Anyone dealt with "Happy Tail" syndrome?

[steph90]

Kodi (Ironically also known as Happy) developed a small cut- about a quarter size of my pinky nail vertically- on the tip of his tail about a month ago. We had just moved in with some good friends in New Mexico. Over the last 4 weeks I have tried bandaging it multiple times in multiple different ways, tried putting a cone on him, tried confining him, using liquid bandage, and tried using antibacterial topical treatments- to no avail. The cut opened more over the month, and began developing black skin around it. The amount of blood on my walls, linens, clothes, car, and furniture, had also been increasing. I have probably already spent a full day cleaning blood off things. We went to the vet this morning, only to receive disturbing news. Kodi was diagnosed with this 'syndrome' where his tail whipping everything has caused it to pop open, and the chances of it healing are slim, according to the vet. Kodi is notorious for having a dangerously happy tail. It isn't uncommon for myself and roommates to have bruises from it, if he smacks us right. Mr. Vet said all he can do is what I have already done, just better. He shaved Kodi's tail and put a plastic sheath over it, adding protection, but also more weight. It came off a few hours after being home, even though Kodi was confined to my bedroom to rest. I taped it back on with medical tape but it flew off when he went out to go potty. Mr. Vet said having an open wound for this long is bad because it could become infected or even septic. The fact that we have already gone through hoops to get it to heal, only to have it worsen, lead him to suggest amputation. Apparently, even if we could get it to heal (unlikely, he said), there is a large chance the weak tissue will open again when Kodi wags. The only thing he seemed confused about is how it took so long to happen, after seeing, and hearing, Kodi wagging in the office. I am thinking it must have something to do with the dry air in NM. My own skin is cracking, even with a humidifier. I have done quite a bit of reading, and the consensus of other vets and people online who have dealt with this before seems about the same. Some people have gone through insane lengths to get their dog to heal- like removing all the hard furniture from their home- only to have it reopen again not even a year later. It seemed so absurd at first, but many people online say they wished they had saved themselves so much work and their dogs so much discomfort and just amputated without going months trying to heal it, only to have it worsen. It just seems so dangerous and terrible for a 4 year old. Sorry for this book I just wrote about this, but I am still just in shock. I had no idea Kodi being so enthusiastic about his feelings could lead to this. Just... crazy. My poor, poor happy dog.

[johninny]

OMG, i am so sad for you and Kodi. i am sorry to say i have nothing to say to help, but i hope others here smarter than i can offer tangible help.

having read your story, i do feel lucky that i did not experience this with TraceDog. his tail was deadly - like a whip on people's bodies; it would hurt so much. i will say though that it occurred to me that he could break his tail [??] if he hit something at just the wrong angle, so i did always try to keep him clear of things when his tail was moving with extra speed and force. [ otherwise, it was in perpetual motion.] since he listened so well and so precisely, he would oblige and position his body in the desired way. [ and, in general, he had a lot of space to operate in.] perhaps that saved him from real trauma?

good luck.

[Raven]

Never hearing of "happy tail," is it considered a nervous condition, or the equivalent of a dog with pent up energy humping, or....?

[steph90]

Sharon, its basically just a label for what happens when a dog wags with a lot of force. It's also called split tail, or bleeding tail. Pretty general, but apparently large dogs with long torsos and tails, with a strong rear end and a short coat are generally the dogs that can be afflicted by this. I have read its especially common in sighthounds. Kodi just has an really strong wag with a real big long tail. It isn't even just his tail. It is the entire back half of his body. No emotion he experiences is gentle, but when he is happy to see someone it sounds like someone is taking a hammer to the wall. I've tried curbing this over the last year, but its really difficult to control and be consistent with exciting situations. He generally won't even take the highest value treats from me when a guest enters the house, even if I have him across the room, or even in another room.
John, when I told my parents the news from the vet the first thing they said is they couldn't believe how long it took for him to hurt his tail! Kodi isn't good about listening for the first minute or so of excitement, and I have even tried doing some desensitizing with the sound of the door, knocking, car doors out front, ect. He did well with that but once he actually hears a guest its game over. The new house we moved in to isn't as spacious as our old one, maybe that has to do with why this happened now.
Either way, we have set the appointment for surgery for next week. It still hasn't fully set in that this stupid little bleeding cut is the reason for this. The vet made it clear that as we have experienced, there is little chance of it healing because of constant trauma, and even if we could win that long battle, he thinks there is very little chance it would stay healed. On top of that it is risky because of the chance of infection. Necrosis is already happening directly surrounding the wound. His only suggestion that we have not tried yet is to sedate Kodi during the healing process, which could take months, but his wag would obviously come back once off the meds. I just keep trying to tell myself that although this seems so extreme, it is best for Kodi in the long run. Luckily it is a fast and easy procedure, with no extra risks that any other surgery wouldn't have. It will be rough on Happy but with the proper pain meds and antibiotics the vet said he should be up and about in a few days.

[Tripmomma]

I worked in a vet office a few years ago. A family with a Dalmation had this happen, they tried everything to heal the tail (original injury was from it being shut in a door by accident) they were in all the time. Nothing worked for long. Eventually they amputated and he did great...still wagged his stub I'm sorry...poor guy.

[fetch]

Just to not leave this thread with amputation as the last entries. There's a technique out there that works for protecting the tail until it heals fully. It involves an appropriate sized syringe case, tape, coban, and lots of time (i.e., more than 10-14 days).

If anyone dealing with this finds their vet is unfamiliar with it, let your doctor know they should be able to find discussions about it on VIN if they are a member. The earlier this bandaging technique is used, the better the chances for complete resolution are.

Granted, sometimes amputation is the correct option. Only those with all the details/history know for sure.

[LyonsFamily]

Just to not leave this thread with amputation as the last entries. There's a technique out there that works for protecting the tail until it heals fully. It involves an appropriate sized syringe case, tape, coban, and lots of time (i.e., more than 10-14 days).

I was going to mention this method. It worked wonders for a Ridgeback we had in boarding once that would not stop hitting it against the walls. He was boarded every other weekend, so it had no time to heal. Along with the wrapping, the dog should also wear a cone and only be taken outside on leash so it can't go flying off.

Happy tail is really common for dogs that are boarded regularly or stay in crates often, especially plastic ones. I'm not sure why a vet would shave a tail on a dog like this though unless there was an infection that needed treatment. If it needed to be taped, you can just shave a strip where the tape is. Shaving the whole affected area just removes padding from the tail hair and makes it more likely to get injured again.

I had a dalmation with an amputated tail at 10 years old due to cancer and he did fine with it if you do have to go that route. He lived another 4 years. The biggest concern is that the vet does the amputation correctly and doesn't take the tendon with it that controls the sphincter.