Broken Tail. WTD??? Updated! Updated Again

[Jennifer and Jack]

UPDATED. I SCANNED AND EMAILED TWO VETS AND BOTH SAID THE SAME THING THAT IN SITUATIONS LIKE THIS, AMPUTATION IS THE WAY TO GO BECAUSE IT IS NOT GOING TO HEAL ON IT'S OWN AND IT IS PAINFUL BECAUSE EVERY TIME THEY MOVE THE BONES ARE GRINDING... I AM TOTALLY FINE, SLIGHTLY SAD BUT ALL I WANT IS FOR HIM TO BE COMFORTABLE, LISTENING TO HIM CRY LAST NIGHT JUST ABOUT DID ME IN... WE ARE GOING TO MY MOM'S VET AT 3 TO GET BETTER PAIN MANAGEMENT BUT AGAIN, MY VET AT HOME AND THIS VET SAID THE SAME THING, AMPUTATION.... ALL HE DID WAS WAG HIS TAIL TO HARD BECAUSE HE WAS HAPPY TO SEE ME, I COULD SCREAM.... I HAVE NOT DECIDED WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO YET, BUT I WON'T LET HIM SUFFER.... I COULD CARE LESS IF HE IS BALD, AND NO TAIL AT ALL I WON'T LET HIM BE IN PAIN.AND HE IS NOT DOING WELL ON PAIN MEDICATIONS..

UPDATE 2. WE WENT WITH THE ATTITUDE THAT WE WILL DO WHATEVER IS BEST FOR JACK NO MATTER WHAT.. I LOVED THIS VET..I SERIOUSLY WAS CRUSHING ON HIM, OXYGEN, WHEEL CHAIR AND IV'S AND ALL... HE SPENT AN AMAZING AMOUNT OF TIME WITH US... EXPLAINING THINGS, SHOWING US HOW TO DO THINGS ETC.... JACK WAS DEHYDRATED BECAUSE HE HAS NOT HAD ANYTHING TO DRINK SO FIRST THEY DID BLOOD WORK TO CHECK HIS LIVER AND KIDNEY'S AND GAVE HIM A BUNCH OF IV FLUIDS SUB Q ...... HE WAS NOT ABLE TO PULL UP THE FILM OF THE BREAK ON HIS COMPUTER BECAUSE THE DIP STICKS FROM THE ER VET NEVER PUT IT ON THERE IT WAS BLANK.. MOVING FORWARD.. HIS DOSE OF TRAMADOL WAS WAY TOO HIGH WHICH I ALREADY KNEW AND THANK GOD F SHOWED ME THE MG PER KG BECAUSE IT WAS DOUBLE WHAT IT SHOULD BE AND I KNEW IT WAS TOO MUCH...... THE PLAN IS TO KEEP HIM MEDICATED, HE TOO SAID NO SPLINTING, THERE IS NO WOUND ...... EVEN THOUGH HE IS ON PREDNISONE HE IS GIVING HIM METACAM WHICH IS A PRICY NSAID..BUT WITHT HAT COME SUCRALFATE AND AND PEPCID TO COAT HIS STOMACH.... HE SAID THAT THE FIRST SEVEN DAYS ARE THE MOST PAINFUL AND AFTER THAT HE SHOULD BE BACK TO HIMSELF WITH THE AREA JUST BEING TENDER.... THEY  DID NOT MENTION AMPUTATION AT ALL BUT I DID AS MY MOTHER KICKED ME FOR REAL ..BUT THEY WILL AMPUTATE ONLY IF THEY CAN NOT CONTROL THE PAIN OR IF HE IS BITING AT HIS TAIL, NONE OF WHICH HE IS DOING..... SO FOR NOW, HALF THE DOSE OF TRAMADOL HE WAS ON, METACAM,  ADN THEN THE MEDICATIONS TO COAT THE TUMMY.. PLUS THEY GAVE HIM IV FLUIDS...WHEN I TELL YOU I LOVED THIS VET I MEAN I LOVED HIM, HE WAS SMART, ASKED HOW I FELT ABOUT THINGS...... SHOWED ME THERE WAS SOMETHING CALLED A PILL SHOOTER THAT WILL HELP MR I CAN SPIT ANYTHING OUT OF MY MOUTH SWALLOW HIS PILLS... HE IS HOME RESTING.... THEY FEEL HE IS HAVING A LOT OF PAIN BUT WE ARE HOPING BY ADDING THE METACAM THAT WILL HELP......THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR INPUT, LOVE AND ADVICE.... IF JACK IS NOT ABLE TO GET HIS PAIN WELL CONTROLLED I WILL TAKE FURTHER ACTION BUT THIS VET FEELS HIS TAIL WILL HEAL CROOKED BUT IT WILL HEAL......

THE SWEET LITTLE BABY WHEN WE WALKED IN TO THE VET RAN UP TO THEM WAGGING HIS LITTLE TAIL AND GREETED THEM ALL WITH KISSES.... I HAVE NEVER LOVED HIM MORE

I am not exactly sure how much more crap we can endure....... Jack has been staying with my mom and I finally got to see him yesterday.. He was super excited to see me, screaming. crying to get to me when he saw me in the car.. he seemed fine but I literally only saw him for a few minutes then had to leave again for a few hours, when we came home he was FREAKING out....... we thought it was because he is a medical alert dog for me and I am beyond sick at this point.. to say the least, I am using a wheel chair but we had not even got it in the house. He was clinging to me then to my mom then jumping off the bed and hiding.. Very unlike him...

