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?

[F, Calla & Luca]

I am sorry to hear about poor Jack. Luca' stainless was broken. http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/the-tale-of-luca-s-tail. I tried with the vet to save it for a month. But in the end, after X-rays under anesthesia, which we should have done much sooner, he had his tail amputated because I could not see getting him to an orthopedic surgeon, who may or may not have been able to do more but who would have had to anesthetize him again. He head three breaks, two of which were displaced. My vet advised me that amputation would be easiest for him. He recovered pretty smoothly and no one, least of all him, seems to notice. So if you haven't had X-rays get them and do what's best for Jack. Good luck.

[Jennifer and Jack]

Thanks he had x rays....there is one clear break and a couple of "hypodense" areas that she was not sure of. Did Luca have any cuts or sores? Jack has nothing..just breaks......I want what's best for him......his x rays were not done under anesthesia .....just on dog morphine sorry I can't remember the name........

I have easy access to an orthopedic doctor and great coverage....just can't get him there for a week unless we go by my moms..

Thanks

[F, Calla & Luca]

Yes, Luca had abraded areas in his tail we saw when the vet shaved it. She too felt it happened in a door and I first heard him yelp in the evening if the day we had been to the groomers. By the next day it was clear to be that his tail had been broken. Still the handsome devil, though.

[Jennifer and Jack]

Yes he is such a handsome guy! This ER vet did not shave his tail, just took x rays so I don't know


On a different page I wrote about it..the page for my breeder and a women said that her dog actually broke her tail in front of her the dog was so excited to see her that he smacked his tail on the wall and broke it......

Yesterday, when I was driven up to My moms he freaked out like never before..my mom was sitting outside he went crazy for me....honestly yelping to get to me.......I wonder if it got caught in my moms lawn chair...because it was so happy to see me then once in the house he was clinging to me....acting scared..eating but just plain crazy behavior..

Do you think it is possible to break a tail just wagging it so hard it hit something? I guess I will never know ......the dog morphine seems to have worked he is resting comfortably ......


Thanks everyone for the kind words.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Possibly. The bones near the end of the tail are tiny. And the muscles at the base of the tail are powerful so....

[Hailey and Oliver]

  I hope both of you get better really soon... :'( sad to hear this.. you'll both be in my prayers for a long time!

[jenn D]

Both of you Are in my prayers too. Hope you and your doodle are on the mend soon.

[Jennifer and Jack]

Thanks so much!

[Jennifer and Jack]

Thank you

[Jennifer and Jack]

Prayers are what we need. Thanks!

[Wendy and Myla]

Aww, poor Jack and poor you - you don't need any more on your plate!  I'm so glad you have insurance - at least you don't have to worry about that!  Thinking of you both! 

[Jennifer and Jack]

Thank you