It is not uncommon for dogs to break their tails, and it is known that large dog breeds such as Labradors and Hounds get their tails injured very often because they are very long and they easily get the so called ‘tail-wag trauma’ just by banging their tails into objects or wagging.
Tails are very important because they are crucial for communication and balance. Some smaller dogs even use them as playthings. And there is nothing better than seeing your dog wagging his tail all happily when he sees you.
However, it is important to remember that if your dog’s tail is bleeding or pierced, you should never try to set it by yourself; you must go to the vet. Dogs experience severe pain when they get their tails injured, and if you are experienced, you can worsen their condition by trying to help.
The usual symptoms and causes
This article will provide you with the most usual dog broken tail symptoms, so in case you notice something weird about your pet’s tail, you can react immediately and take him to the vet.
If your dog’s tail seems to be swollen, bent, painful, or if your dog has difficulty moving or wagging it, then it is probably broken. However, you should make a difference between a broken tail and a limber tail syndrome (limp tail). This syndrome usually affects the working dogs such as Setters and Pointers, and the cause is the degenerative change to the intervertebral disk spaces. The tail seems broken, but it is not.
A surgical treatment is usually needed or in milder cases, only rest and anti-inflammatory drugs. The sign of this syndrome is when a tail is completely limp or it is held horizontally at the beginning and then drops vertically. In any case, you must take your pet to the vet so he can make sure the diagnosis is right, having in mind that there are many diseases with the similar signs.
Some of the causes include: injuries, bite wounds, lacerations, infections, anus or anal gland problems, neurological disorders, cancer, general body weakness etc.
Common tail injuries
- An avulsion injury or nerve damage is damage to the tail caused by pulling which can affect the nerves and muscles. This injury usually occurs when a dog is hit by a car or the tail gets yanked very hard in some other way. Depending on how serious the damage is, the tail can become limp, stretched, and unable to move or your dog may even be unable to urinate or defecate on his own.
The nerve function of the tail can return in some time, but you will still need the help of a vet. That is why children need to be taught not to pull pets’ tails because it is cruel and inhuman. - Abrasions are incidents that cause a dog’s tail to lose hair, bleed or form scrapes. They can be painful depending on the extent of the damage, and it should be taken care of immediately so the dog’s tail does not get infected. Sometimes even a tail’s tip must be shortened.
- A happy tail is a tail trauma that occurs when a dog keeps repeatedly banging or wagging his tail against a hard surface. This happens a lot to dog breeds which have long and slim tails or to happy and outgoing dogs such as Retrievers or Cavaliers that wag their tails so fast and so much that they get a bleeding ulcer developed at the tail’s tip. When that happens, a tip needs to be amputated. There is no way to stop a dog from getting a happy tail, unless you pay special attention and avoid getting your dog into narrow spaces.
- Fractures are the most common injuries and the tail usually gets broken. A simple fracture can heal on its own, but if the fracture is at the base, a surgery is a must. How can that happen? A dog can get hit by a car, fall from a high place, his tail can get stepped on; get squeezed by the door etc.
This article will provide you with a short guide on how to deal it by yourself, but you should remember that the vet should check the tail in order to make sure that it is not infected. After the tail heals, there is a possibility that there may be a kink or a bump visible on the tail and that is because it is impossible for a dog to hold his tail still all the time. However, that is not painful.
What to do?
One of the ways that you can tell whether your dog’s tail is indeed broken is by watching the way he wags it. If your dog has really got a broken tail, he will be able to wag it only halfway because moving the tail beyond the break would be impossible.
Additionally, if the break is so bad that the bone pierced the skin, prepare yourself for a lot of blood and pain and in this case, take your dog to the vet because the wound is too serious for you to handle it. A dog’s tail tends to bleed heavily once pierced or broken.
Furthermore, if you are experienced or confident enough to tend to your furry friend in case his tail gets broken and you are unable to take him to the vet immediately, here it is what you can do.
That is because tails that are broken at the base can cause a nerve damage which can be very serious and put your pet’s health at risk, not to mention the degree of pain your dog would experience.
But if it is not broken at the base, here it is what you can do:
- First you need to stop the bleeding by grasping the tail gently and pressing down firmly. You should wear gloves at this point and remember that the dog is in pain so you should not force it if you see that you are unable to help.
- After that wash the wound, also gently. You can do it with soap and warm water, it is important for the wound not to get infected.
- Once the wound is clean, you should apply an antibiotic ointment or spray and place the sterile gauze pad over the wound, you can also use a medical tape.
- You will probably also need to immobilize the tail. You can use a chopstick or any other thin piece of wood and place it under the tail and then wrap the tail from the tip to the base by wrapping and overlapping the tape snuggly. This kind of splint is usually kept for one or two weeks, and your pet will need painkillers, so you should ask your vet which ones are the most suitable for your dog.
- You should pay in mind that this guide should be done only if you are confident; otherwise, if you do not wrap or clean the broken tail properly, you will do more harm to your dog than good which can lead to serious infections and a badly healed tail that can turn up deformed.
- Even if you manage to help your pet and his broken tail at home, that does not mean that you should not take him to the vet as soon as possible, because only a professional can assess how serious the damage is and whether there is anything more that needs to be done.
However, most broken tails that are not near the base do not require any serious treatment other than painkillers and time for them to heal. There may be a kink in the tail, but that is not painful.
After your dog’s broken tail is taken care of, then you should pay attention that he does not injure himself again.
Monitor his moving and do not make him walk or jump too much. It should take up to two weeks for the tail to heal (depending on the seriousness of the injury) but you should love and show more care than usual to your pet.
To sum up, pet injuries involving broken tails are not unusual at all, and they are usually not serious, but only if the tail is not broken at the base. The tail can be even just bruised or bitten, and we have mentioned some of the possible symptoms and causes above.
The most important thing is that you must react immediately, especially if the tail is bleeding, and go to the vet if you are unable to give first aid by yourself. A dog’s tail is very crucial and important and it should not be taken lightly.