Guest momof2greatgrey Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 We believe it happened at the groomers but nonetheless, the tip of her tail has been bleeding since Thursday afternoon. We wrap it and get the bleeding to stop pretty quick, but then she gets excited about something, starts wagging, and you see fresh blood from bandage again. The wound is not large and not bleeding a lot. This is typically something we should be able to treat on our own but how do you keep such a happy girl from wagging her tail?? My house looks like a war zone with small blood splatters everywhere. Anyone have any wrapping suggestions or something to put on it tonight to help it heal quickly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Happy tail takes forever to heal. You're going to have to keep it wrapped for about 3 weeks to make sure it totally heals before taking the wrap off. You can use thick telfa pads, the no stick kind, then wrap with a little gauze wrap and then vet wrap. I have heard of some people putting gauze on it and then one of those foam curlers and then vet wrap. Make sure not to wrap it too tightly or you'll cut off the circulation to the tail. If you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself, your vet can wrap it. Quote Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tallgreydogmom Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 (edited) This wrapping really does stay on for a few days. One of our greyhounds has a Happy Tail and we also look like a war zone. I'm thinking about getting the clear plastic to put on certain walls. http://www.grassmere-animal-hospital.com/bald_thighs_comedones_happy_tail.htm#Happy%20tail About healing quickly. Let me know if you discover something. Best of Luck Edited February 13, 2011 by Tallgreydogmom Quote Then God sent the Greyhound to live among man and remember. And when the Day comes, God will call the Greyhound to give Testament, and God will pass judgment on man. (Persian Proverb) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houndtime Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Idol came to us with a really bad case of happy tail. We kept her tail wrapped in 1/4 pipe insulation for about 6 weeks. We checked her wounds and changed her bandage every few days, but the covering remained on. We were lucky that she didn't bother with it. Quote Irene Ullmann w/Flying Odin and Mama Mia in Lower Delaware Angels Brandy, John E, American Idol, Paul, Fuzzy and Shine Handcrafted Greyhound and Custom Clocks http://www.houndtime.com Zoom Doggies-Racing Coats for Racing Greyhounds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Energy11 Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 (edited) You can use QUIKSTOP (*the stuff for when you cut the quick on nails) on the bleeding area, and then, I wrap the tail in a LARGE bandaid, the, tape the sponge part of a sponge curler (roller) and take it over the bandaid... (*sports tape works well)... the sponge part protects the tail, and believe me ... it worked last year at MT. Hounds, when Oakly had the bloody tail from HE --... in the rental cabin! Good Luck! Edited February 13, 2011 by Energy11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AEB Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Sadie was notorious for her happy tail! And we still find blood here and there. We once awoke to what felt like being sprinkled by warm syrup- nope- blood. Everywhere! The walls, ceiling, inside the closet (doors were open) every piece of clothing, bedding, the carpet, coated with spatter. She had stood on her tail getting up and ripped open a fresh happy tail wound. Mess does not describe it. We probably dealt with it half a dozen times in ten years. Once it would not stop bleeding (pricker through the tip) and we had to take her to the vet. He shaved the tip and used what looked like a big match to cauterize it. He gave us extras. Then the procedure was gauze pad, gauze, then very sticky elastic bandage tape. Change bandage weekly until scab healed. We found the bandage wrap provided by the vet really held on and could be applied so the whole bandage was fairly loose. We also tried to keep her in the open when she wagged! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mcsheltie Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 It took me two months to get Breeze's tail to heal. I found a sheet of air conditioner insulation for $1 at Walmart and wrapped it to her tail with Elastikon. The end was open so it could get air. It would stay on for about five days. Each time it fell off I would cut the insulation to a different length, so the tape was on a different part of her tail. This kept the hair from getting pulled out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zombrie Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Everyone has already said it all, but I want to put emphasis on making sure you don't wrap it too tight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AEB Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Yes, move where the tape grabs. I forgot to add this. So the tail does not get raw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Greyt_dog_lover Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 With my fosters that have had this issue, I take a tampon tube and put that over the end of the tail (post care to wound), then tape the tube to the tail interweaving into the hair so that it cannot be pulled off. Yes you have to cut some hair when you remove the tube, but it is virtually lick-proof as well as they can smack that thing around without worry of re-injury. Chad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Smiley Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Yep, you've got happy tail. And it really does make a huge mess in the house (oxyclean works great for clean-up and Mr. Clean Magic Erasers for the dried blood on the walls, etc.). We used styptic powder on the tail tip to make it stop and we've also used Neosporin. With the Neosporin, we apply to the cut and then to the last inch of fur on the tail-we kind-of rub in on and then twirl the fur to create a seal if that makes sense. Other than that, we make an effort to grab the tail when it wags close to walls, etc. while it heals. We've done this with Peanut and now Gus and it's no fun. We finally gave up on painting on all the spots Peanut's tail got to and repainted . Now we've got Gus and we're back to the beginning . Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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