Cauliflower tail?

[thugulike]

I know that dogs can get a cauliflower ear if they catch their ears on something hard. My dog has a long and very strong tail which wags all the time. If he catches it on something can it become deformed? I know this may seem like a strange question but I am concerned.

[lankeela]

Dogs can sometimes wag their tails so hard they bleed (it often happens with greyhounds who hit the kennel wall constantly) but most breeds have more covering on their tails than greyhounds. It is sometimes put down to having too much protein in their diet, and it sort of finds its way out of the dog through the thinnest part of the skin i.e. the tail as not all dogs that wag their tail hard make them bleed.If they do this it can be very hard to clear up, as the constant wagging makes the blood keep pouring out and just when you think it has healed it starts off again. I have never seen one actually deformed through it though. Does George have a lump on his tail of some sort?

[thugulike]

Hi lankeela,
No he doesn't. He has a huge fat tail, larger than any I've ever seen. Vet reckons the tail is a good barometer of nutrition which is probably right, George has a good appetite and gets an excellent balanced diet with plenty of carbs. It was just that his tail is so strong it can knock small children over if we're not careful (and mr thug is considering wearing a box). I suspect from what you've said that he'll be fine, plenty of meat there to protect it. How on earth do you know all this stuff?

[lankeela]

Because my life is so sad all I do is spend time talking dogs and discussing pet problems on internet groups!

Seriously, I do find things like this interesting, and so do many of my friends both in real life and on the groups. We all exchange experiences and ask for advice if we have a problem.

If there is something that I don't know, I tend to look it up and then bookmark it in case anyone else has the same problem, but also with having worked with and owned animals for lots of years you do pick up things that stay somewhere in the cloudy mass that passes for a brain.

For example, someone at ringcraft has a Hungarian Vizsla that had a type of wart removed from its ear. My friend's Rottie had previously had a similar one, and our vet said to leave it and it would go. The Vizsla owner's vet charged her a fortune to remove it and although it has healed it took as long to heal as the Rottie's one did to disappear on its own. It is called a Hystiocytoma, and they are a benign tumour that can come and go. Obviously it is worth checking with you vet if you get a lump of any sort, but a good vet will not operate unnecessarily. If the Vizsla gets another one come up, she is going to go to our vet to have it checked rather than let her vet operate again.

Although I am the first to recommend seeing a vet if your pet has a problem, they do not always have experience of certain conditions, and when you have been 'in' dogs as long as me and some of my friends, you do learn things along the way. I also take information to my vet if I find something I think he may be interested in, so it works both ways.

[jules77]

Purely out of interest, my old boy had what I can only describe as a small piece of bone sticking out the end of his tail. I noticed it within a few days of getting him home from the breeder, I was mortified and took him back for her to take a look. (I wasnt taking him back for a refund by the way!!). I was a little concerned a judge may notice it when checking the length of his tail against his hocks, and the only advice the vet gave me was that he could catch it, and it may bleed if he did. But, he never did, and I think apart from the vet, I was on the only one who ever knew it was there.

[thugulike]

I've decided to ask the breeder for refund as George is defective in 3 areas
1) He has no growl
2) He has no snarl
3) He has no hackles
We are fortunate to have a large animal vet practice which subsidises the small animals so the costs are, relatively, small. My huge Neo had double entropium and the vet gave him a facelift and only charged �100 as we'd taken him from the rescue centre knowing he would need surgery. Very often they've told us to wait and many times the problem has resolved. They operated successfully for bloat and recognised megaosoephagus which is very rare. I have been impressed with their knowledge and bedside manner. George seems to enjoy rude good health and he's only been for vaccination, worming and hold court in the waiting room. It's good to be able to share experiences isn't it?

[lankeela]

Can't wait to meet George in the flesh - are you going to LKA or Manchester, if not it will have to be Crufts! Maybe we should have an Answerbank Get Together there.

[thugulike]

Mr thug isn't sure about Crufts. It'd seem a pity not to go. I think we have to go to PGD though, rather than novice. Haven't thought about Manchester as I'm still getting over the broken ribs.
Maybe we should have an AB Dog Club and have our own show?

[lankeela]

There won't be a Novice class at Crufts, so it would have to be PG, this year there were fifteen entered but only ten present, but getting a place doesn't matter, its being there that counts and a placing is a bonus.

I wouldn't miss it for the world.

[thugulike]

Hi lankeela
We're not going to Manchester either. I have to work in Liverpool for a couple of weeks starting on Monday and this recurs regularly. It's fine but I have to complete all my work in the day job as well and run the home and cater for man and dog. I think I may need the weekends to catch up. What names do your dog(s) go under?