# Vet wants to amputate my dogs tail. LONG POST.



## JimJamz (Mar 15, 2008)

A couple months ago I posted about how my 10yr GR was having major problems with his tail. 

This initially started last year i.e.

Chewing his tail
Constant licking 

Causing him great discomfort. We have tried all sorts of things to stop this. Antibiotics, Steroids & creams. None of this has solved the problem and he is constantly wearing an e-collar which he hates. We tried training him to stop but it didn't work. 

So I took him to the vets last Monday as he managed to get his collar off and chew it into a right mess. The vet shaved his tail and gave me an antibiotic type of liquid to paint directly on the skin. Since then Micawber has become so stressed he is miserable. The collar is driving him mad and he seems even more agitated so much so he has had diarrhoea for the last few days 

Back at the vets this morning the vet has recommended having his tail amputated. So I don't know what to do 

Anyone had their dogs tail ampuated? Micawber is 10 so am worried how this will affect him. 

Any thoughts/advice appreciated 

Sorry for the long post.


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## Nicky10 (Jan 11, 2010)

People with docked dogs will be along soon but if he's that miserable and amputating his tail would help then I would go for it personally.


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## Guest (May 25, 2010)

How much of his tail will have to come off?
My fried had to have her Labs tail tip taken off, it was so much better for the dog afterward


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## JimJamz (Mar 15, 2008)

rona said:


> How much of his tail will have to come off?
> My fried had to have her Labs tail tip taken off, it was so much better for the dog afterward


All of it. Like a Rottie  I just don't know if he'll cope with it. All the pain and stress might make him worse. So worried right now.


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## hawksport (Dec 27, 2009)

Nicky10 said:


> People with docked dogs will be along soon but if he's that miserable and amputating his tail would help then I would go for it personally.


Docking a puppy is totally different to amputating an adults tail. Ive known dogs have whole tails removed a bit at a time because they haven't healed


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## dinks (Apr 10, 2009)

JimJamz said:


> All of it. Like a Rottie  I just don't know if he'll cope with it. All the pain and stress might make him worse. So worried right now.


To be honest the pain and discomfort he is going through at the moment will be worse than the post op pain.I would be going for surgery if he was mine.


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## JimJamz (Mar 15, 2008)

Well took Micawber to the vets earlier and we are trying 'Atopica' capsules before having tail amputated. The vet has advised this is worth a shot. But we cannot start the capules til his diarrhoea has stopped.

So he's had a steroid injection & have been given some tablets to help stop the diarrhoea and am to also persist with painting the liquid too. 

Fingers crossed this works. If not then I think we have decided having his tail amputated will be for the best.

Poor boy what a day  we just want him to be all better. It's becoming upsetting to watch him now.


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## Kaitlyn (Apr 28, 2010)

If it will improve his quality of life then where is the problem in having his tail docked? Rather have a happy dog with a bit missing than a whole one who's miserable and in pain.

Hope he gets better soon whether it be from the lotions and potions working or surgery


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## haeveymolly (Mar 7, 2009)

Its not like having a puppies tail docked at all, it is quite a big op, ive known 2 dogs have their tails amputated, one was my uncles lab years and years ago he had stood to talk to someone didnt realise his dogs tail was hanging over the pavement just the tip but a car came mounted the pavement to park up outside a house and ran over it, it never healed and had to be amputated he was absolutely fine after, another was a friend of a friend that worked his springer with a full tail it had got damaged a couple of times not too badly at all but the third time very bad he had hers amputated had a few ups and downs after the op but turned out fine (needless to say he never had another one to work with a full tail) So i would go ahead even if things take a while after i dont think you have much of an option as it doesnt sound like your dogs tail is going to heal very well without it and the vet must think the same as they dont amputate on a whim. Good luck with what you decide.


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## moboyd (Sep 29, 2009)

Not a dog, but we had our cats tail amputated a couple of years ago when she was about 7 years ol, I was concerned as she used her tail a lot, but she had a growth on it that was getting bigger and bigger, so we decided to remove the whole tail, I dont know what I was worried about, she bounced back brilliantly, and not shown the slightest bit of distress about it being gone, they had to remove all the tail, but left enough skin to be able to close the wound, so her tail is about an inch maybe 2 inched long now. hope you can get some closure on this, its not nice seeing your dog so stressed and in obvious discomfort.

