# My dogs tail stopped working



## Craig Wood (Dec 9, 2008)

Anyone with working labs that have ever seen "cold tail" "limp tail" or "limber tail" out there?
My Sit Means Sit demo dog Taffy has what appears to be limber tail.
It started last night I had her in the adjoining kennels in between a Mal and a Bouvier.
When I went let her out she was spinning and jumping like usual and all seemed well but then I noticed her tail was completely limp (she usually NEVER stops wagging her tail) she has even been in the crate and wagged her tail until the tip was bloody. 
Then she started to arch like she was going to chase her tail but with a sad look and in a cowering position.
My first thought was her tail had been bitten by the Mal as her and the Bouviers have been together for 8 months now and all get along great. 
After some research I came across this 
http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/limbertail-update704.html
They say it can last from a couple of days to a couple of weeks and in rare cases never go away.
My earning potential is heavily contingent on Taffy's tail wagging.
Does anyone have input on how we can get that tail back up and wagging?
Thanks in advance.


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Craig Wood said:


> Then she started to arch like she was going to chase her tail but with a sad look and in a cowering position.


If she is aware of her tail and acting like she is going to chase it I would be considering a vet visit, as it sounds like it may be bothering her. 
If the dogs play rough at all it could be injury related, maybe in her spine?? 

I have seen two dogs that had a tail go limp and both dogs had a tick embedded on them....once the ticks were removed, the condition went away.....I don't think they linked the two firmly though.


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

About 8 years ago, this very same thing happened to one of my dogs. I speculate, though don't know for sure that it came from an injury of sort from one of my other dogs. Anyway, within about one week her tail returned to normal and there was never another incident. With any luck and a bit of time your dogs tail will be up and waving like a flag once a gain; hopefully, without recurrence.


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## Craig Wood (Dec 9, 2008)

Carol / Nicole
Thanks for the feedback.
I just got back from a demo and the neighbors have Labs.
She (neighbor) heard me mention Taffy's tail and commented her dog had had this condition before and that it looked to her the same. There is swelling only at the base and the way the tail hangs is unique to the condition.
She acts normal now with the exception being her limp tail.
I will let her rest Sunday if things do not look better Monday it is off to the Vet.
Craig


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

Does the tail clamp down then stick out at an angle of around 45 degrees or so half way down ,or is it just limp?


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

maggie fraser said:


> Does the tail clamp down then stick out at an angle .... ?


That's a good indication of fracture or dislocation.



Craig Wood said:


> ... She (neighbor) heard me mention Taffy's tail and commented her dog had had this condition before and that it looked to her the same. There is swelling only at the base and the way the tail hangs is unique to the condition.


This condition (called many things, such as limp tail, cold tail, limber tail, broken tail, dead tail, and more) has several possible causes, so it's probably not good to assume that another dog's experience of it is the same as your dog's.

Is there heat in that swollen area at the base? Do you see any anal sac swelling/inflammation (which can cause the dog to hold the tail in a downward, protective position)?

Spinal and neuro problems can also be the problem, as Carol mentioned.

But so can heavy tail activity, as the Woodhaven site mentions, and that might be the most likely.

You'll want to know if it's broken, because even though some people will tell you that they are very hard to repair, it can be done. I know a dog whose tail was broken and whose vet splinted it just at the place where the fracture was, using as little as possible straightening equipment to cause the least _"get it OFF!"_ reaction in the dog. It was something like a 6" plastic ruler, as I recall, taped on until the fracture had healed. I have heard of using a chopstick similarly, too, the idea being to trigger the least possible anxiety in the dog.

I've read that the tail can be dislocated, too, and that it's more painful than most tail fractures.


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

My gsd had a sudden happening, the first real overt symptom being his tail clamped down like I described above, it happened right in front of me when I threw his ball. I took it easy with him for a couple of days and it righted itself to normal within two - three days.

It happened again during light exercise within a week, this time though it was accompanied by extreme pain and the dog has since been diagnosed with spinal disease.

I would check it out with the vet, I did a dr google search and also came up with limber tail as a possibility as the symptoms did sound quite similar as you have mentioned.


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## Jerr Harris (Dec 1, 2008)

My young Mal had this happen twice..First time I was really worried..read the same article you have posted, after talking to field people. Then talked to my vet, she recommended medi cam for a few days..

The first time it was after a really big swimming day..then again after swimming..been months now, and it has never happened again.

Hope you find the same with your dog!


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## Timothy Stacy (Jan 29, 2009)

Just curious if you swam her in cold water recently or possible over exercised the dog? I've had this happen before, well not me but a dog. Simple muscle relaxers worked after a couple days.


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## Dan Brigham (Jul 23, 2009)

My GSD had a dead tail. Vet said nothing really able to do about it, knot about where it was dead. 

I checked for ticks, none found. 

I took him to a chiropractic vet and had him re-aligned, especially the tail. The tail was better within 48 hours and by the weekend (5 days later) was doing better bitework than he had done in a couple of years.
I found the Chiro vet on the http://animalchiropractic.org site, it was a drive but well worth it. Hope you are as lucky.


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## Craig Wood (Dec 9, 2008)

Thanks to all for your reply's.
The evening before this started she found a carcass to roll in a rather ripe one at that.
I gave her a hose bath in the yard that lasted about 20 minutes (can you say STINKY).
Air temp was around 60 and water temp about the same.
It does not appear to be bothering her this morning.
Regardless she will not be doing group class today, so we will see how things are gong after 2 days rest.
Again thanks


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## Dan Long (Jan 10, 2008)

That happened to my GSD before. He'd still wag it, but it went straight out and then hung down. 

In a few days it was fine and never happened again. 

He'd been worked pretty hard a few days in a row- a lot of "cardio" type work- agility, things like that.


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