It is a simple fact: dogs wag their tails. The wagging tail is a communication tool in the canine world, so a dog that does not wag his tail is a dog with a problem.
If the fracture is located at the tip of the tail, it usually heals well without any treatment, although the tail may have a bump or kink at the fracture site. If the bones in the tail are crushed, part of the tail may have to be amputated. Injuries near the base of the tail often involve nerve damage and are more serious.
The tail is an important part of a dog`s anatomy and is actually an extension of the spine. The bones of the tail (vertebrae) are bigger at the base and get smaller toward the tip. Soft discs cushion the spaces between the vertebrae and allow flexibility. The tail muscle and nerves facilitate tail movement. This complex tail structure of bone, muscles, nerves, and blood vessels can easily be injured.
Fractured Tail. Like any other bones, tail vertebrae can break. Very often a fractured tail occurs when a dog is hit by a car, falls off a porch or bed, or has his tail slammed in a door. The location of the fracture has a lot to do with how serious it is.
Nerve damage. The nerves in the tail are protected by the bony vertebrae, but they can be injured nonetheless. Avulsion injuries are caused when the tail is pulled strenuously stretch or tear nerves, while breaks near the base of the tail may sever nerves. Tail pull injuries can cause damage to nerves higher up in the spinal cord that control urination and defecation.
Nerve Damage Can Affect Bowel Movements
Your dog’s tail holds a lot of nerves. Breaks, especially at the base of the tail, can damage these nerves.
Nerve damage is never ideal. But nerve damage in the tail can be especially distressing. Some nerves and muscles at the base of your dog’s tail connect to their bladder and rectum. You can imagine the consequences of injuring the nerves controlling urination. If your once potty-trained pup has lost control of their bowel movements, an injury could be to blame.
If your pup has lost control of their bladder, dog wipes can help keep them clean and comfortable until the issue is rectified.
Growths, Masses, and Swelling on the Tail
Masses and growths may be small or large, and they may be firm or soft and filled with fluid, depending on the underlying cause. Some masses are painful while others are not.
Schedule an appointment with your veterinarian for evaluation and possible testing, such as a needle sample to assess cells, if you see any of the following:
Abrasions, lacerations, and degloving are all common tail injuries.
Abrasions are superficial wounds that usually result in hair loss, reddened skin, and sometimes scabbing or mild bleeding. These are often caused by trauma or rubbing the tail against a rough surface.
Treatment usually includes cleaning the area with gentle soap and water and keeping your dog from licking it with an Elizabethan collar.
If an abrasion starts to bleed excessively, becomes swollen, or leaks, take your dog to see the vet.
Lacerations usually go deeper through the skin, and they can even affect the muscle, nerves, and sometimes bone. Bleeding is often severe. Your dog may continue wagging their tail while bleeding, which can create a messy scene.
If your dog has an actively bleeding laceration, place a towel around their tail and/or hind end and get your dog to a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Degloving injuries are also very common. This type of injury occurs when the skin of the tail is fileted back to expose the underlying tissue, nerves, and muscle. These injuries often require tail amputation unless they are minor.
Minor degloving injuries are treated by cleaning and bandaging the wound, plus an Elizabethan collar to avoid chewing and licking off the bandage during healing.
Degloving injuries should always be treated by a vet.
Your dog may also break, or fracture, their tail. Common causes of tail fractures include falling or having their tail closed in a door. You may see an obvious kink or displacement, swelling, signs of pain when you try to touch the tail, or even open wounds.
Knowing the location of the fracture helps determine treatment and healing. If the fracture is at the base of the tail, or if there’s nerve damage from a crushing injury to the vertebrae (such as from slamming the tail in a door), tail amputation may be required. Fractures located at the tail tip usually heal on their own, although though they can leave a permanent bump.
An avulsion injury occurs when a dog’s tail is pulled and causes breakage or severe stretching of the nerves.
In severe cases, dogs can become incontinent, as many of the nerves in the tail also control urination and defecation.
Some types of fractures can also cause nerve damage, which can be detrimental if this occurs at the base of the tail. Nerve function may return with time, but more often, the damage is irreversible and may require further therapy or even tail amputation.
Some dogs have neurologic degenerative diseases (such as degenerative myelopathy) that cause nerves to malfunction, and this affects the tail and the hind end. The most common breed affected by this disorder is the German Shepherd, although other large breeds such as the Great Dane are also commonly affected.
K9 VET – Cold Tail or Limp Tail
A dog can do a lot of things with his tail; wag, knock your wineglass off the low table, smack you in the face. All things considered, his tail is a pretty active part of his dog body. Active parts of any living creature can get injured.
The most common injury we see at the hospital is a degloving injury. This is when the skin on the tail, usually the tip, gets pulled back. You might think that a little tail injury is no big deal, but these wounds love to bleed all over the place. A good way to get your dog to the vet for repair without ruining the interior of the car is to ball up a sock and shove it into the toe of a long sock, and then slide the long sock over the length of your dog’s tail. You can adhere the sock to your dog’s fur with paper tape. Usually these injuries require stitches.
When tails get crushed, like when a tail gets caught in a door, they can break. Pain medications, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories may be prescribed to reduce swelling and pain for the break itself. The site needs to be monitored daily for any signs of the tail’s tissue dying. Color change to the skin at the injury-site, skin not healing, or foul odor are all things that need to be addressed with your veterinarian right away.
As a little side note on the crushed tail: if your dog does not cry out when his tail is caught in the door, or is otherwise smashed, get your dog to the veterinarian. Some dogs develop degenerative disorders as they age that causes nerve transmission to fail, starting with the tail. This is most prevalent in German Shepherds.
A less traumatic injury that tends to happen mostly in spring and summer are tail sprains from swimming. Yep, a sprained tail. These dogs tend to show up at the hospital with less wagging, not holding their tails in their usual position, and may have pain when the tail is touched. Usually rest is prescribed in these cases, but in the presence of pain, check with your veterinarian before assuming your dog overdid it on opening day at the pool.