Guest andrealynch Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 So my 13 year old decided to start chewing on her tail yesterday. She first pulled off all the hair and it looked a bit raw--so, I decided to bandage it--and she seemed to be leaving it alone. Luckily, I had an appoinment scheduled at the vet on Friday for shots, so I figured it could wait until then. However, when I came home today, she was all excited to see me, but there was a ton of blood dripping from her tail--and when I looked, I could see the tendon where she chewed it down to! The vet said it was pretty bad, and things like this easily cause OCD in dogs--so she has recommended that we amputate tomorrow morning Poor girl has had so many things go wrong for her--just say some prayers if you can! Thanks! Andrea, Bacardi, and Dynomite (soon to be minus a tail) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UnrulyHounds Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Streamer says that having no tail is SEXY!!!! His tail was amputated twice before I adopted him, once for happytail, then again because he wouldnt leave it alone and opened up the stitches, not the same situation but similar. Believe me she wont miss it I am still sending prayers for an uneventful surgury Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest andrealynch Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Streamer says that having no tail is SEXY!!!! His tail was amputated twice before I adopted him, once for happytail, then again because he wouldnt leave it alone and opened up the stitches, not the same situation but similar. Believe me she wont miss it I am still sending prayers for an uneventful surgury Awesome--thanks for the pic! And I agree--tail-less IS sexy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lynne893 Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 ohhh, how awful for you to come home to that!! sending best wishes for you hound and for YOU! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicocat Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 When I adopted my first greyhound, her tail was caught in the door as the trainer was taking her in at the vet to be spayed. They amputated about 2 inches of her tail and she did just fine. The recovery wasn't difficult at all. Quote Ann Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alexandra_W Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 My B was amputated when I bought him, had 1/3 of his tail amputated, due to a racing days injuri (somehow caught the tail in the starting boxes). Never ever a problem, and he did totally agreed with Streamer - it is sexy We also had to amputate another dog, different breed, vorsteh, not even a singel problem there, and he was happy getting rid of the painful, irritating tail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIGreyLady Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Sterling had to have about 4" removed due to a bad cut that didn't heal. The surgery and recovery was fine though it took a couple of months for the hair to grow back in Quote Mimi- mom to Burdette (KB's Burdette), Sophie (LL's Stupid Is) and bridge babies Kelsey (Kelso's Logo), Sterling (Cold B Tiger), Fritz, Tasha, Chloe and Molly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greytbookert Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Our Annie had her tail mostly amputated before she came to us. She doesn't miss her tail and we surely don't miss it. In fact, we kind of like her half tail or lever, as we call it Good luck with your girl! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greybookends Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Bill lost his tail due to an attack last year that totally degloved his tail. With the other injuries the best thing was to amputate. It took longer to heal than the other wounds but it healed up fine and he has adjusted just fine. Here is his cute little nub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hannah Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Our old whippett was in a RTA and lost the last inch of her tail, she nibbled it and lost another inch when the vet tidied it up it then got infected and antibiotics didn't help so the vet said it was loose the tail or loose the dog. She had a proper docking done by the vet and was left with a 1" stub which she could still wag (along with her entire back end) to tell you how happy she was Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyandHollyluv Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Oh bummer. Andrea - I did a partial cut and paste of what I posted last week to Giselle's mom (sorry I have not mastered all the GT posting features). My Indy aka Stumpy has a 1/2 tail (sorry no digital photo to post): Indy's tail got caught in the door about 4" from the end at the vet's office. Of course, after a very painful what-the-#%!! yelp, Indy started happily wagging his tail and the blood went a-flyin' in the vet's lobby. It looked like a crime scene! Initially, Indy's tail didn't look that bad (it wasn't broken) and they cleaned, sutured, and bandaged him. Put him on antibiotics. I had to take Indy back for frequent dressing changes so the vet could monitor the tissue and healing. If I recall correctly, after 2+ weeks of trying to salvage the tail, unfortunately, blood flow was compromised such that the tissue was dying (the concern being gangrene, sepsis). They have to amputate above the necrotic tissue so Indy sports a 1/2 tail. Indy didn't seem all that bothered by his tail, but was understandably quite sensitive post-amputation). Be sure to protect the new tip of the tail. I used Glad Press'n Seal to wrap around Indy's tail dressing to keep it clean and dry. What a life-saver of a product! Hugs. Dynomite will survive this and it will simply give her more character! Acutally, Indy's pooper and tail look just like Bill's in Post #9, except Indy has a 1/2 tail. Same beautiful brindle markings - perhaps separated at birth!?