any good but it might l help in some way,

Bleeding Tail Tips Bleeding from the end of the tail is a common problem which can be difficult to cure

 

The tail is well supplied with blood, and if the end of the tail gets injured, or if the skin dries and cracks it can bleed profusely. As they get older Giant breeds of dog such as the Irish Wolfhound seem to get dry, cracked skin at the end of the tail which periodically bleeds. What is worse, dogs that wag their tail knock their tail tip on walls, furniture and other objects and this keeps opening up the wound. Various techniques can be used to protect the tail tip from this repeated injury including :

 

• A tail bandage . These are difficult to apply properly and should only be put on by a veterinarian or experienced veterinary nurse. If they are put on incorrectly they act as a pendulum weight and slide off during tail wagging. If they are put on too tight they can cut off blood supply to the end of the tail. Being soft, bandages do not totally stop injury during tail wagging.
   
  
• A hard protective cover (eg a plastic tube) can be strapped into place over the end of the tail tip to protect it. Again, this should be done by a veterinarian or veterinary nurse.

Sometimes a dog resents the presence of a bandage or plastic cover and will bite it causing more damage to themselves in the process so sedation may be needed, or an Elizabethan Collar can be worn to prevent self-trauma to the tail tip or cover.

 

Applying cream, emulsion, emollients or lotions to soften the skin sometimes helps with cracked skin - your veterinarian will advise on the most appropriate product,

 

If infection is present your veterinarian will prescribe an antibiotic.

 

In the worst cases the wound simply will not heal properly and amputation of the tail tip is needed. Unfortunately, this can be frustrating to manage afterwards because the tail tip has to be protected during healing of the surgical wound, otherwise the whole cycle of injury, bleeding, and repeat injury occurs again.

 

atb sounder:thumbs:

[Hannah4181 260]

Thanks sounder.

[TOPPER 1,809]

cardboard kitchen roll tubes are handy for this type of problem , all the best top

[4x4hunter 0]

hose pipe with vet wrap bandage

[tsteve9999 456]

I had this happen on Christmas Eve with my dog, he caught the very tip in the door and it was the tinyest of cuts.

I couldn't believe the blood, it was sprayed over every wall in the house.

We managed to get a few plasters over it and it healed up but it took a week before he stopped spraying everything, mainly because we had so many visitors over the holiday and his tail never stopped wagging.

[Hannah4181 260]

Thanks for all the reply's, i went with the pipe and vet wrap and took it off today to check it, all seems healed and tidy so i'm pleased . . . . . .. i now have a deer chasing mentalist, geriatric JRT, with a swollen face, shredded paws and snake tounge ear wound to deal with! It never stops!