I would welcome any advice. My golden retriever got his tail caught in the door on Saturday & the very tip came off - only a tiny bit but blood everywhere with the wagging! This happened to one of my previous goldens & I took him to the vets. 4 operations later & much suffering for my poor dog, he ended up with a stump for a tail. I really don't want this to happen again & as I used to be a nurse (people not dogs!) I'm trying to use a common sense approach. I've cut the hair short around the tail end, bathed it in salt water, added a local antibiotic, padded & strapped it & am using one of those vet lampshade type thingys so he can't get at it. I've checked it every day & redressed it & it was doing well, until today, when he wagged it too near a wall & it bled again. It didn't bleed anywhere near as much as when he did it though. I was hoping to leave it open to the air tonight for the first time, but I think I'll have to wait another day or so. There's no sign of infection & if there is I'll whip him to the vets, but I really want to avoid that.  Is there anything I should be doing that I'm not, or any advice on what to put on the tail when I do expose it to aid healing? Should I persevere as I am & how long will it take to heal?  Wish I could strap his tail to his leg but that would cause a few problems in the toilet department I think!!! Any advice gratefully received thank you.

I have previously read on here somewhere that you can put a hair roller over the damaged part of the tail which gives it some protection from further bangs. I have a GR myself and know just how waggy their tails can be :D Luckily the only damage sustained so far is to various cups that have been knocked off the side by exuberant wagging along with other items that are at tail height.

Hope your dog recovers soon :)

Thanks I'll try that. Your reply made me smile -we have a coffee table in the lounge & a cream carpet & when we have abottle of wine it can be tricky!!

we have a coffee table in the lounge & a cream carpet & when we have abottle of wine it can be tricky!!

We have a carpet that is the same colour as Harley and OH likes red wine Now we use dining room chairs to stand glasses of wine on and have the chair back facing in to the room as it helps to stop manic tails sweeping the glasses on to the carpet. I think our friends just think we can't afford new furniture :D

Yes, when you come to think of it, our kids are 11 & 15, but our house is toddler proof - nothing below tail wagging or toddler height!

I use very large hair rollers on IWs who split their tails, but I don't know how well it would work on a tip of tail injury. Perhaps the roller could be fastened so that the tip of the tail is inside it? I also know people who have had success using many layers of 'artificial skin' on split tails. Whaterver you do I'm sorry to say tail splits take a long time to heal especailly if the dog keeps slashing the tail about.

Jasper's tail wagged too close to the fire last night and it singed slightly, only the hair thank goodness I got to him in time!
Another golden :rolleyes:

Our previous dog actually set light to his tail by standing with his back to the fire and his tail drooped into the opening and we had to rush and put it out. Lots of singed hair but no real damage. We always used a fireguard after that

My friends dog had a bad tail tip injury. She did exactly as you did until it was healed enough to air. Then got a finger protector (i think used for broken fingers?) and taped it to the end of the tail. This gave the tail some protection but alloud it to air and therefore heal better. Her dog is now much better and still has a complete tail. HTH
Anna

Of course - what a brilliant idea. I shall go to the chemist tomorrow & try & get one. Meanwhile I have taken the risk & just took all the dressings off tonight (his tail end is dry & crusty at the moment), popped him in his cage & hopefully after a bit of fiddling he'll settle down & sleep & let nature take it's course. Of course, I could wake up to a scene from a physcho film in the morning & his room may look like a murder scene!!! Fingers crossed!

I think I've just come to the conclusion that this dog is jinxed - he's only 11 months old but so far has had giardia (tiny puppy age - took MONTHS to sort out), a tummy bug (6 months), fallen off the sofa & broke his rib (7 months) & now this.  Just as well he's absolutley gorgeous & a right mummy's boy & I love him to bits. Oh, on the vets front, this time I went with E & L  for pet insurance.  They agreed the claim settlent amount in mid November for the # rib & I am STILL waiting for the cheque despite threats of formal complaints. As soon as I get it (if ever!) I will be paying more & going elsewhere!

When my old dalmatian bitch split her tail I made up a solution of alum (a well-known styptic) with a few drops of TCP and dipped the tail-tip in it two or three times a day for a few days, then rubbed a little baby oil on to soften the skin again slightly. It worked like a charm.

Thanks - where can you get alum from -chemist, vet or pet shop, & I'll get some in?

I got it from an old-fashioned chemist some time ago. Boots might have it, or a craft shop that deals with dyeing and weaving (it's used as a mordant for dyeing).

Wow, I never would have known that. Many thanks