Rusty has a small cut at the tip of his tail which I only discovered trying to work out where all the splashes of blood on the wall were coming from! The problem is he keeps opening it up when he wags - any suggestions other than patience? Good job it's wipe-able paint in the kitchen!
Re: Cut on his tail Hi Carole Tails are a nightmare to deal with, bandages don't stay put very easily. If he keeps opening it up there are two options, one is to bandage nearly the whole tail and use soft tape (micropore works well) to attach to the tail hair - see our experience of tails with Finnegan here: http://black-labrador.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/answer-is-lots-and-lots-of-bandage.html You can also use the outer part of a syringe, remove the plunger part, clip the nozzle bit off and use that over a lightly dressed wound and tape into place. Like I suggested for Hattie's paw arrowroot (or flour) is a good coagulant. And if that doesn't work the other options is as Barbara suggested to use superglue - just the normal stuff. Clip the fur back a little, clean and dry the wound and glue together. It's used in all sorts of surgeries for people and animals too. Hope that helps and that the kitchen is soon blood free. Kerryn
Re: Cut on his tail Hi Carole, Kerryn is great with this sort of medical problem, Hattie's paw healed in no time with her great advice. Hope Rusty's tail heals soon, poor boy. H x
Re: Cut on his tail Of course the challenge with all these is Rusty will need to stop wagging his tail long enough for you to treat it!
Re: Cut on his tail Hi Carole, split tail ends can be a tricky and occasionally recurring problem in labs. Kerryn's advice is spot on, hope it heals quickly. Pippa
Re: Cut on his tail thanks everyone! Ian reminded me that our mutual friend Phil used to sell dog first aid kits - which contained a nick cream. One application and it seems to have done the trick the worst bit was definitely keeping his tail still long enough! Good to know about the super glue I shall bear that in mind in case the problem does recur. I remember this was a recurring problem with Monty - he managed to spray blood right up the walls and across the ceiling!
Re: Cut on his tail Just you be careful with the super glue or you really will be joined at the hip to the dog!
