Tail injury

denhaagenite

My little baby (6 months) whippet- mix got her tail caught in a door yesterday and had a bone removed and some stitches. She has an antibiotic, it's all bandaged up and the vet has given us enough to dress it again tomorrow but as she is a particularly waggy little thing we're worried she might damage it when the bandage comes off....

Is there anything we can do to make her more comfortable and the healing process go smoothly? We're heartbroken, she can't wag her tail because we keep telling her not to, she's playing less enthusiastically than usual and her cone is making her saaad .

star-pants

Your poor pup!

The only things I can think of are to try and keep it out of dirt etc, and try and keep her from gnawing at it (hopefully the cone will do this).
I know it's horrible to see them with a cone, but one of mine had a cone to keep her from her foot and whilst it's sad, it's better for them and gives the wound a better chance of healing.

Hopefully she'll heal quickly enough, as it might be a small wound? Just make sure to give her lots of care and she'll be back to wagging her tail safely soon!

iguana

Is she on pain medication? If not try giving her little pieces of ginger if she will eat it. It is a gentle anti-inflammatory and has a similar effect on dogs as aspirin/ibuprofen has on humans but without being harsh on the stomach. And if the antibiotics are upsetting her stomach the ginger will also help relieve that.

It is safe to use on dogs I discussed it with my vet recently and I'm giving occasional pieces to my dog Toby who had his leg amputated recently to help him deal with the aches in his other muscles as they get used to his new ways of moving. But you might want to give your vet a call and check if it's suitable for your girl as maybe they'd prefer her not to have pain medication so she doesn't forget her injury and overuse it while it's healing.

Whispered

Thats a brilliant tip iguana. One to remember.

denhaagenite

Ya thanks for that one Iguana!! I often drink ginger in boiled water for the odd unbearable hangover- knew it settled a yuck stomach but wasn't sure why

She is a bit better today, quite groggy in general though and playing very little and very tenderly. We took the dressing off and decided not to redress it as it was so difficult to take it off we didn't want to bother her any more if it wasn't necessary. She's licking the stitches a bit, but I think if she's not biting it she'll be fine.

We're giving her the antibiotic in a bit of cheese, just wondering if this is ok for her. She's not the best eater so we thought it was safer to make sure she got it.

Thanks for the help guys, honestly we're like two nervous parents!