SHARP TEETH, BUT AN EVEN SHARPER MIND SAM’S CORNER:
The Tale of Winston’s Tail
A (Short) Happy Ending
Winston is an almost 2-year-old Great Dane who really loves his family. Every time his owners would open their garage door, Winston would hear it and know his parents were home and that he was about to get a lot of love. As a very happy boy with a very long and strong tail, this always resulted in him very rapidly wagging his tail. On one day in December, he was so happy and wagged his tail so strongly that he whacked it against the inside of his kennel and cracked the end of his tail open. You can only imagine the surprise and mess that his owners arrived home to. They bandaged the tail to the best of their ability and contacted us for an exam. On presentation, Winston continued to be a happy boy and wagged his happy tail despite being at the clinic and his tail being sore. A large scab had formed at the end of his tail. Dr. McGinty discussed with Winston’s owners that because of the thin skin, the potential for reinjury from hitting it again was high. Plus, with the large number of blood vessels in the tip of the tail, it takes a long time for the tail to heal properly while bandaged. The potential for having to amputate his tail was also discussed if it didn’t heal appropriately with time. An empty syringe case was taped to the end of his tail to protect it from further injury. A large amount of bandage tape and vet wrap was used to secure the cap in place, extending about one-third of the way to his tail end. This wrap
KEEPING YOUR MIND HEALTHY
Woof! Hey there, fellow furry friends, it’s Sam! Did you know it’s Mental Health Month for us dogs? Yup, that’s right! Like humans, we pups have
our own feelings and moods, and taking care of our mental well-being is super important. From stimulating activities to spending quality time with humans, Mental Health Month reminds us to pay attention to our emotions and ensure we live our best doggy lives. So,
let’s bark it out loud and proud: Mental Health Month is here, and we are ready to sniff out some happiness!
was left on for two weeks, and poor Winston had to live life in a cone when not under 100% supervision to prevent him from chewing at the bandage. The bandage was changed about every two weeks until the scab had resolved, and his tail looked healthy again. Unfortunately, not even two weeks later, despite his owners padding the inside of his kennel, Winston once again cracked the end of his tail open. This time, bandaging eventually failed, and his tail continued to get more sores. After discussing options with his owners, Dr. McGinty moved forward with the
As a dog, I know how important it is to keep my mind engaged and stimulated.
amputation of his tail, leaving about 4 inches of a short but cute tail left. After two weeks of healing, his remaining tail looked great and he was able to return to normal activity. Winston’s owners reported that they did not miss his whip-like tail at all and were very happy to not be hit by it themselves. Tail tip injuries are very common in long-tailed dogs such as Labrador retrievers and Great Danes. This typically results from the same wagging tail tale behavior that Winston was doing, resulting in the name of “Happy Tail Syndrome.” As Winston’s owners had done, contacting a veterinarian right away and having a bandage with tail protection placed is the best acute option in these cases. In many cases, these will heal with several weeks or months’ worth of bandage changes, but in some cases, such as Winston’s, the ultimate outcome is tail amputation so patients fully heal and prevent future injuries. Either way, these dogs do very well and return to happy lives and normal activity.
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