Just back from the vets.....dexter been a ball of excitement since I got back early hours....I gave up any pretense of,trying to sleep and got,him out for a good desert run,made a big difference! Just back from vet.....his tail is a lot better but I believe that it is because it has been splinted and protected all week in a quiet house....My vet wants to give it another week and see if it can get to where it doesn't happen....I am not convinced .....I feel one good unprotected thwack breaks it open and it is really hard to prevent that one good thwack during the comings and goings of a normal day....I'm on board with it though and will see what this next week brings.i just can't see how we can manage it when all my visitors start coming in 2 weeks time....got 5 different sets before the middle of November .....a lot of interesting things and people to wag your tail at,enthusiastically and with purpose!l Ears all better and weight not changed after a week lead of walking.....he's always worse not better though for the practice as he plays Betty up he's walked lovely for me this morning after he had a good belt around ......just let him have a really good run and enjoy himself....now,after only an hours sleep we are oath having a couple of hours nap......aren't we Dexter?! X
Re: The Never Ending Tail Tale! Glad it's held up... Fingers are crossed here for the next week. I bet it was fabulous to see him again
Re: The Never Ending Tail Tale! Makes coming home all the sweeter Angela , bless Dexter , I hope his tail wags in a pain free manner for always
Re: The Never Ending Tail Tale! Good luck with the tail - when you get chance, could you tell us about why taking a bit off it is the answer? It's easier to heal the wound from the operation? I guess it must be, but I'm not sure I understand why that's the case?
Re: The Never Ending Tail Tale! Hi Julie, The end is really thin,and because it has happened several times before the vet thinks scarring is making it more brittle and vulnerable .Taking it back a bit will take it up to a stronger,thicker part that will be more robust.....but you are exactly right,she has said the recovery will be fraught with infection risks and management of it will be the same as what we are doing now,although that will hopefully be short term. I feel such a drama queen going on about this all the time,there are so much more serious things that crop up on life but this is really making me down to be honest.It is so hard to stop him banging it and so frustrating that one good bang that slips out of our hand or happens unexpectedly breaks it open and undoes all our vigilance.The arrival of unexpected visitors is stressful,especially if I'm home alone, when i have 2 choices put him in his room,Where I can hear his tail crashing off the wall,door frame and crate,or bring him to the door he is like a whirling dervish with excitement,me hanging on for dear life ,at least the syringe is a proper protection barrier....the dog ends arent sufficient protection.he cant be splinted like this forever.we haven't got a small house either ,now he has the plastic syringe back on ( the vet has adopted my dressing idea ) I cringe to hear how he bangs it ALL the time.i haven't heard of anybody else who has a dog that has had this as an ongoing problem......I'm exasperated that it won't get better and can't see how we,Poor Dex most of all, can carry on like this when it isn't solving the issue,just preventing it happening .....how have I got to where I actually WANT him to have some tail removed ...... Sorry ,moan over,I'm a bit teary about it too today because I'm tired,get a grip Angela,if this is all we have to deal with at the moment then life ain't bad !
Re: The Never Ending Tail Tale! Gosh, it sounds a right pain to deal with, poor you and Dex. I think it sounds pretty serious, really - I mean, it's not trivial to take part of his tail off! And I imagine it's really tricky to heal. I'd be beside myself too. Thanks for the info, as always learning from you and now aware of happy tail syndrome fingers and paws crossed here for Dex's tail healing up.
Re: The Never Ending Tail Tale! don't ever think you are a drama queen, YOUR NOT, .....this is something happening to you, he is your boy who you clearly love deeply .....hope you feel better later thinking of you
Re: The Never Ending Tail Tale! Oh Angela, you are definitely not a drama queen, you are obviously upset about Dexter and that's quite understandable. You are always there to support me through my teary moments and there have been a few : you are always up beat and happy for all of us so you have the right to have a down day. Please keep us posted and lots of slobbery licks from Hattie & Charlie and a big hug from me to you both. Helen xx
Re: The Never Ending Tail Tale! Ah you are all so lovely, Thankyou ;D...just had a really nice play in the park and entertained the security men who have become new fans !So the day is ending feeling good.We'll get it fettled for sure.hope all your four legged ones are doing good and you are all having a nice weekend and the gales I saw forecast don't hit anyone too hard bfn xxx
Re: The Never Ending Tail Tale! Sleep well and try not to worry too much about the tail, nasty as the situation is, it WILL get sorted. Poor you - but at least Dexter doesn't seem unduly worried by it!
Re: The Never Ending Tail Tale! Hope you have a better day tomorrow Angela You are amazing with Dex, and we all know you will do everything in your power to make him happy. xx
Re: The Never Ending Tail Tale! Can only agree wholeheartedly that you are NOT a drama queen. I'd be totally stressed about it too. You've been so vigilant and careful - your dedication to getting the best outcome is second to none. It WILL end though - either this will heal properly or there'll be a surgical fix. You are doing a wonderful job and you guys are fabulous owners. But it's therapeutic to have a good bawl about it now and then too.
Re: The Never Ending Tail Tale! Oh dear... I've been gone for the weekend and just seeing this now. I totally understand your frustration and concern about this. You are doing the best you can to manage it - hopefully it will get sorted out soon so that you won't have to deal with the stress and worry of it all too much longer. Sending you a hug from here, too!
Re: The Never Ending Tail Tale! Angela, I'm so sorry to hear about Dexter's tail problem. In undocked spaniels tail injuries are quite common and I have heard of dogs who needed the tip of their tails amputated. I also know one Labrador who had reoccurring tail injuries because of his very thin, long and waggy tail. Would it be possible to put Dexter into a padded crate whilst your visitors arrive to prevent the mad tail bashing when he is meeting and greeting?
Re: The Never Ending Tail Tale! Angela, as you know my old dog Billy was a labrador/spaniel cross. He had quite a long, thin waggy tail (used to close his eyes when he greeted us, because he used to whack himself in the face with his own tail!!!!! ;D). His brother, Roger, had to have his tail amputated because of damage. It didn't seem to bother him one little bit! Hopefully nothing anywhere near so drastic will be the case with Dexter - just wanted you to know that if they do have to take the tip off, it will be ok and he wont notice the difference. Chin up! xx
Re: The Never Ending Tail Tale! Thanks Karen,it's really good to hear positive things ( not the tail loss ) but the happy ending ;D We are the furthest on we've ever been now,it's completely healed but the area is bald ....but that doesn't matter as long as it gets strong enough to survive being knocked.it was at this stage last time I took the splint off and just protected it with the dog end( they haven't be worth the money in our case to be honest )...it will have had 12 full days protection 7 of which when it is totally healed by the time vet reviews us on Saturday,fingers crossed and tails wagging cautiously thanks everyone x
Re: The Never Ending Tail Tale! Ps sorry to say the picture of Billy whacking has really given me a smile...poor love,these happy doggies with their waggy tails x
Re: The Never Ending Tail Tale! Could the visitors meet Dexter outside perhaps. If Chris took him for a walk, and when people arrive, you all join him in the open with Dexter? It's not a solution really, just thinking out loud. Poor dexter, and poor you. I know how you feel, I'm exactly the same. When Harry had a sore toe it was all I could think about, I was obsessive about it. It may happen that with complete vigilance, and total attention to it, it does heal sufficiently. I do hope so. A final push, and it could be relatively normal in the future. Otherwise, you could move to a soft play park or something.
