StemCell Therapy

It seems like my dog Rios tail is always wagginghes a goofy Labrador retriever mix who sometimes even wags in his sleep. So one day when he was a few years old, I was shocked to discover his tail hanging limp like a wet noodle. He wouldnt even wag for a treat.

Panicked, my husband and I rushed Rio to his veterinarian, who asked if wed noticed him injure his tail. We hadnt. Wed been camping all weekend by a lake, where Rio spent a lot of time swimming. Then we took a long hike and he wagged his tail the entire time, sometimes so enthusiastically that I started taking video because it was so charming.

Our veterinarians diagnosis: limber tail syndrome. Basically, Rios tail-wagging muscles were overworked and had become very painful. However, we were relieved to learn limber tail isnt a permanent condition. With rest and anti-inflammatory medication, Rio was back to his happy, wagging self in a couple of days.

Joe Spoo, DVM, DACVSMR, co-owner of AAHA-accredited Best Care Pet Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and author of the GunDogDoc blog, said he tends to see an influx of patients with limber tail at the start of hunting season, when the weather starts to warm up and dogs spend more time recreating outside.

The tail either hangs limp from the base, or juts out horizontally for a few inches and then droops.

The first time anybody sees limber tail, they panic and think their dog broke their tail, he says. The tail just dangles.

Limber tailalso called swimmers tail, Lab tail, cold water tail, or pointer tailis especially common in sporting breeds, but can affect any breed with a long, active tail, Spoo says.

We can see the condition in any dog that goes from not using his tail to overusing it, whether it be swimming or playing or just being happy, he says.

While limber tail tends to occur in the first three years of a dogs life, it probably has less to do with age than the dogs muscles not yet being trained to handle a typical workload, Spoo says. Often, a dog only experiences limber tail once, but there are exceptions.

I used to say it was a one and done [condition], but well see it in a few dogs where it repeats every time the new workload starts, Spoo says. I do have a couple Labs that seem to have it once a year at the start of hunting season.

Mild cases of limber tail will resolve with rest in less than 24 hours. For more severe cases, Spoo prescribes an anti-inflammatory medication to help with the pain and recommends restricted activity to rest the tail. Dogs typically recover in two to three days.

Diagnosing limber tail is fairly easy. Other causes of a non-wagging tail, such as trauma, can be ruled out if the tail hasnt been stepped on, pulled, slammed in a door, or otherwise injured, while more serious causes, like neurological issues, would be accompanied by other signs, Spoo says.

If you suspect your dog has limber tail, do not treat him at home with over-the-counter (OTC) anti-inflammatory medications for humans like aspirin or ibuprofen. Dogs do not have the same enzymes humans do and cannot break down these medications effectively, Spoo says.

Dont think, Im going to make a self-diagnosis and I have an anti-inflammatory for me, so Ill just give it to my dog. [You] can end up in a way worse situation than a day or two of a painful tail, he says. Consult your veterinarian.

Freelance journalist Jen Reeder was moved to tears when she realized her dog developed limber tail syndrome from wagging too much on the first family camping trip after her husbands kidney transplant.

iStock.com/George Clerk

Go here to see the original:
When the wagging stops: Is it limber tail? | AAHA

This entry was posted on April 21, 2019 at 9:49 am and is filed under Diabetes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |