Guest Latch Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 I have a very friendly big boy and we can't get his tail to heal! The very tip of his tail is constantly being re-injured when he wags it into things. Even when we are very careful and make sure he doesn't hit it on anything, just the pressure from him wagging it so hard makes it bleed! We were keeping it wrapped up in bandages, but realized it would probably never heal that way because air wasn't getting to it. Plus, most of the time he was pulling the bandage off anyway. We have also tried the bitter spray, but he just licks that too! It seems as if I am doomed to wiping up blood the rest of my life (or his anyway)...thank goodness we have tile floors and semi-gloss paint! Is there anyone out there who has tried something that works for a vicarious tail wagger like mine?? Thanks!! Someone had suggested shaving the end of his tail and using the liquid bandage, or new skin over the wound, but that didn't work! He ripped it off, making his tail so much worse ...any ideas of what to try next?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest spider9174 Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 (edited) Ah...happy tail. You will need to keep it wrapped until it has hair on it. If you are able to keep the end open to air, you will have some air circulation to help the scap form. If the tail is bleeding, you need to wrap it each dai until you have a good scab. Once the scab forms, you can keep rewrap every other day. You can use a few things to help keep it open to air. Once you have a good scab and you see skin forming, you can take a form a hair curler and put it around the end of the tail, leaving the bottom open. Use surgical tape to wrap up the tail and then cover the surgical tape with vet wrap. You need to use some type of cushion so it doesn't get reinjured. Depending on the severity of the wound, it could take a few months to completely heal with hair. The hair helps protect it. If you leave it unwrapped too soon and there isn't any hair, it could easily be reinjured. there have been a couple of threads on happy tail. i there were where a number of ideas on how to protect it, check them out. ETA...to help keep the bandage on, wrap hair into the surgical tape. This will help grip the hair; don't wrap hair into the vet wrap. When you remove the bandage, you can use bandage scissors to cut away the vet wrap and then manually unwrap the surgical tape. If you have to, muzzle your pup for a couple of days to keep him from pulling at the tail. I had a foster that I muzzled (with a poop cup) when I couldn't watch him. If I didn't, he'd have the tail bandage off in no time. See this website: http://www.grassmere-animal-hospital.com/b..._happy_tail.htm good luck. Edited January 16, 2008 by spider9174 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest charmsmom Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 I have managed to keep a bandage on a tail for about 12 hours. Charm has happy tail right now, and busts it open almost every day. My next step is going to be super glue covered with a cotton ball after a while. The super glue deadens the nerves (so it doesn't hurt) and holds the cotton ball on so it doesn't get banged. The other option you have is a tampon. It will hold on to the tail a little better, and absorb any blood, plus it's breathable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest taylorsmom Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 I had absolutely no luck using liquid bandage and trying to keep it open to the air to heal. So I used the pink sponge of a curler on the end of Rita's tail (my vet shaved the fur off, making it so much worse!). I slit the sponge lengthwise like a hotdog bun and put the end of her tail into it. Then I wrapped vet wrap all the way up her tail and fastened it at the top with lots of elastikon, leaving the other end of the tail wrap slightly open to get some air. Then I smeared bitter lime gel all over the entire bandage, and that was enough to keep her from chewing on it (I had to reapply the gel at least once or twice a day). I was able to get two or three days out of that bandage before it fell off or was so dirty-looking I had to change it. It took about a month of constant wrapping, but she finally did heal beautifully. It was a year ago this February, and so far (knock on wood) no reoccurrence, since I know the scarred area can be susceptible to reinjury in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greytexplorer Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 I have managed to keep a bandage on a tail for about 12 hours. Charm has happy tail right now, and busts it open almost every day. My next step is going to be super glue covered with a cotton ball after a while. The super glue deadens the nerves (so it doesn't hurt) and holds the cotton ball on so it doesn't get banged. The other option you have is a tampon. It will hold on to the tail a little better, and absorb any blood, plus it's breathable. Please explain how to attach the tampon to the tail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahicks51 Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 Latch> Do you crate your hound at all? The bars of a crate can do a lot of damage with happy, happy dogs. Quote Coco (Maze Cocodrillo) Minerva (Kid's Snipper) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest charmsmom Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 I have managed to keep a bandage on a tail for about 12 hours. Charm has happy tail right now, and busts it open almost every day. My next step is going to be super glue covered with a cotton ball after a while. The super glue deadens the nerves (so it doesn't hurt) and holds the cotton ball on so it doesn't get banged. The other option you have is a tampon. It will hold on to the tail a little better, and absorb any blood, plus it's breathable. Please explain how to attach the tampon to the tail. That can be done with medical tape. You take out the hollow plunger if it's too small to fit around the tail. Otherwise, you just extend and stick the tail in it, and tape it on. It goes further up the tail so it doesn't come off so easily. The applicator protects the tail and the tampon absorbs the fluid. Cardboard applicators are a little more breathable than plastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Latch Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 Latch> Do you crate your hound at all? The bars of a crate can do a lot of damage with happy, happy dogs. We do crate him if we are gone during the day. We are working on making him lie down and be still before he can get out of the crate so that's working to calm him down some. We have started leaving him out of the crate more and more though because I figured him banging his tail in the crate wasn't helping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahicks51 Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 Latch> Do you crate your hound at all? The bars of a crate can do a lot of damage with happy, happy dogs. We do crate him if we are gone during the day. We are working on making him lie down and be still before he can get out of the crate so that's working to calm him down some. We have started leaving him out of the crate more and more though because I figured him banging his tail in the crate wasn't helping A-yup. That'll do a lot of damage sometimes. Along with any bandaging, try working on the "alone time," and (if needs be) muzzling to make sure he doesn't get into the cookie jar while you're out. If it works, everyone could be a lot happier and the tail could heal more quickly. Quote Coco (Maze Cocodrillo) Minerva (Kid's Snipper) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest crazy4greys Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 (edited) Did you try the curler method I posted in your I'm new thread? I see you tried, but he keeps taking it off. Maybe you could give him a frozen kong filled with treats and peanutbutter. It may keep him occupied and he will forget about his tail being wrapped. Use a pink hair roller bought at any drug store and cut it length wise like a hot dog bun. Put on some neosporin and insert the tail and leave space at the end so the tail it not right at the end. Wrap it up with elastikon or another type of sticky bandage and leave covered for 3-4 days, then change. Keep doing this until the tail is all healed. You can buy Elastikon here. Edited January 18, 2008 by crazy4greys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Latch Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Did you try the curler method I posted in your I'm new thread? I see you tried, but he keeps taking it off. Maybe you could give him a frozen kong filled with treats and peanutbutter. It may keep him occupied and he will forget about his tail being wrapped. Use a pink hair roller bought at any drug store and cut it length wise like a hot dog bun. Put on some neosporin and insert the tail and leave space at the end so the tail it not right at the end. Wrap it up with elastikon or another type of sticky bandage and leave covered for 3-4 days, then change. Keep doing this until the tail is all healed. You can buy Elastikon here. THANKS!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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