Merlin has a bump in his tail, about 1/3 of the way down, which means he has a kink in his tail. This was probably caused by an injury when he was a puppy, likely sustained while playing with Poppy, or even just from whacking his tail against a door or wall. It doesn't seem to bother him normally, though he doesn't like it being felt or handled. It does appear though that this makes him more susceptible to limber tail (cold water tail syndrome), as he has had this twice now after swimming. The latest time was on Wednesday evening, after he had been swimming and retrieving in our local river. It was so sad in the evening, after having had such a happy time at training, to see him so uncomfortable . We gave him metacam, and took him to the vet the next morning, who agreed with our suspicion that the weakness in his tail means that he is more likely to get limber tail... She said he should continue with swimming, to build his muscles, but that these should be short sessions and preferably not in cold water. She also thinks he may have some nerve damage in his tail, and that we need to be aware of this and look after his back and tail carefully, making sure he doesn't get cold or stay wet. In February he had one episode where he couldn't move his back legs properly in the morning, and an emergency trip to the vet showed one of the muscles in his back had spasmed. Now I am worrying this has something to do with the injury to his tail... I feel really bad that this was caused by an injury, and that we didn't stop it happening. We have no idea how it happened, but Poppy did use to play quite roughly with him when he was a puppy. I did have his tail x-rayed last year, and there is no obvious fracture or break. The vet says there is nothing we can do about it, that we just have to be aware of it and be careful. In addition to this, Poppy had a cluster of seizures yesterday (the first for six months) - worryingly she was on a walk up in the woods with OH; the first time she's had seizures away from the house. Thank goodness OH had his phone and the diazepam with him - he called me and I left the office and drove to get them. She's fine today, but obviously we have to take things very gently with her for a couple of days. Thinking back, she was displaying signs of discomfort/nerves for about a week before the seizures - dragging behind on walks, coming back to us with her ears back and licking her lips, etc. She could clearly feel that something was not right... She doesn't like the hot weather anyway, and change of seasons is never good for her - almost all her seizures have been in the spring or autumn. I'm sad that both of my dogs have some health issues, although of course I know it is all relative and that these are things that can be managed. I've been very worried because we have to be away for a week soon for my step-daughter's wedding, and I was very uncomfortable with putting the dogs in kennels, but luckily the stars have aligned and we have a house- and dog-sitter arranged, who knows the dogs very well, so at least that is really good news. Sorry for the moan...
Oh Karen, I'm so sorry. I knew of Merlin's 'kink' but had no idea it was causing troubles. I know it won't make you feel any better but he could have hurt it at any point and I'm sure there is nothing you could have done to prevent it. Poor Poppy, I'm so sorry to hear about her recent seizures. What a rough week you've had xx
So sorry to hear both Poppy and Merlin are struggling with health issues. I know you are a fantastic dog mum and you are so dedicated to your dogs that if anything could of prevented these issues, you would of addressed them. It is so hard to see when our dogs are struggling, especially as they can’t talk to us. Sending you big hugs xx
Rotten luck that they have both had issues so close together. Try not dwell on the what-ifs - you have a plan for looking after Merlin's tail, focus on that. And how sensible of you OH having the diazepam on him. Noticing the signs leading up to this is one thing, but I doubt you could have prevented her seizures. Poppy is in the lucky position of having 2 people to really take care of her when she needs it. Hugs from me & a big sloppy lick from Coco x
Thank you... We always carry the diazepam around with us, it's in a little tube thing hanging on our front door key! No, there really is no way to prevent the seizures, but in future we'll be even more aware of Poppy's body language - although she is a sensitive little soul anyway and gets upset easily, so we try not to obsess too much...
So sorry to read they both have had a couple of bad days, I don't think you could more for your dogs.
Oh, I am sorry to hear that. I don't know why, but it is never just one dog's health to deal with in a multi-dog household. I do hope Poppy has a restful few days and yourself of course!
Rory has limber tail at the moment, only mildly, but it's horrible you don't realise how much expression is reflected in that tail.he hasn't hurt his tail it's seems to be just a lab thing just got to rest him and give him some meds. Hoping Poppy and maelstrom are well again soon. Xxx
So sorry to hear that both Merlin and Poppy are having a bad week. It's good that you've managed to sort out a reliable house/dog sitter for when you're away. I hope both dogs are back on an even keel soon.
That's rotten luck - both with problems. Our BJ was the same, with the lip licking and ears back prior to a seizure, it was one of his clear warning signs, along with being very clingy. Bless them, so vulnerable when they have problems and look to us the care for them. Very best wishes for Merlin and Poppy. Just think how things could be for them if they didn't have you x