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeylasMom Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Has she had her surgery? I went through this with my current foster. The bottom 1-2 inches of her tail was dead and hanging by a thread, the next 1-2 inches were chewed raw, down to the tendon. She actually didn't seem to be in that much pain anymore - the vet said that when you're dealing with pain like that for an extended period, the mind just sort of shuts it out. Anyway, she had her surgery, recovered from it with only minor bumps in the road to healing and is totally fine now. She doesn't know its gone and crazy waggy as she is, she hasn't reinjured it (knock on wood). Our vet kept a really well padded bandage on it for some time though, which I think helped with the healing. That, and I kept her muzzled any time I couldn't supervise so she couldn't get the bandage off and do more damage - that will probably be crucial for your girl as well. Sending good thoughts for your (soon to be?) tailless girl! Quote Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart "The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oldNELLIE Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I was left with a huge bruise on my inner thigh as a result of Nellie trying to shake off her jacket while we were on a walk...I am pretty good about jumping out of the way when she is in front of me, but not this time. Her tail is like a whip. Let me know how it goes for you . Just kidding! But mabe I should start telling Nell that dogs are just as happy with out one. (And I think it look cute!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliforniaGreys Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Streamer says that having no tail is SEXY!!!! His tail was amputated twice before I adopted him, once for happytail, then again because he wouldnt leave it alone and opened up the stitches, not the same situation but similar. Believe me she wont miss it I am still sending prayers for an uneventful surgury Wayne agrees! I don't have a pic showing his "no tail" but he lost his because of happy tail. He thinks he's sexy too! Quote Missing my little Misty who took a huge piece of my heart with her on 5/2/09, and Ekko, on 6/28/12 For the sick, the lost, and the homeless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 A friend of mine has a grey who lost most of her tail to a coyote attack. And Dot says "I don't need no stinkin tail" and she's got the cutest little stumpy tail now. Her tail healed up great and you'd never know that she had a long long tail for 11 years! Hope all goes well for your girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhoundlady Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Streamer says that having no tail is SEXY!!!! His tail was amputated twice before I adopted him, once for happytail, then again because he wouldnt leave it alone and opened up the stitches, not the same situation but similar. Believe me she wont miss it I am still sending prayers for an uneventful surgury Wow, Streamer is the exact image of my Saber (Tooth Tiger). He came to me with an amputated tail. He is the most adorable thing ever. This has apparently never bother him. More gorgeous for it IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest andrealynch Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Has she had her surgery? I went through this with my current foster. The bottom 1-2 inches of her tail was dead and hanging by a thread, the next 1-2 inches were chewed raw, down to the tendon. She actually didn't seem to be in that much pain anymore - the vet said that when you're dealing with pain like that for an extended period, the mind just sort of shuts it out. Anyway, she had her surgery, recovered from it with only minor bumps in the road to healing and is totally fine now. She doesn't know its gone and crazy waggy as she is, she hasn't reinjured it (knock on wood). Our vet kept a really well padded bandage on it for some time though, which I think helped with the healing. That, and I kept her muzzled any time I couldn't supervise so she couldn't get the bandage off and do more damage - that will probably be crucial for your girl as well. Sending good thoughts for your (soon to be?) tailless girl! Hey Guys! Thanks for all of the great postings! Yep--she's had her surgery--everything went really well, and she has just a little stump left, which, with her one ear that sticks straight up in the air, really does give her character! She also had her teeth cleaned, so hopefully she is feeling better because of that! The only problem--she didn't really want to wake up, but when I got to the dog hospital, the nurse was making her walk around, trying to get her to wake up. This evening, I had to leave for about 2 hours, and when I got home, she came trotting to the door--looking much better and much more awake!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FullMetalFrank Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Awwww... Sending prayers for speedy healing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamngrey Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Psi had 7" of his tail removed due to happytail issues. He has never missed it. I had to keep an eye on it for the first two weeks to make sure no bumps or licks. But after that healed quickly Quote Cassie: Pikes Clara Bell Swoop: My Man Swoop BRIDGE ANGELS Psi:WD'S Aleford 3/17/00-4/25/10 Snowman: Gable Snowman 1/9/96-2/14/08 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BlackandBrindle Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 There is a girl at the kennel who just has a tiny little nub, like a rottie tale. It's the cutest thing EVER! Glad the surgery was uneventful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tenderhearts Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Lori Ann was my stubber girl! :wub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest andrealynch Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Lori Ann was my stubber girl! :wub: She is too cute--and that is exactly what Dinah's tail looks like now! Funny--your dog has the same name as my sister--same spelling too! I'll have to forward her a picture of your pup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandimom Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Oh yeah! Been through it twice. They do just fine without the tail. We have snow where we live so Brandi's amputated tail gets a little cold in the winter when she goes potty so we made a tail coat (her tail sticks into the ground when she potties). Happy thoughts go your way. Everything will turn out just fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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