Why does my dog's amputated tail bleed when he wags or shakes?

Hi and thanks for your request. Unfortunately this may be right as these type of injuries are very difficult to heal completely (as they are almost impossible to bandage and dogs wag their tail constantly). The vast majority of these injuries, even if look minuscule, end up having a surgical resolution (variable tail amputation).

I'm sorry Samantha's tail was slammed in a dog! First off, you did exactly the right thing by taking her into the vet. The problem with tail wounds is that dogs wag their tails, putting the wound at risk of opening back up. If Samantha is wagging her tail, that's probably why you are still seeing a bit of blood. If it's only a bit of blood, then I wouldn't be concerned. If it's a lot of blood, I would be concerned, and then you should take her back into your vet. It's impossible to get a dog to stop wagging their tail, so I recommend putting a bandage over the wound where it's bleeding in an effort to stop the bleeding. Don't put the bandage on so tight that it restricts blood flow to the tail. Samantha may want to bite and chew at the bandage, so I would get an Ecollar from the pet store to prevent her from doing that.

It may be tricky as wounded tail keeps bleeding. So, if it is bleeding a lot you should apply pressure for a few minutes (5 minutes) on the tail until the bleeding stops. Then you may have to apply a bandage on the tail to prevent another bleed (it may start again if the dog starts to chew or lick the tail or even if he starts wagging the tail). Bandaging the tail can be difficult - you don't want to put too much pressure but on the other hand loose bandage will slip off. If it come to the worst you may have to take your dog to your vet to put a proper bandage on.

It could be King Midas has happy tail syndrome. This is when they wag their tail so vigorously that causes serious damage to the tip of the tail when they hit a hard service multiple times. The skin at or near the tip of the tail gets abraded so much so that it starts to bleed. I would take him into the vet for this problem. The vet can diagnose what is causing his bleeding, and if he does have happy tail syndrome, they can discuss treatment options. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Poor Scarlet. If the wound is mild (the bleeding is stopping on its won, there is no muscle or deep tissue exposure, etc), you can apply pressure to stop the bleeding and clean the wound with saline rinse and apply triple antibiotic ointment. An E-collar or "cone" can prevent licking/biting and further trauma as the wound heals. However, if the bleeding does not stop on it's own, Scarlet appears to be in pain, or the wound is very deep, Scarlet should be seen by a vet right away, as she may need sutures, antibiotics, and pain medication. I hope this helps and that all is well!

Tail wounds are difficult to heal. You are doing a good job but need to place her in a cone to stop the licking and chewing. The wound can’t heal with constant irritation. I also would check her for fleas to make sure that isn’t the reason she started the chewing, and also you may want to have her anal sacs checked since if they are full they can cause itching in this area. Your veterinarian can also prescribe medication to control the itch and inflammation and antibiotics if they feel the area is infected. Be patient and continue with your treatment and this will heal in time. A tail amputation is a serious surgery and she would probably chew the incision and make a sore so you wouldn’t be any better off than you are now. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Leia.

It is very difficult to treat happy tail sometimes - most bandages do tend to fall off. I've seen veterinarians wrap the tail between the legs in a bandage on the belly, but this will only work if Dexter's tail is long enough. This is a product that I haven't used but it looks promising: https://www.amazon.com/JorVet-J1445-Starter-Happy-Dressing/dp/B07C3GTWPN You may want to have Dexter's tail examined by your veterinarian to make sure there isn't an infection. Sometimes surgery to amputate the end of the tail is necessary since the wound never heals.