Injured dog tail, what to do?

December 26, 2021 1:51 PM

I think our dog injured his tail in a fall, what to do?

A couple days ago our ~14 year old Dutch Shepherd got a case of the zoomies and jumped off the bed, landing on his hind quarters. When it happened he just sat there staring at me for a couple seconds until I lifted him up; he got his feet back under him and trotted off to his own bed. Since then, his tail is mostly just pointing downwards.

We went out in the snow earlier and he wagged it from side to side a bit but down low, not up high like normal. It doesn't appear to hurt him; he's eating normally, he doesn't make any noises or flinch when you touch his tail or rear end, and he's not having trouble going to the bathroom. He's a deaf old boy and already sleeps a lot so we haven't really noticed any other changes in behavior but I'm still a bit concerned.

fwiw he's already on 75mg carprofen (which may be masking any pain?) and a glucosamine a supplement.

I'm planning on calling the vet tomorrow but it's snowing here and everything is closed and/or hard to get to right now and I'm not sure this warrants a trip to the ER. Annnnnd as I'm typing this he just barked at some crows in the yard and wagged a bit (still low) as he wrestled a stuffed toy to the ground.

Open to thoughts / advice / suggestions. Thanks.

posted by The Hamms Bear to Pets & Animals (5 answers total)

Our guy gets something like this every so often. The vet called it “limp tail”. We usually get him on anti-inflammatories for a few days and it’s back to usual.
posted by hwyengr at 1:53 PM on December 26, 2021 [3 favorites]

Anything that's causing lower spine pain, or hip pain, might cause a lowered and slow/unenthusiastic tail. So I would keep an eye on general movement and demeanor.

But if he's playing and protecting the property he's probably fine and doesn't need emergency attention, he's just taking it easy. Watch for any kind of gait change, limping, or avoiding moving in typical ways (one of my dogs periodically has something happen and she will only lay straight down on her belly, which is not normally how she sleeps, and it's always a tell).
posted by Lyn Never at 1:58 PM on December 26, 2021 [1 favorite]

Yeah, this is called Limber Tail and it’s just A Thing That Happens sometimes. There’s not really much you can do besides wait it out. My idiot lab had had it a few times from wagging his tail too hard. Sad but passes quickly! I’d give it a few days before I called. He should be fine soon enough
posted by Amy93 at 2:20 PM on December 26, 2021 [3 favorites]

For what it's worth, you can also usually call your local emergency vet and ask their opinion. i've done this with my cat, and they've always been up front with me about whether something is "Must be seen right away" vs "no rush, wait a few days" vs "Hard to say, judgement call." They also usually give me a heads up about how long their wait is/how slammed they are at a particular time.

I have no personal experience with this injured dog tail issue, and it sounds like you've gotten some reassuring answers already, but just wanted to mention this, because i wasn't aware this was an option until recently.
posted by litera scripta manet at 5:09 PM on December 26, 2021 [1 favorite]

Our dog had this! Our vet at the time called it “sprung tail” and she got it by wagging too wildly. (Supposedly.) She wasn’t on carprofen at that time and it was very tender and sore to the touch, so took her to the vet. We kept in touch with them and kept an eye on it, and it resolved by itself. I bet you’re right about the carprofen helping with it. I would still take the dog to the vet but wouldn’t consider it an emergency.
posted by pepper bird at 6:21 PM on December 26, 2021 [1 favorite]