Drop tail, cold tail Clueless. HELP!

Discussion in 'Labrador Health' started by QueenVictoria, May 19, 2015.

  1. QueenVictoria

    QueenVictoria Registered Users

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    We adopted late last Summer and this year (yesterday) she jumped into our icy cold NY pool. I didn't dry her off either. Now she has this tail problem. I thank you for someone posting about this because I was about to go off the emergency vet thinking she was seriously ill. Ive given her 1 coated aspirin, she's 75 pounds, and warm compress to her tail rump. How long does this last? Should I bring her off to the vet? ANY info you can share on this Id greatly appreciate. My poor baby!!!!
     
  2. Oberon

    Oberon Supporting Member Forum Supporter

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    Hi QueenVictoria and welcome to the forum :)

    Sorry to hear that Summer has now got a temporarily limp tail. How is she acting? Does she seem bothered by it? You will know from reading posts here that it's definitely not unusual and no cause for alarm :) At this stage I think you are doing the right things (though the warm compress is probably more beneficial than the aspirin) and it's just a matter of giving it time. I would personally not worry about going to the vet at this stage - unless she appears to be distressed by it. If she is basically acting normally then I would just give it a day or two.
     
  3. Naya

    Naya Registered Users

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    We have had this issue a few times. If she seems uncomfortable I would go to the vet to get painkillers and anti inflammatories. The first time Harley had it, it lasted 5 days, the second time was only 3 days. I wouldn't walk her or do any exercise for a day or two. Nowadays, after swimming or after being out in the cold, I have a doggy dressing gown that goes on Harley as soon as we get to the car/home. We always dry the area around her tail and it has helped.
    Hope Summer recovers quickly
     
  4. Lochan

    Lochan Supporting Member Forum Supporter

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    Hi there and welcome to the forum. I would definitely go and see your vet for a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkiller. Getting one specifically for dogs is important as a lot of freely available human drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen can cause nasty side effects in dogs. With cold tail/limber tail the speed at which they are given an NSAID seems strongly correlated with the speed of recovery. One of my two labs is prone to this and I keep Metacam in the house specifically for such an occasion as a single dose immediately she starts to look uncomfortable perks her up no end and she is fine by the next day.
    Hope this helps and Summer recovers her wag quickly.
     
  5. Boogie

    Boogie Supporting Member Forum Supporter

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    Welcome to you :)

    Gypsy had this recently due to swimming in a very cold reservoir. It lasted about three days, I made sure she rested (easy, she didn't want to move :( ) I gave her Matacam for the pain.

    I wouldn't use human pain killers for dogs.
     
  6. MaccieD

    MaccieD Guest

    Hi and welcome to the forum. I've not had this problem with Juno but if it were me I think I would have a short visit to the vet to make sure all is well and get appropriate canine medication.
     
  7. Karen

    Karen Registered Users

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    I would visit the vet for doggy-appropriate pain killers, and definitely not give aspirin. Next time she jumps in cold water, dry her off and put a fleece or something over her until she is warm again. Hope she is feeling better soon! Oh - and welcome to the forum! :)
     
  8. Penny+Me

    Penny+Me Registered Users

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    My Penny gets this all the time.

    If this is her first bout of it then I would recommend going to your vet, just be aware that some do not know what it is so you might have to explain!! You should get some doggy painkillers, usually metacam (meloxicam) and it's a good idea to keep some handy for future use. Unfortunately once they've had it once they will get it again. Penny gets it several times a year :( but we have a stash of metacam because of her hips anyway so we don't go to the vet every time it happens.

    It usually clears up in a few days. Worse cases can take maybe 10 days or longer.
     
  9. QueenVictoria

    QueenVictoria Registered Users

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    THANK YOU ALL for the feedback. Im on it! She seems to be getting a little better. If I have human meloxicam would that be beneficial?. Again I REALLY appreciate your advise. Being a new owner of my adopted baby I really was clueless.
     
  10. Oberon

    Oberon Supporting Member Forum Supporter

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    Meloxicam is the same as Metacam but I'm not sure that the human concentration would be the same as the dog one. Definitely best to get a vet's advice on the appropriate dose, and to get some of the dog version. Then as others have said you can have it on hand for future use.

    We used to keep a stash for our old dog who had a neck injury that occasionally flared up and caused him a lot of pain. If he was stiff and we got into it quickly with Metacam it made a huge difference.
     
  11. drjs@5

    drjs@5 Registered Users

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    I would definitely ask the vet and not muck around with human equivalents.
    Except maybe for Piriton ;)
     

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