My dog's tail got stuck in a door and is bleeding. Vet or wait?

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's difficult to tell how bad this is, because there is a lot of hair in the way. If it's really deep or wide, then it's best to have a vet evaluate it for possible stitches. It's best to have the wound seen sooner rather than later, because the wound can become contaminated if left for too long. It's not an emergency, but if you think it looks like a deep or wide wound, then most vet offices open around 7-8AM and usually have drop-off appointments for these sorts of things. Here's what to do in the meantime: 1) Clip the hair (if possible) around the area and expose all of the sore skin. 2) Wash/spray the area with just cool, clean water (no soap or other antiseptics) for at least 5 minutes at a time. Do this at least once a day. 3) Bandage the wound with gauze and apply an over-the-counter antibacterial cream (i.e Neosporin) to the wound. Keeping it covered and keeping Matilda from licking it will be the most difficult part of the treatment. You can help keep the bandage on by placing a good (really sticky) tape below the bandage. You can find sprays in the pet store, like bitter apple, that are meant to deter licking. This can be sprayed on the bandage (not the wound) to help keep Matilda from chewing it off. NOTE: Be careful not to bandage too tight or it can cut-off the circulation. If you notice that the end of the tail starts to swell, then remove the bandage and leave it off until the swelling goes down. I hope that helps and Matilda gets better soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This would warrant a veterinary evaluation for further assessment and treatment. These types of traumatic lesions can result in a fracture of the tail which can be quite painful. Even when a fracture is not present, this tends to result in a lot of pain. They would be able to evaluate her and at the very least start medications for pain. Good luck and have a good night!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Cali. Unfortunately this cannot avoid a vet visit. This will be very painful to her, and there are no OTC pain medications you can give her. Many human ones are toxic to dogs and can be fatal if given. She really should see a vet for this for pain medication, but to also make sure her tail isn't broken. Please take her into a vet now. Best of luck.

Hello. Unfortunately, unless you can get to the bottom of the problem, these type conditions can be very difficult to cure. Bandaging while wearing a Elizabethan cone can help for a while, & if it can heal, the problem may be solved. But if this a recurrent injury, allergy, neurologic or even a compulsive-obsessive behavior, treatments are often a bit more complex involving long term medication & sometimes even amputation of most of the tail. The first thing the tail needs is antibiotics as the tail does look infected. I think you really need to see your veterinarian with Ramces to see why this has happened & what is the right direction to go in to heal things up. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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).

Hi, yes it is necessary to see a vet. Jazzy will likely need antibiotics as it looks like the wound is oozing a bit of fluid in the picture. These lesions can be tricky to heal, and the more you keep on top of it, the better outcome you will have. If Jazzy is biting the tail, please use a cone shaped collar in order to refrain her from doing so. Hope Jazzy gets better soon.!