[Hudson]

Hudson has a wonderful thick tail and he usually holds it high on our walks. This morning when we went walking I noticed his tail is just hanging. He can wag it very slightly and when he squats to pee it does move out at the right angle.
What can I do or has any one else had this problem?
I did contact my chiropractor and have asked if he could see him, but I don't know how much dog experience he has!
I also cant recall him doing any thing to injury his tail, although last night he acted strangely when he jumped off the bed.
Another question, can dogs take human anti imflamitory tablets or do I need to visit the vet... just thinking his tail may be inflamed even though it doesn't appear to hurt him.

 

[hotel4dogs]

sounds like he has "dead tail", has he been swimming and/or had a bath?
My Tito just got over it, someone else on the forum's dog did, too.
It's an injury to the tail, and it's somewhat painful for the dog. I gave Tito 1/2 a rimadyl (you can give aspirin, but check with your vet) for 2 days and he was fine. It normally takes a few days for it to go away.
You can google "limp tail syndrome", "limber tail syndrome", "dead tail syndrome", you'll find a lot of information. It's very common!

 

[Hudson]

Thanks for the info and link,if he is not feeling better tomorrow may take him to get some Rimadyl.

 

[Maxs Mom]

"Dead tail", "cold tail", "limp tail" are all pretty much the same thing. Most commonly associated with a lot of swimming activity, or dock jumping. I think it has to do with the way dogs hold their tails as they hit the water, and it "sprains" it sort of.

You mentioned he jumped off the bed and behaved strangely, he could have "injured" it then and gotten the same result. Some dogs this is very painful in, some don't seem to care. It does usually take a couple days to go away. An anti inflammatory is helpful to reduce pain and any swelling. I think you should put a call into your vet today, and get their opinion. There isn't much you can do, but getting on an NSAID earlier rather than later if your dog is uncomfortable, could be a good thing.

This is not serious, however it can happen more than once. Some dogs seem prone to it. I would just call in and get your vets opinion. If they say wait then fine.

 

[Hudson]

I have an appointment this morning for Hudson at the vets. I did tell them what he had and asked if could just pick up Rimadyl, but insisted he needed an appointment.

 

[Oaklys Dad]

I hope Hudson gets the wag back in his flag soon. Keep us posted.

 

[goldhaven]

I was very interested in this post because my Phoebe had this about a month ago. She was swimming and she had been snapping at the bees and all of a sudden she started snapping at her tail. I thought that she had been stung by a bee so I began checking her over and I couldn't find anything. She continued to snap at her tail for a while and I distracted her by throwing her toys in the pool. The next day when we were out in the pool, I noticed that her tail was drooping. She was due for her annual vet visit so while we were there I asked the vet to check her tail. The vet said that it wasn't broken and within a few days it was fine. I never did know what it was until I read this thread. I love this forum it is so informative.

 

[Hudson]

Hudson's tail is much better tonight after a visit to the vet and an injection of anti inflammatory.He also has anti inflammatory tablets. He seems much happier after checking with the link posted.... read it could be painful and obviously it was. Still it remains a mystery how his tail drooped!!