I examined his hip from top to bottom last night because I noticed he was not sitting right ..... his hip was okay... (remember he has an old hip injury)  but he was acting freakishly weird around me and we just assumed he knows how sick I am now anyway...sorry dang steroids got me a mess.. moving forward, I woke up this morning and noticed Jack's tail was not right.. it is quite obvious ..but to someone who is dealing what I am dealing with I don't know if I saw it last night and my mom is beside herself with worry for me so she has no clue.

So off we went ..me, my 9000 pieces of medical equipment, my mom, Jack and Molly to the ER by her house.. You can see the break it is toward the bottom and makes a C shape in his tail.

He is unable to get his tail to go up and was in a lot of pain, they gave him doggie morphine but because the bone is separated  they could not splint it because it would be applying pressure and cause a lot more pain.... It doesn't make sense to me since it is so broken, I know it isn't the end of the world but I LOVE his tail and I hate for it to be slumped over forever.

The worst part is I can't drive right now and my family and friends are with me around the clock and now of course I want to get Jack to an orthopedic doctor to see what they can do for him but  I won't be able to get him there until I get back home which will be at least a week or so...

I know we have had a lot of doodles with tails amputated recently or at least a few... Jack has no score, scratches, cuts or bruises anywhere on his tail.

He was at the groomer the day before my last admission to the hospital but I specifically remember his tail being up, his tail is always up....   and the ER vet said the break looks new.. plus he has swelling.

Believe it or not I am not overreacting.. I probably just don't have the energy to and I am so grateful he it is not life threatening but we have no idea how this happen, the vet said it is usually a break that i done by closing a tail in the door....but my my swears she didn't and she would have heard it, plus when I intially saw him yesterday I would have known his tail was bent like this I think......

So for those of you who have had dogs with broken tails...... what did you do? I have insurance so I can do anything and have it covered . the vet didn't think the orthopedic dr would do much more.

We were a sight for sure at the ER vet, my mom freaking over me, Me Crying over Jack, Molly Just freaking and Jack stoned on Morphine..... 

Any advice?

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Poor Jack poor you. The main thing is that he isn't in pain at the moment and this is not life threatening. Hope there is a simple and quick solution for Jack as you certainly have a lot on your plate for now.

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

Jennifer, I'm so sorry to hear the sad news about both of you! You will both be in my prayers for a speedy recovery!

[Jennifer and Jack]

Thanks, I am pretty sure now after talking to a few people though we will never know for sure that somehow yesterday in his excitement, jumping, and wresting Molly to get to me he broke it.........

it breaks my heart but I will get him the help he needs, I just don't know what it is.. I need to get off of FB and start researching and finding answers...... and ways to keep him comfortable, just letting a broken tail unsplinted flop in the air bouncing up and down when he walks seems cruel ..........

We do have a full plate for sure but Jack is my baby and he will always no matter what I have to do get the best care  because it isn't his fault he got stuck in a family where his mom is sick........ 

[Jennifer and Jack]

Forget reading on the internet, I will call ortho tomorrow....

[F, Calla & Luca]

For sure it should be bandaged to try to prevent movement. You should have the vet communicate with the orthopedic specialist since she may be able to get X-rays to him too.

[Jennifer and Jack]

I have the x ray on a CD. why they freaking crap did she not wrap it, I am broke, spent my mortgage money though I will get it back because of insurance ,,, and no nothing, no wrap no splint nothing, he is just flopping in the wind,  i am not even home i don't have medical supplies to wrap it with either.

Do you happen to know the safe dose of tramdol to give a dog?????  Jack is 17.5 pounds right now and she gave me 50 mgs to take, I have never been give more then 25 and now I am nervous... they said he could get a pill at 10 pm because the morphine will have worn off... but I can't find an accurate MG per KG range for him and she was so busy today I want to make sure 50 mgs is safe for him that seems so high

[F, Calla & Luca]

I found this :
According to the Veterinary Anesthesia & Analgesia Support Group, the starting dose of tramadol for a dog is 1-2 mg of medication for every kg the dog weighs, administered twice per day. Depending on the dog’s pain-management needs, the starting dosage can be up to 5 mg per kg the dog weighs, and the dose can be given at more frequent intervals, up to four times a day.

[Jennifer and Jack]

Thank you!

[Jennifer and Jack]

I wish I could post the x ray on here but I don't have a computer that has a disc image thing with me...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

So sorry to hear this. I think F has given you excellent advice. I hope you and Jack are both feeling better soon. 

[Jennifer and Jack]

Thanks Karen, I can't bare to see him not feel good I don't care about me but as much as I love Jack my family loves me and they are upset I am upset ,

Do you know if 50 mgs of Tramadol is safe for a 17.5 pound dog, I can't find the MG per KG anywhere on the internet and the nurse in me always checks medication orders before giving it.....

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Sorry to hear all this Jen. Please keep us posted when you have time. Take care of yourself first and hopefully someone can help get jack to the ortho tomorrow.