What should I do if my dog's tail was stung by a stinging nettle?

Thank you for contacting PetCoach with your question about Kip. Poor boy! I would gently clean his wound with warm water and antiseptic soap. To keep him from licking at it, you can put an Ecollar on him. You can get one at a pet store or make one at home. Keep the wound clean and dry, and monitor it for signs of infection. If you see redness, swelling, warmth to the touch, or pus, then it is infected and he will need to see the vet for antibiotics to treat it. Best of luck. http://dogsaholic.com/care/homemade-dog-cone.html

Ingestion of stinging nettle can mainly cause local irritation and vomiting, but it is usually not dangerous or live threatening, just monitor her and if she starts vomiting several times i would recommend taking her to the vet in order to get it treated.

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This depends on which part of the tail is affected. If it is the base of the tail and she is itchy, it may be allergies, most likely flea allergies based on the location. Other possible allergies could also be the cause. There is no home remedy for allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your about Lily. The only way to tell if her tail is broken is to have her seen by a vet for x-rays. If it is broken, yes the vet can treat it. It will also be painful to her, and the vet can prescribe pain medication. Please do not give her any human pain medications as many are toxic to dogs and can be fatal if given. I'd take her into a vet now. I hope this helps!

Unfortunately not much you can do back home. This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!