Last week Charlie pee'd in his kennel and my wife took him out and hosed out the kennel and hosed him down. Since then his tail was limp. He started licking it which I didn't think was a problem, we looked up cold tail syndrome and didn't think it was a big deal. After a couple of days we noticed that he had licked so much that the hair was gone about six inches up from the end of his tail. We wrapped it and got him a cone to wear which seemed to be working. Last night after we returned from church we find he had chewed the about the last 6 or 8 inches of his tail to the bone, blood everywhere. I wrapped it again and this time in addition to the cone I put a light muzzle on him to get him through the night. When we arrived at the vet this morning she immediately said that his tail would have to be amputated and she wanted to do it about half way up so that if he continued she would have more to cut off later. Anyone have any insight into a condition like this. This 10 month old puppy has never been a chewer or a biter, not nervous at all, a very soft dog. I don't know if because the tail was limp he thought he could coax it back by licking or chewing or what. The vet seems to thing it might be some neurological issue that makes him chew his tail. I am at a loss.

Oh my, Kendall!

I can't even imagine that. I don't have any help to offer. Didn't even know cold tail could get THAT bad.:shocked:

I'm really sorry Kendall!! Was the peeing in the crate unusual for your pup - is it another symptom to what might be going on?

 Quote: kendall cook

Last week Charlie pee'd in his kennel and my wife took him out and hosed out the kennel and hosed him down. Since then his tail was limp. He started licking it which I didn't think was a problem, we looked up cold tail syndrome and didn't think it was a big deal. After a couple of days we noticed that he had licked so much that the hair was gone about six inches up from the end of his tail. We wrapped it and got him a cone to wear which seemed to be working. Last night after we returned from church we find he had chewed the about the last 6 or 8 inches of his tail to the bone, blood everywhere. I wrapped it again and this time in addition to the cone I put a light muzzle on him to get him through the night. When we arrived at the vet this morning she immediately said that his tail would have to be amputated and she wanted to do it about half way up so that if he continued she would have more to cut off later. Anyone have any insight into a condition like this. This 10 month old puppy has never been a chewer or a biter, not nervous at all, a very soft dog. I don't know if because the tail was limp he thought he could coax it back by licking or chewing or what. The vet seems to thing it might be some neurological issue that makes him chew his tail. I am at a loss.

Did your vet have any input? I just googled & found this:

" Pain may be seen on palpation of the tail base and some owners report that the dog seems uncomfortable and painful . The best thing to do is leave the tail alone.

Rest is recommended. Complete recovery is usually seen by 2 weeks and often occurs within a few days although it recurs later during training in 1/3 of the cases. Some owners and trainers feel that anti-inflammatory drugs shorten the recovery time if given when the condition is first seen. You might also use warm packs at the base of the tail which will help the relief of pain. The cause of limber tail is not known although it is thought to be associated with hard workouts (especially in underconditioned dogs), heavy hunting, and swimming or bathing in water that is too cold or too warm. Some owners reported that they grab the tail as a means of correction. Tail conformation (high set or very active), gender (males more frequently affected), and nutritional factors have also been suggested as possible causes. Ongoing studies suggest that limber tail is associaed with muscle damage in the tail with dogs examined early in showing elevated muscle enzymes eg., creatine phosphokinase.

At the SA practice where I worked there was a pointer that had this and also a German Shepherd.
Have your vet express his anal glands too, perhaps while he's in surgery. The German Shep seemed to be mistaking tail trouble for anal sac trouble, or perhaps couldn't reach the anal glands and then began on the tail.
This usually has a favorable outcome post-op.
I'm sorry for your pup, what a ghastly situation.

He usually whines when he needs to go out and I think my wife just didn't hear him. Vet seemed to blow off the cold tail syndrome thing when I tried to talk about it, as if it was an old wives tale or something. We didn't talk much because at 90 pounds he was slinging vet techs all over the lobby until the vet ran in and gave him a shot to sedate him.

 Quote: Kendall Cook

He usually whines when he needs to go out and I think my wife just didn't hear him. Vet seemed to blow off the cold tail syndrome thing when I tried to talk about it, as if it was an old wives tale or something. We didn't talk much because at 90 pounds he was slinging vet techs all over the lobby until the vet ran in and gave him a shot to sedate him.

Time to Change Vets!!
You are the customer, they are the sevice provider!!
Doesn't sound like good service, or great vet.

I'd want a Thourough Exam!! Like, Yesterday!!
I sure wouldn't let that vet near my pup!

 Quote: kendall cook

He usually whines when he needs to go out and I think my wife just didn't hear him. Vet seemed to blow off the cold tail syndrome thing when I tried to talk about it, as if it was an old wives tale or something. We didn't talk much because at 90 pounds he was slinging vet techs all over the lobby until the vet ran in and gave him a shot to sedate him.

How much time does your 90# dog spend in a crate?

He's not trained to Not "sling" vet's around? ie, be examined?
"Sedate"d would not show symptoms ...

He spends the night in the crate and during the short times my wife leaves the house to run errands. The techs were messing with exposed bone on the puppy's tail, I would have been spinning around too. He is fine for normal exam, this was not a normal circumstance.

First off, I am so sorry that you guys are having to go through all this... How scary!!

My young Rott has had "cold tail" at least five to ten times. He gets it randomly after being bathed or swimming, but certainly not after every time. The most he gets is a pain pill and rest, but it has NEVER progressed to this stage and is always back to 100% normal within five days.

Having dealt with it numerous times I first want you to know that you should not feel any guilt for not having done something differently. Cold tail is typically very benign in the long run and most don't even show much pain while going through it.

Second, I highly doubt that the cold tail was the main issue here, but it could have started a lick/chew cycle that became destructive. Kinda like fleas can cause a dog to lick/bite, but even after they are gone, the dog keeps licking and biting. But any dog that would chew to the point of needing an amputation has something else going on in there.

I am obviously not a vet, and I really hope that he recovers well through all of this... Poor guy...

I am sure you have done some research on your own, but this article may give you some new info: Canine Self Mutilation It specifically mentions pain being a trigger and that labs are one of the breeds prone to this behavior.

Again, poor guy...