Healing a wound on a tail

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masterspark

masterspark

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I have an extremely happy Dalmatian! So happy that his tail wags incessantly, and hard.
He managed to damage the tip of it on the corner of the door frame and when he wags now he flings blood everywhere. He has been chewing off the bandages (which are extremely difficult to put on) and licking until raw. I've covered it with antibiotic ointment and gauze and wrapped with cling then gorilla tape to keep him away from it. I've ordered a mesh muzzle so he cant get to it but it wont be here til Friday. I can't get him to the vet til Sat.
Any remedies to help the healing?
 
Weedygarden said:
He might need a cone of shame for a few days. There are some variations to the ones we are used to.
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Great idea, make a cone from cardboard, tape and a metal ring of some type, stiff copper wire maybe.

The big thing is keep it clean to prevent infection until you get the mesh muzzle. I have a book on treating livestock with herbs. I need to put down laminate flooring and have been packing my hundreds of books away in boxes. It’d take me a week to find that book. I know there are a few plants that’d keep the dog from licking the wound. :(
 
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Tail.jpg
 
Get an inflatable donut for him to wear. I used one when the girls were spayed and they were a lot happier than when they had to wear the cone. They have a bigger field of vision but it prevents them from getting to the wounds.

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Update: by Thursday night the wound progressed so that the bone was visible and I thought for sure the vet would be taking part of the tail off. Called in sick to work and had him at the vet 1st thing Friday. There was black around the edges that looked to me to be scabby type stuff but the vet thought it might be dead tissue. We had the talk about docking the tail but agreed to give it a week to see if we could heal it up. We have a course of antibiotics, a blood thinner to allow more blood to circulate, and a topical cream with silver in it to promote healing and tissue growth. I am using foam pipe insulation to pad the dressing so he doesn't impact things so hard (he's still sooooo happy and waggy). He wears the 'cone of shame' when we can't supervise him. He is less than happy about that! The inflatable donut does nothing as the tail is so long it is easy for him to get.
I changed the dressing last night and we've had some success. There is tissue growth so that we can't see the bone any longer. The cone, pipe insulation and the silver cream are working!
I will post some pics below but I warn those with weak stomachs...GRAPHIC!
 
That actually looks good. That is cartilage, not bone. The pink is granulation (new healthy growth). The up the good work. Moisture is key to healing and as with human wound care, you want to keep it moist with the prescription cream and Vaseline between that. This allows faster "granulation". My schnauzer licks "hot spots" and the cone of shame is an evil necessity along with zinc diaper rash cream and Vaseline.
 
Peanut said:
Great idea, make a cone from cardboard, tape and a metal ring of some type, stiff copper wire maybe.

The big thing is keep it clean to prevent infection until you get the mesh muzzle. I have a book on treating livestock with herbs. I need to put down laminate flooring and have been packing my hundreds of books away in boxes. It’d take me a week to find that book. I know there are a few plants that’d keep the dog from licking the wound. :(
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I would be very interested in the name of this book if you come across it.
 
Masterspark that is healing well. Great job!
Might look into a soft cone for your pups comfort. Work very well and much more comfortable. We got one after trying the dognut (donut) as we called it. Ours was able to reach his wound as well. Vet gave us a nice soft cone and it was amazing. Our dog was super comfortable, no more pressure on his neck but he still couldn’t reach his sutures. Easier on our legs as well. You never realize how close they stay to your legs until they wear the lampshade of shame. Lol
Keep us posted on how the healing is going!
 
Double R said:
I would be very interested in the name of this book if you come across it.
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The book is “The Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable” by Juliette de Bairacli Levy. I know the name of my book, just don’t know where it’s at. I have several large book cases. The books are being packed away so I can move the book cases and put down flooring… I actually know someone who studied with Mrs. Levy long ago. I think this book was published in 1954. :)
 
@Double R
Oh! Mrs Levy is European. Sometimes you have to cross reference the plants she uses to plants that can be found or purchased here in the US. Not that hard to do.

Mrs Levy is a pioneer of Holistic veterinary medicine. She has another book just about dogs. I need to get that one.

Most of her books are available on Amazon.
 
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NannyPatty said:
That actually looks good. That is cartilage, not bone. The pink is granulation (new healthy growth). The up the good work. Moisture is key to healing and as with human wound care, you want to keep it moist with the prescription cream and Vaseline between that. This allows faster "granulation". My schnauzer licks "hot spots" and the cone of shame is an evil necessity along with zinc diaper rash cream and Vaseline.
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I thought cartilage too but the vet said bone. Either way - not good.
I'm thrilled with such quick progress. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it continues.
Surgery would be hard on the dog and hard on my wallet. I'm sure the homesteaders here have experienced many a medical issue with their animals that they were able to manage without drastic measures which is why I chose to share this with everyone. I seek to learn and to share what I have learned.
 
masterspark said:
I thought cartilage too but the vet said bone. Either way - not good.
I'm thrilled with such quick progress. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it continues.
Surgery would be hard on the dog and hard on my wallet. I'm sure the homesteaders here have experienced many a medical issue with their animals that they were able to manage without drastic measures which is why I chose to share this with everyone. I seek to learn and to share what I have learned.
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You're doing a great job!
 
Looks like he is healing nicely. Just be sure circulation isn't cut off. And for those who can't get a cone when needed there is a DIY collar that works great.

 
Our old mastiffs used to do that. Never did get them to stop completely but it was never quite that bad. It happened less and less as they got older, lots of cleaning of the walls though.
 
Well, animals will be animals! Cooper got to his tail and removed the bandages. He then proceeded to chew the wound and I think actually ate about an inch of tail. In his happiness of thwarting my efforts he proceeded to wag profusely. There was blood on every wall, on every piece of furniture, the floor, the carpet, even the ceiling and all over me and the Mrs.. All in the 60 seconds or so it took me to chase him down and wrap his tail in a towel.
Lizzie Borden made less of a mess.
Off to the vet where it took them an hour to stop it.
8:00 am the next morning....CHOP! ...off comes half of the tail.
Cooper 1 Me 0
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@masterspark hopefully your dog will heal well without any problems. They are all our children really in the home. Dalmatian's are known for their exuberance though, I used to own one. Sorry to hear the bandaging didn't work and he got to it and made his tail worse :(.
 
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