Mo


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## JimJamz (Mar 15, 2008)

Thanks for all your replys. We have some thinking to do.


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## carebear (Jun 10, 2009)

dinks said:


> To be honest the pain and discomfort he is going through at the moment will be worse than the post op pain.I would be going for surgery if he was mine.


its not like your rushing into it you seen to have tryed everything and nothing is working, if it were one of my dogs i would go ahead with it. im sure it will give your dog a whole new lease of life.


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## Acoustics4me (May 25, 2010)

Hey'a,

I know this thread is from a while ago, but I was wondering how it all turned out with your dog's tail amputation? Did you have it done in the end? Did it all turn out alright. Poor thing, I felt so sorry for you (and your dog) when I read the posts. Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to get rid of a little bit of my dog to give it a better quality of life (of course, I'd try other things first).

Me


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## ADA (May 30, 2009)

On the surface of dogs' tails (about a third way down from root) are scent glands. The hair is usually sparser, coarser and possibly browner at the site. Have these been checked for blockage by cysts, cancerous growth or infection?


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## JimJamz (Mar 15, 2008)

ADA said:


> On the surface of dogs' tails (about a third way down from root) are scent glands. The hair is usually sparser, coarser and possibly browner at the site. Have these been checked for blockage by cysts, cancerous growth or infection?


All this has been checked thankyou . There is no Cancerous growth or anything else nasty. According to vet it started out as hotspots which my Goldie licked and bit. Making it worse and getting infected. This then just got out of control and so on.

But as of the last week it has almost fully healed. I just have to give the atopica a chance to kick in then see what happens.


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## Acoustics4me (May 25, 2010)

Oh, I was looking at the wrong date. It's not an old post...lol. Will be interesting to watch how events unfold with your dog's health. All the best.

Me


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## kazschow (Oct 23, 2008)

A friend of mines GSD, had to have it's tail amputed a while back... he had a compulsive urge to spin and chase and bite it, he had been to various behaviourists, but still kept doing it, we believe he has neuro damage to some extent. Anyways, it was continually infected, chased bit reinfected. The descision to amputate, was taken, and snce th op he's been much better, the urge to spin has lessend. The op when fine, he made a complete and full recovery....


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

ADA said:


> On the surface of dogs' tails (about a third way down from root) are scent glands. The hair is usually sparser, coarser and possibly browner at the site. Have these been checked for blockage by cysts, cancerous growth or infection?


yup! :thumbsup: its on the upper-side of the tail, so if the dog is a Husky, Akita, etc, the caudal gland is *inside* the tail-ring, 
and displayed to another dogs nose +eyes readily only if the tail is lowered -

in wolves, coyote, GSD and many dog-breeds with SABLE or Tipping, hairs over the caudal gland are tipped, seen as 
a chevron-pattern, from behind - which, like brow-markings on wolf-faces, makes a lowered tail more obvious as a social signal.

tail gland hyperplasia - definition of tail gland hyperplasia in the Medical dictionary - by the Free Online Medical Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia. 
QUOTE - 
tail gland 
--------------------- 
an oval area of skin on the dorsal aspect of the tail in dogs centered at the level of the eighth coccygeal vertebrae which contains a large number of sebaceous and apocrine glands.

tail gland hyperplasia [with a photo] 
---------------------------------- 
in dogs, a spongy enlargement with alopecia and scaling of the area, usually associated with hormonal disturbances, in which the apocrine gland segment is especially hyperplastic. 
____________________________________

SpringerLink - Journal Article

http://www.freewebs.com/theanimaltrainer/wpre4.jpg 
look at both wolves in the foreground - 
they are mutually *standing-over*, this is a somewhat fraught moment as they are highly aroused - both are piloerected, 
and looking at their TAILS - held up at either side - the wolf-tail on the left has a visible caudal-gland on the upper-surface, 
Just Before that fluffier, wider, paler brush begins - its the narrow dark wedge at the end of that angled line, running 
from the underside near the tail-root, to the upper-side.

similarly, wolf #2 on the right has a high-held tail, bristling, with a visible caudal-chevron just before that high-kinked bristling brush.

hope he gets better soon, 
--- terry


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