| Archive for The Brittany Forum For all friends of the versatile Brittany |
| barbara |
Dead TailI had to withdraw Chrissie from her classes at the show yesterday because she had a very sore tail which I thought was broken. When I mentioned to Margaret that Chrissie wouldn't be shown because she had a very sore tail she said it sounds as if she has "dead tail" which is common in Setters and working breeds. Well this morning I have been on the internet and there are loads of pages about this and I had never heard of it! Chrissie had taken part in the TAN the day before and had retrieved partridge from the pond. I don't think it occurred as a result of cold water but in her case more likely it was the overuse of muscles in the tail. The following is a quote from the web page underneath."It is also believed that it can be caused by the motion the tail makes while swimming which can overwork the muscles in the tail or from excessive tail wagging. A combination of these factors could also be the cause in developing this condition." http://www.helium.com/items/1048477-limber-tail-syndrome-in-dogs Although she is much better today and the pain is clearly much reduced, she is still carrying her tail as described in the article so I have made an appointment to see the vet this evening to a) make sure there is no permanent damage and b) ensure they have a record of the pain this occurrence has inflicted on a dog which would normally be docked. |
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| Patricia |
That is terrible Barbara...poor little Chrissie  Hope she regains its use soon...Have you thought about sending this to the Docked breeds association???? All vets should know that sort of thing.
I am SO lucky my vet is happy to dock. Next litter booked in advance as no way I will have tails in a shooting dog.
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| barbara |
Yes I have Patricia, I e-mailed them from their website. I have also told Kathy. | ||
| doganjo |
I knew about it but only in the last few years and as a result of a close friend who breeds labradors. It is known as 'labrador wet tail'. I was given to understand that the capillaries close down when the dog jumps into cold water, causing a lack of blood supply to the tail and when it starts to return they have a similar reaction to us - severe pins and needles. Imagine the cold frosty winters day, no gloves on, and you come back into the warm. Ouch!!!! It is VERY painful for them. We haven't had this problem before as our breed has always been docked! Metacam helps considerably. |
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| barbara |
Back from the vet who is not sure if the tail is broken, it is very swollen and still very painful to touch so difficult to examine thoroughly. She had a Metacam Injection and Rimadyl Pal Tablets. We will go back in a week to see how she is progressing. 
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| Lin Dyke |
We fully sympathise with you and Chrissie I have posted before about the problems our springer spaniel had as an undocked dog (from working stock and years before the ban would you believe  ) Our brilliant vet at that time performed a "partial amputation" when Zac was two and a half years old I hope your girl's tail recovers fully but do bear in mind the "partial amputation" option if it becomes a recurring issue.
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| barbara |
Thanks Lin I had forgotten about Zac. The vet did say it might have to be amputated if it is broken. | ||
| johnhod |
Don't know if this is related in any way but I've had to take Ben top the vet he had a high temperature and lots of discomfort in the area around the end of his spine (yelped when the vet tried to lift what's left of his tail to insert the thermometer). It only came on after we'd got back from the wekend. Just waiting for blood test results to come through. | ||
| Lin Dyke |
Sorry to hear this John. Hope the blood tests provide a diagnosis and that it's nothing serious. Fingers crosssed for you and Ben. | ||
| Liz |
Hope both Chrissie and Ben feel better soon. I feel we must be lucky having not had any problems with Ozzy as he swims in the river almost every day. | ||
| Patricia |
Thanks to Barbara for letting me cross post this subject. I had never heard of it and feel sorry for poor little Chrissie who missed out too on being judged as well as being in pain. 
Already the subject is being read and a query from Switzerland to check if studies had been done and where to find them...And one rude but funny answer on the subject" limp tail"!
And now, another answer from someone whose Labradors swim every day in cold water and have suffered from the also called" wet tail". A good rub down and make sure they stay warm to help the problem. Problem of the same nature encountered by a ..Rottweiler, whose tails have also been docked until now... |
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| Liz |
A friend of mine works Labs and Flatcoats, and I asked her about dead tails (she calls it lambs tail). She's had this problem in 2 of her dogs. One was obviously very painful, the other one didn't seem to be in any pain - though she said that could just be the fact that one was an absolute wimp and would cry at anything, and the other one was a very brave dog!
She said the first time it happened she thought the tail was broken. It cleared up in a few days, and after the first time she didn't go to the vet, just waited to see if it cleared up itself. Both dogs had it first time when they were quite young, they had it a few times and then just seemed to grow out of it. The advice she gave - same as Patricia - was to rub them down and keep them warm. |
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| barbara |
I am very glad to say Chrissie is much better and wagging her tail again. She has three more days of Rimadyl (down to half a tab twice a day) and we will have a check up on Monday but I am fairly sure the tail is not broken.
I would be interested to know Liz how frequently this reoccurred in your friend's dog. I would hate to think that this is going to happen every time she retrieves out of water.
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| Lin Dyke |
Good to hear she's much improved  Wishing a clean bill of health for her at Monday's check-up.
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| Liz |
She wasn't too sure how often it happened as it was a while ago - maybe about 3 or 4 times, but then she said the dogs appeared to grow out of it and in fact she hasn't had it in her dogs for ages - certainly not in the 4 she's got now. Edited to say her dogs are in the river most days - in fact one of her Flatties is a total nuisance as she can't keep him out of the water. Glad Chrissie is wagging properly again
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| barbara |
Perhaps as they get older they thrash their tails less and that's why they grow out of it. | ||
| doganjo |
My friend Sue's working lab bitch still gets it at 5, but usually only if it is a particularly cold miserable shoot day anyway. She doesn't seem to get it in the summer. | ||
| barbara |
I didn't go back to the vet yesterday as Chrissie is back to her old self, the tail is thrashing about again and I can touch it without causing her to yelp.
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| Lin Dyke |
Great news Barbara
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| johnhod |
Good to hear she's back to her old self | ||
| Liz |
Glad she's back to normal again
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| Liz |
Was talking last night to someone who has Bernese Mountain Dogs - someone else who can't keep her dogs out of the water  One of her dogs suffered regularly from dead tail, but he never was in any pain from it. Just looked funny as the tail flopped rather than wagged.
Goes to show the condition shows up in various ways with various degrees of pain. At least always it seems to clear up in a few days 
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